Marmee

“Like a bird, she wakes up,

Early in the morn,

When the Sun reaches with it rays,

To caress her gentle face.

She never grumbles,

She never complains,

Of how her back aches and pains,

She finds her way in people’s hearts,

Like, water making its way through cracks and crevices.

In the rocks

She will help you when you’re sad,

And celebrate when you’re happy,

She will be there when you need her.

You might have guessed who she is,

Cause there is only one,

Like her in the whole world.

She is her and,

Her is she,

Just kidding, she’s Marmee!!” Jane bowed, and thanked everyone, her cheeks flushed and her eyes sparkling with the success of her poem. But the ultimate success was that her mother was shedding a few quiet tears of happiness as she clapped along with John, Abraham, Wanda and father.

Born on May’s eve, they were a sweet triplet, they were. They often tried to be good, often tried to be happy, and that was all Mary needed to be happy. And the kids taking care of her, was the icing on that cake.

It had been a difficult journey to where they were now, a ride through which Mary; their mother had protectively shielded them from the hail, and snow, yet showing them the rain and drizzle.

Once, Mary remembered fondly how little Abraham had gotten himself in trouble, even with the face of an angel. And when John had fallen in the pothole, and broke his leg, and got in trouble in school many-a-times, they were a difficult lot, they were, yet Mary thanked her stars for them.

Jane had been the most difficult, but she wasn’t made of the sour curd, she had a heart of gold, she did, yet...sometimes.

“Mama! Where are you? Why do you always disappear, JUST WHEN I NEED YOU?!” Jane was screaming loudly, right in the middle of the night. 

Apparently, she couldn’t find her slippers to go to the bathroom.

And Mary? She had been tired after a long day of work, and as she was just removing her shoes, a high-pitched shriek sailed down from the stairs. It was surprising, for it was a first, but then, it wasn’t the last.

Incidents such as this happened all the time, it had become a regular practice, and Mary? She obviously had a soft spot for her children. She worked day and night, to keep the beams of their house strong, and returned home, to work again, to keep her children comfortable. Luxurious objects made their way into their house, as Jane’s demands continued to become more and more preposterous and to top that, their father was gone for military duty.

Those were hard times.

“Abraham, be a dear and bring your siblings down here, I have something to tell you.”

“Yes mother,” and the kid obediently trotted off.

Few minutes later, the room was filled with two pairs of eager eyes belonging to John and Abraham, a sulky mouth, belonging to Jane, and a sad smile, belonging to Mary.

“But mom! I invited Gwennie to our house, how could I possibly make her come to that-that, PIGSTY!?”

“Now, now dear, you haven’t even seen the house,”

“I haven’t but I’ve seen Wanda, she lives in that block, and I KNOW THAT PLACE IS DEFINITELY A PIGSTY,” Jane shrieked.

“Well, then go tell the landlord that, Jane, we don’t have the money to even AFFORD this place anymore,” John retorted sharply.

“Yes, you should listen to mother,” Abraham added as Jane stomped off to her room, deciding her family was very mean.

***

Mary had tried every way, but Jane was not improving, she kept on squandering money, and demanding a personal star or the moon.

She had prayed, earnestly, hoping she would change. But patience, the wait was long and patient.

***

It came on one summer day, two years later. Jane was walking across to school from their ‘pigsty’ as she called it.

She was walking past the 9th house, Wanda’s as she recalled. A small kid ran out of the house, bawling loudly as he crashed straight into Jane.

“Hey! Hey! Watch where you’re going, kid.”

Wanda hurried out of the chipped yellow house, muttering apologies as she took the kid she was baby-sitting that day away. Jane looked at her in distaste.

As Jane continued in the direction of the school, ignoring whatever Wanda was saying. In her opinion, it was better for her reputation if she stayed away from her.

“You know, you have no right to go looking all high and mighty like that, you’re the one who’s causing trouble for your family, you waste all your mother’s money on useless things.”

Jane whirled around as she confronted Wanda, “Who told you that?”

“My mother said so, and she is the wisest person in the world, so there,” Wanda looked back at her defiantly.

“Your mother? Do you even HAVE a mother?” Jane laughed cruelly.

Wanda’s eyes filled with tears,  as she turned away and ran into her house.

While Jane’s mother was watching from afar, she felt sad. And once for all, she decided to set matters to the right. She visited Wanda that day, and they had a long talk together.

“Jane! Meet your new sister, she’s Wanda.”

“Wanda? Not Wanda Petronski?”

“Wanda Alcott now,” Wanda said, smiling shyly.

***

“I don’t understand, what?” Jane asked her mother, when they were alone.

“Well you see, Wanda doesn’t have a parent or legal guardian, so I talked with her father’s lawyer, and it took time and effort but here we are.” Mary smiled.

“But why her?!?”

“Jane, you should learn to be kind,” her mother said sternly and then proceeded to tell Jane a story….

God knows what the story was, but when Jane went to sleep, she had a smile, a kind smile on her face that reached her eyes.

“Like a bird, she wakes up,

Early in the morn,

When the Sun reaches with it rays,

To caress her gentle face.

She never grumbles,

She never complains,

Of how her back aches and pains,

She finds her way in people’s hearts,

Like, water making its way through cracks and crevices.

In the rocks

She will help you when you’re sad,

And celebrate when you’re happy,

She will be there when you need her.

You might have guessed who she is,

Cause there is only one,

Liker her in the whole world.

She is her and,

Her is she,

Just kidding, she’s Marmee!!