Mary's Big Day

"It has to be perfect. It has to be. It has to be!" Mary's voice was growing shrill. "You don't understand! He needs it to be exactly right!"

The poor freckly teen stared at her with wide eyes from behind the register. This obviously crazed woman was losing it; her meltdown had been building throughout their interaction and was seemingly reaching its boiling point. Mary's hair was disheveled and her neatly-rolled sleeves had come undone as she slammed her hands on the check-out counter.

"I'm sorry ma'am, we just don't have any green balloons left. St. Paddy's Day cleared us out, and we just put an order in yesterday. They should be here by Tues-"

"Tuesday doesn't cut it! Tuesday doesn't get me my damn balloons!" Mary's voice had dropped to a hiss. She spat out each word through clenched teeth. "I. Need. Lime. Green. Balloons."

"We have mint green..." the store clerk offered weakly.

Mary's glare was so sharp the teen took a step back. She glanced at her watch, and her heart sank. "Fine," she said. "One pack of mint green balloons. Oh God..." The woman groaned in a soft voice, a complete 180-degree turn from her previous fire and fury. She paid up, then dropped the unsatisfactorily-colored balloons into her purse and shuffled to the door.

Now that she wasn't shrieking at him, the teenage check-out clerk noticed how very fragile the retreating figure before him really was. The woman was young, probably in her early thirties, but there was a streak of gray in her frizzy brown hair, and she walked with a tiredness normally reserved for one well beyond her years. Her eyes had deep crow's feet and scowl lines flanked a tight mouth.

"Good luck with the party!" the clerk called after Mary. "How old is the birthday boy going to be?"

"Four," replied Mary, not turning to look. The clerk had already busied himself with the register, so he didn't hear her quietly whisper: "Again..."

Mary shambled down the sidewalk from the party store to the local grocer’s shop. As she turned to go in, she noticed a special on birthday cake advertised on a poster taped to the door.  Maybe it’ll be fine, Mary thought. Maybe the cake will make up for it. She walked past the deli and the produce sections to the baked goods counter and rang the bell on top of the glass display case. A cheery red-headed worker popped her head around the doorframe of the kitchen, smiling when she saw Mary.

“Just be a sec, okay? I’ve got some oatmeal raisin cookies in the oven, and I can’t let them burn!” The red hair disappeared for a moment, and then returned as a young woman walked up behind the counter, dusting flour off her apron. “What can I do for ya?”

“I need one of those half-price cakes. I saw the special.” Mary felt so worn out she could barely think. “Chocolate, please.”

The baker’s face fell. “Oooh, sorry ma’am. We don’t have any more whole chocolate cakes. I have a half cake, or I can get you another flavor?”

Mary’s tiredness dissipated in a heartbeat. Tears clouded her sight but could not hide the panic that was building in her eyes. The young baker was taken aback by the shift in her customer’s mood.

“I can’t have half a cake. It has to be chocolate,” Mary choked out.

“Oh no no no, don’t cry! It’ll be fine!” The employee was desperately trying to do some damage control on the situation. “I’m sorry! Listen, I can get you a red velvet cake, how’s that? It’s just a chocolate cake with red dye! Same flavor and everything, just a different color, huh?”

Tears streamed down Mary’s face as she shook her head sharply. “It’s not the same! Not the same, not the same, not the same…” she repeated, almost to herself. “Not good enough, damn it, not good enough Mary!”

“Ma’am? It’s okay, I promise. The red velvet cake is just like the chocolate, I swear. The kid probably won’t even notice until it’s half gone anyway.” The red-headed baker reached across the counter to take Mary’s hand, but thought better of it and stood fidgeting behind the display.

The crying mother sniffed loudly and drew herself up. She dabbed at her eyes and nose with her wrinkled sleeve.  

“You’re probably right. I’m sorry, I’ve just haven’t been sleeping well. Plays with my emotions, you know?”

“Rough week?” asked the baker.

“Week. Month. Year.” Mary let out a soft chuckle, more of a sigh than a laugh. “Eddy’s always been a handful, but lately…”

“Eddy? I assume he’s the birthday boy? How old is he?” The bakery employee was just relieved the poor woman had stopped crying.

“He’s four. Eddy just has particular tastes, and he’s really cranky when he doesn’t get his way. I’ve already compromised on his favorite balloons, and if he doesn’t get his favorite cake, well… He just doesn’t understand that things don’t always go your way, you know? And he’s so angry, not like a child should be, you know? He’ll throw things, scratch you, scream… It’s honestly frightening. I just really want him to be happy on his birthday.”

