justprompts
Silence
It was always the same, every time, always.
The evening would start quiet, Maggie would put on her favorite dress, and tie a ribbon in her hair- just as she was taught, her mother would put on her special perfume. The one she only wore on nights such as this, and her father would put on Bing Crosby, or some other coroner long since passed. \Dinner would be filled with laughter, jokes, and promises. Always the same promises.
’Yes Daddy, I’ll behave’
No Margret- I’ve hired another secretary’
‘I told you twice Jack- I haven’t made any more appointments.’
Maggie would pretend to let those conversations go over her head, pretend that she didn’t hear the ice in their voices. She would tell her father about what she was going to do while he was away, the pots her art class was going to make, the books she was going to read.
The dinner might not have been perfect- but it was always the same.
Afterwards, her mother would open a bottle of wine, and she and her daddy would dance in the living room, her feet on his, while she attempted to harmonize with her father’s deep baritone voice.
Then, the bells would ring, and it would be time for her to go to bed, leaving her parents alone time before he caught the red-eye flight to Washington, just like always.
And then, like every time before, the same argument would start, quiet, so quiet Maggie couldn’t hear anything, but then it would grow, threats and pleads and swears.
“It isn’t right she’s not right! Don’t you want her to be…”
“No! I refuse to allow you to put her in that…”
Her father must have found her mother’s date planner. Maggie had an appointment with the doctors in the morning, just like always.
“Allow? Allow? you’re never here! How do you think you can…”
There would be a crash, a door would slam and her father would drive off, like he had a hundred times- or it seemed to be that way to Maggie.
A few stomps up the stairs, and her mother would stand in the doorway for a minute before tucking her into her bed just a little more. A kiss would be planted on her forehead, and her mother would whisper, “I just want you to be happy… I want you to see everything “ and be perfect- her mother wouldn’t say, but she meant them just the same.
Then, she would stand back up, and walk out the door, that perfume staying behind; lulling the girl into sleep, and the rest of the night would be silent.
Just like always.
Blind Mag
Repo! The Genetic Opera
477
It was always the same, every time, always.
The evening would start quiet, Maggie would put on her favorite dress, and tie a ribbon in her hair- just as she was taught, her mother would put on her special perfume. The one she only wore on nights such as this, and her father would put on Bing Crosby, or some other coroner long since passed. \Dinner would be filled with laughter, jokes, and promises. Always the same promises.
’Yes Daddy, I’ll behave’
No Margret- I’ve hired another secretary’
‘I told you twice Jack- I haven’t made any more appointments.’
Maggie would pretend to let those conversations go over her head, pretend that she didn’t hear the ice in their voices. She would tell her father about what she was going to do while he was away, the pots her art class was going to make, the books she was going to read.
The dinner might not have been perfect- but it was always the same.
Afterwards, her mother would open a bottle of wine, and she and her daddy would dance in the living room, her feet on his, while she attempted to harmonize with her father’s deep baritone voice.
Then, the bells would ring, and it would be time for her to go to bed, leaving her parents alone time before he caught the red-eye flight to Washington, just like always.
And then, like every time before, the same argument would start, quiet, so quiet Maggie couldn’t hear anything, but then it would grow, threats and pleads and swears.
“It isn’t right she’s not right! Don’t you want her to be…”
“No! I refuse to allow you to put her in that…”
Her father must have found her mother’s date planner. Maggie had an appointment with the doctors in the morning, just like always.
“Allow? Allow? you’re never here! How do you think you can…”
There would be a crash, a door would slam and her father would drive off, like he had a hundred times- or it seemed to be that way to Maggie.
A few stomps up the stairs, and her mother would stand in the doorway for a minute before tucking her into her bed just a little more. A kiss would be planted on her forehead, and her mother would whisper, “I just want you to be happy… I want you to see everything “ and be perfect- her mother wouldn’t say, but she meant them just the same.
Then, she would stand back up, and walk out the door, that perfume staying behind; lulling the girl into sleep, and the rest of the night would be silent.
Just like always.
Blind Mag
Repo! The Genetic Opera
477