And So It Goes

And So It Goes

“This has to stop. Look here Martha, we have to do something. No use fiddling about with it. We have to get more of our friends involved. How to start is the question. Do you think many are concerned? You haven’t said a thing. What are you thinking? Why don’t you speak up?”

And on and on she went. Poor Martha couldn’t get a word in edgewise.

“My Rodney came home with dirt all over the seat of his pants. I was shocked. Shocked I tell you. I just took one look and there it was, all over his new suit pants. Oh, don’t worry. I grilled him. He didn’t want to tell, but I got it out of him okay. How did your Mathew make out? Was it the same with him? I do wish you’d say something. Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone what you said. You know I’m the sole of discretion. These things don’t just happen. There’s a cause and I’m going to find out and make someone pay. Don’t think I won’t. I’ll do something about it okay.”

Martha didn’t seem upset by the problem. She just listened. What else could she do. Every time she tried to speak Alma butted in and ranted on again.

“ Just take a look at these dirty windows. It’s such a glorious day and I can hardly see any of it. People certainly don’t care about anything anymore. It wouldn’t hurt them to sweep the floor once in a while either. It’s a wonder anyone comes in here at all. I’m thinking of changing to a new place myself. How do you feel about it? Shall we try somewhere else? I hear there’s a new spot just down the street.”

Martha didn’t know about any new place, so she kept quiet.

“I was talking to Mrs. Hargrove yesterday and her Marion didn’t know anything about the boys getting into a pickle. She said Marion doesn’t usually hang out with the boys. She has her own friends, and they weren’t at the playground on Friday. Besides, she had a music lesson on Friday, and she went there right after school. She said Mr. Hargrove was still at work at 4:00pm on Friday so he wouldn’t know why there was a problem in the school yard. And besides, what could he do anyway. Marion wasn’t involved.”

“People simply want to be left alone. They don’t want to make waves. Just sit on the front porch and watch the world go by. That’s all they want. Doesn’t matter if we’re going to the dogs around here.”

By now Martha was rolling her eyes. Not so you could see it, but just enough to relieve the pressure.

“Did you hear about the Gillanders? I’m not surprised. I’ve been expecting it. I always thought there was something strange about those two. They never seemed right to me. They couldn’t even be cordial when I passed their house. Even if one of them was in the front garden. They didn’t even nod my way when I said a cheery good morning. Yes indeed-very strange couple. I watched and I watched but no one ever came to visit. I stayed looking out of my front window for hours and never saw a sole going up to their front door. So, when I heard that they were moving I wasn’t one bit surprised. I saw it coming. Good riddance, I say. Who needs unsocial neighbors. I wonder where they’re going. I’d like to know so I could warn their new neighbors. Wouldn’t that be a joke. You just can’t tell about people anymore.”

Martha finally got a word in, “I didn’t know them.”

“Well, lucky you. They probably would have ignored you as well.”

Martha gets in another word, “perhaps.”

“The meat I bought at Mallory’s Butcher Shop on Saturday was as tough as boot leather. And the prices they’re charging are robbery. I’ve a good mind to post a notice on their front window so people are warned. You know, I might just do that. It’s about time somebody brought these high prices out in the open. The groceries are just as bad. Everything has gone up in price. Fruit is a ridiculous price, and it isn’t worth it either. It’s not tasty anymore. I don’t know what they’re doing to it. My bananas went soft and black in less than a week. I had to make cake out of them. I have to admit that the cake was good though. And toilet paper-now that’s another question. Soon we’ll have to tear up newspaper to wipe our bums with. Like the good old days, eh? Ha, ha, ha. That’s a good one. That make you smile. But, no kidding, when’s it all going to stop? How do people manage? Glad my family’s all grown up and looking after themselves. We’d be eating a lot of bologna sandwiches. Not that there’s anything wrong with bologna. I quite like it. I have it for lunch sometimes. I like it with mustard. Do you like bologna? What do you put on your sandwich? Of course, I prefer ham. Salmon is good too. I put mayo on salmon. My mother used to put mustard on salmon. I liked that too. She was a great cook. Wish I could cook like her. Too bad I didn’t keep her recipes. Oh well, we can’t do everything right, can we?”