The baker nodded. “I get it. My son, Jake, will pitch a fit if his sandwich has the crust on it. Kids, ya know? But my daughter grew out of it. I’m sure Eddy will too. ”

Mary nodded, but the smile on her lips didn’t reach her eyes. She ordered the red velvet cake and had the baker cover the dessert in chocolate frosting, though the young woman suggested a cream cheese icing as more traditional. Mary left the store, bag in hand, and began the walk to the bus stop.

Once on board, she fielded a few questions from fellow passengers, curious who the cake was for, how old the boy was, what present did she get him, and so on.

“My son, Eddy. He’s four. I haven’t gotten anything yet, but I’m headed to the store now. Yes, I hope he’ll be surprised.”

At the toy store, Mary quickly found the aisle she was looking for and was delighted to find a small green bear among the stuffed animals. Finally, something goes right for once, she thought. She quickly bought the toy and was about to leave when she stopped in the middle of the aisle. Turning, she quickly ran up and down the length of the store, scanning shelves as she passed. Finding the right aisle, she grabbed a small item off the shelf and made her way to the front check-out. 

“Find everything alright?” asked the friendly man at the register. Mary nodded and practically shoved her card across the counter. The man swiped her card, and turned to grab the receipt, but both Mary and her items were already gone out the door.

Mary sped down the sidewalk, but she was half a block from the corner stop when she saw the bus pull away from the curb. Breaking into a run, she desperately tried to catch up. Her bags jostled and bounced as she chased the bus, but soon it turned the corner and disappeared from view. Mary slowed to a stop and let out a stifled scream of frustration through her lips. Her blood pressure spiked as the stressed out mom glanced at her watch and saw the time. Frantically, she looked around for a taxi. She spied a yellow cab making its way down the street in the far lane. Recklessly charging across the four lanes of traffic to cross the street, Mary waved her arms and blocked the taxi’s path. Slowing to a halt, the cab driver gave a half-hearted gesture of protest and then thumbed toward the rear seat.

“Thank you thank you thank you,” Mary repeated breathlessly. “I need to get home, it’s my son’s birthday!”

“Alright, lady. Where to?” The driver was not unkind, but there was a subtle undertone of exasperation in his voice.

“Greenlake Drive and quickly.”

“Hang on,” said the cabbie, and he pulled away from the curb. They rode in silence for a minute or two, before the cabbie decided to attempt conversation with the stressed, sad-looking lady in his backseat.

“So, kid’s birthday, huh? What’d you get him?”

“Toy bear,” said Mary, in a tone that suggested forced friendliness. She was looking out the cab window at the passing buildings. “He likes green things.”

“Kid’s got good taste. I tell you what, if I could repaint this taxi any color, I’d pick lime green. Now, you tell me that wouldn’t stand out! I’d have business for days in a green cab. That’d be something, ‘cause right now my business is crap. Just the other day, I had a guy in here, right? Drive him all the way across town, guy stiffs me! Can you believe that? I tell ya, this town is getting –”

“Wait! Stop here for a minute,” Mary called out from the backseat. “I want to run inside for a second.”

“Okay lady, but the meter’s running,” warned the cab driver.

Mary dug through her shopping bags for a second, then exited the backseat of the taxi and ran up the sidewalk towards a large Catholic church. The face of the huge Church of St. Nicholas was lit brightly by the setting sun, and Mary quickly walked up the path to the tall double doors.  The driver watched as Mary disappeared behind a heavy oak door, returning after a few minutes with a small object in her hand. The cabbie recognized it as Mary pulled open the door.

“Hey lady, is your kid getting holy water for his birthday or what? What’s with the vial?”

“Don’t worry about it, just… let’s get home, please?” Mary was gazing out the window again, her brow furrowed. “It’s almost time for his party.”

“Geez, little late for a four year-old’s party, don’t ya think? It’s nearly eight o’clock.” The cab driver pulled away from the curb.

“I know,” murmured Mary. “And there’s so much to get ready still.”

The taxi wound its way to the edge of town, where it approached a small, sad-looking house. The cab driver whistled softly to himself.

“What do you think, lady, who’s the poor sap livin’ in this dump? Not for nothing, but I wouldn’t go within a block of anything that run down. Gotta be bringing property values down for miles, a place like that.”

“That’s my house,” said Mary softly. “It was the only place we could get, new to town and all. My husband and I, we needed something cheap and fast, especially with the baby.”

The cabbie had the good graces to look ashamed of his thoughtless comments.

“I’m sorry, lady, I didn’t mean it. The house is… I mean, it’s not… it’s got character,” he finished lamely. “Tell your kid happy birthday, huh?”

“I’ll do that,” Mary handed the taxi driver some bills. “Thanks for the lift. You can go ahead and keep the change. Put it towards a new paint job on the cab.”