“Guess not,” said Martha.

“Rodney’s pants have to go to the dry cleaners. Guess who has to pay for that. Certainly not the ones that caused the problem. They get away scott free. It’s just not right. I’m going over to that school tomorrow and speak to the principal. I may take a bucket of soapy water and wash down the slide. That’s were the dirt was. I bet some nasty kids put mud on the slide for a joke. Well, the joke will be on them when I find out who did it. I’ll give them something to think about for sure. They’re not going to get away with it. I’ll hunt them down and they will pay for their nasty joke. Yes, it was mud, not just dirt. Dirt wouldn’t make such a mess. I couldn’t brush it off. It will have to be cleaned. I have better things to do with my money than pay for someone’s prank. Their parents should be paying, not me. Money doesn’t grow on trees you know. I work hard for all I get.  This is so upsetting. Forgive me for going on like this but it really is upsetting. It’s worse when you don’t know who to blame. This is not the end of it. I’ll find out who they are,”

“Well, it won’t be for not trying,” said Martha.

“You bet it won’t.”

“I’m dry. How about a drink? Fancy something? What would be nice? I think I’ll try a coke. How about you?

“Sounds good to me, said Matha.

“Coming up then,” said Alma.

“Are you going to play bridge on Saturday? I was thinking of passing this week but then the girls will get all upset because they have to get a replacement for me. Guess I better go. It’ll be the same old, same old. I’m partners with that new girl, what’s her name again? Oh yes, Sidney isn’t it? What a queer name for a girl. Wonder what her mother was thinking of. I bet she hates it. Of course, she could change it or even use her second name if she has one. Maybe Sidney is her second name. Who knows. Isn’t she the talker now. I couldn’t get a word in. She went on and on and on about nothing. No one was listening and no one was interested. So, she has a dog. Who hasn’t. We all know about dogs and how cute and clever they are. Now, my dog is special. He’s so clever and wise. I do believe he knows what to do before I even ask him. You know, he knows exactly when it’s five o’clock. That’s his dinner time and he sure lets you know if you’re late with it. He howls at me. Yes, he actually howls. It’s so funny. I just love him to death. I know you love Binky as well. He loves you too. Rodney would be lost without him. He sleeps in Rodney’s room. On the rug mind you. Not on the bed. He’s so cute. I should do more talking about him and maybe Sidney would shut up for a minute about her precious dog. Next thing she’ll be telling us about her cat and her hubby and her kids. It’s annoying. Bridge requires a lot of concentration, and I can’t concentrate while she yaps on. Oh well, there’s one in every crowd. Guess I’ll have to get used to it. Can’t insult her because we need her to make up the foursome. Are you planning on going this week? If you are, I’ll pick you up. We could drop in for a wee drink on the way home. Just one of course because I’m driving. I like a drink in the evening, don’t you? I like red wine. They say it’s good for you. Just one.         

“I don’t drink,” said Martha.

“Wonder what time it is? I forgot to put my watch on. Of course, Modern Milly would simply check her cell phone. I think those things are a curse. I won’t allow them in my house. Rodney has one cause his dad insisted. He said the boy was being left behind and needed to keep up with the times. I will not have one around me. Rodney has to put his away when he’s in a room with me. He keeps it in his bedroom. I                                  guess he plays games and everything on it like the other boys do. They are losing their social graces. Young people today can’t have a conversation with you anymore. All they do is text one another. It’s so silly. Texting a person sitting next to you. The world has gone crazy. I tell you they’re all nuts! Not me. I don’t know how to use one and I’m not going to learn. The old ways suit me. I like the telephone in the kitchen. I don’t want one in every room in the house. Especially in the bedroom. When I’m sleeping I want peace, not a phone ringing in my ears. Such nonsense. What’s next? Sorry, do you have a cell phone? Of course, there are exceptions. I understand how some people need them. Guess they are nice to have for emergencies. Maybe I will get one. I’ll think about it. I’m so old fashioned. Maybe I should get a little modern. Wonder how hard it is to learn to use one? Rodney could teach me. He’d like that. Yes, I’ll think it over. What do you think? Do you have one? How do you like it? Is it hard to use? How often do you use it? Is it worth the money. They’re not cheap. You know, thinking about it, I might like to                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               have one after all. I’ll try Rodney’s. That’s it. I’ll try Rodney’s if he’ll let me.

“I like mine,” said Martha.                                                                                                                                                                                                     

“What’s new with you? You’re not saying much. Everything okay?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

“Yes, everything is fine.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     My niece is expecting her first baby in November. We’re all excited about it. We haven’t had a baby in the family for quite a while. Last time was when Rose came along and she’s ten years old now. Quite a                                                                   lovely young lady. We’re all very fond of her. She is learning to play the piano, or rather I should say the keyboard. She’s doing well. I think she’s very talented. Everyone says so. And she’s not shy about playing for you. She just sits down and away she goes. She can play by ear. All you have to do is start a tune and she picks it up and plays the whole song. She sings as well. She has a lovely voice. Soprano you know. She can hit the high C without even trying. I bet she could break a glass. It’s a joy to have her around. So entertaining. And her older brother, Harvey, he’s twelve years old, can dance. No lessons. He just dances. He can act so funny. He can do splits and he stands on his head. He does the new dances. I don’t know what they are, but I love watching him. I think he’s going to be an actor. He carries on so.                                                                                                                                                                                                                  You don’t need TV when the two of them are around. Rose plays and sings and Harvey dances. It’s a good time. I’m lucky to have such a swell family. I’ll have to have you over when they visit. You’ll love them. My brother, Tom, and his wife, Shirley, are so proud of them. My Mathew loves to play with them. They have lots of fun when they get together. We all enjoy it. We make lots of treats and we bar-b-que and we always have ice-cream, chocolate of course. Our garden is very nice and there’s lots of space to sit and talk and lots of room to play games. The flowers are beautiful. My hubby is quite a gardener. He spends a lot of time weeding and watering. He starts early in the spring getting the soil ready and fertilizing. Our roses are gorgeous. We have them climbing up the trellis on the back porch and we have bushes in the garden. They are so fragrant. It’s lovely having your coffee out on the patio in the morning. Nice to hear the birds singing and watch the squirrels romping around. It’s peaceful. We all enjoy it. You must visit. Next week would be a good time because the garden will be in full bloom. You’ll love it. I’ll make my special lemon pie and we’ll have tea and pie and a good gab. Sound okay? Love for you to come. I’ll pick a bouquet for you to take home. And you can see my new sofa. It’s gorgeous. Just what I wanted. I’ve been looking for something for a long time and I finally found it. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I walked into The Furniture Mart on Queen St. the other day, just to look around, and there it was. Exactly what I wanted.  Just sitting there in front of me. I immediately found a salesperson and bought it. They were very nice to deal with. Made the arrangements in a jiffy. It was delivered right on time on the day they scheduled it. So nice to deal with. I think I might try to find a matching chair, although, the chairs I have go with it quite nicely. My coffee table has seen better days, but we can’t have everything at once, can we. I almost forgot. I have a new rug as well. The old one has had it. A new rug was a must. Just had to have one. The room looks gorgeous. You must come and see it. We’ll set a date, or it won’t happen. When are you free? Or perhaps you want to look at your calendar and let me know. I’m free most of the time. Just have appointments now and then but we’ll work around them. And, of course, we’ll check the weather. No use coming to see the garden if it’s raining. That wouldn’t work well at all. Ha, ha, ha. A wee joke,” said Martha.

“Oh my, I didn’t realize how late it was getting. Waiter, bill please. This one’s on me,” said Martha.

“You can get the next one.”

“This has been fun,”

Alma nodded agreement. The two friends rose from their place and headed for the door.  It was now mid afternoon. Customers were coming in for their coffee break. 

By: Doreen M. Atkinson

© Sept. 2023