“Gee, thanks lady. You’re alright!” The yellow car turned around and headed back towards the heart of town. Mary smiled wanly and walked up the broken sidewalk to the porch. Taking a deep breath, she walked through the door and into a dimly lit living room. Soft thumps emanating from further in the house grew in volume as Mary made her way to the living room. In the room, sitting on the floor was a man, legs crossed and his back to the door. As Mary entered, he turned and the wrinkles around his eyes relaxed as an expression of relief crossed his face.

“Mary, welcome home! Eddy and I have been playing ball. You could probably hear it bouncing all over.” There was a red ball in the corner of the room, completely motionless.

“Hi Jacob. Hi Eddy! Happy birthday!” Mary looked around but couldn’t see Eddy anywhere. She locked eyes with her husband and he shook his head. Mary motioned to the kitchen, and started to back out of the living room. Green balloons? mouthed Jacob, and Mary shook her head. Chocolate cake? The question, though silent, had an intensity to it that almost frightened Mary as she shook her head again. Jacob’s lips tightened, and he turned back around. The ball was now on the couch cushions.

In the kitchen, Mary was quickly inflating balloons and tying them off. Once she had blown up a dozen of the mint balloons, she swiftly cut the cake and turned to the counter to wrap Eddy’s toy bear. As she turned, the vial of water in her dress pocket clinked softly against the second item she had bought at the store. When she finished wrapping the bear, she turned around and had to stifle a scream. The red ball was just inside the kitchen, with Jacob visible beyond the doorway, bone white and worry in his eyes. Mary nervously placed the bear down on the floor and tried to speak, but choked. Her eyes never left the ball. She tried again.

“Eddy? Is that you? Happy birthday, buddy!” Her high-pitched voice betrayed her nerves. “We got you a cake. Do you want a piece?”

The ball was motionless.

“Here champ, have some cake.” Jacob skirted the ball and picked up a plate with a slice of the disguised red velvet cake, holding it out level with his knees. 

The ball suddenly levitated two feet from the tile floor, and hovered there. Slowly, it approached the proffered plate. Mary and Jacob watched with wide eyes as the ball stopped next to Jacob’s outstretched hand and dropped unexpectedly to the floor. The movement and sound of the rubber bouncing on the tile caused both parents to flinch sharply. The plate was snatched from Jacob’s grip, as if by an invisible hand, and the husband jerked his own hand back as the plate hovered midair.

The lights in the kitchen began to flicker and dim as the plate holding the cake started to vibrate. Crumbs spilled onto the tiles below. The air turned cold and the couple could see their breath mist between them as they turned to look at each other with wide eyes. The icing on the cake was disturbed as a small furrow plowed its way through the chocolate, revealing red underneath. The plate trembled harder.

“Mary –” was all Jacob could utter before the plate flew past his ear. He ducked instinctively, and turned to look at the place where the makeshift missile had come from, only to get a face full of red velvet cake and chocolate frosting. He yelped and wiped his eyes, only to see the rest of the cake was racing through the air towards his head. He ducked, then took a few steps towards the door before Mary grabbed his arm.

“Eddy! Look, green balloons!” She called out to the empty room. “Your favorite color!”

POP! One of the mint balloons burst loudly. A series of bangs followed as the rest of the balloons exploded, one after the other. On the counter, the unused balloons inflated by themselves and burst. Meanwhile, the lights continued to turn on and off and the temperature dropped further.  The red ball bounced agitatedly in place, faster and faster.

“EDDY! I’m sorry, they didn’t have green!” Mary was yelling now. “Eddy, please, calm down! Ouch!”

Scratches appeared on Mary’s arms and legs, bright red lines tracing their way along her limbs, leaving bloody furrows behind. Mary began to cry, and Jacob was now yelling wordlessly at the chaotic kitchen. A high-pitched cry was emanating from nowhere and yet everywhere.

“Eddy, your present! Open your present!” cried Mary desperately.

The ball stopped bouncing and the cry halted, though the lights continued to turn on and off, and the temperature remained frigid. Mary reached with the wrapped bear and whimpered as the present was snatched away. Wrapping paper flew off the green stuffed bear and littered the kitchen floor.  

As the packaging was being dismantled, Mary dropped Jacob’s arm, turned her back, and reached into her pocket, withdrawing two small items. With fumbling fingers, she worked with the items and mumbled to herself. As she finished, she turned and the empty vial of holy water from St. Nicholas’ Church fell to the floor. In Mary’s outstretched hand was a small orange water gun, which she pointed straight at the levitating bear.

“I’m sorry. It has to stop. We can’t take this, year after year after year after…” she trailed off. Her finger moved to the water pistol’s trigger. “Goodbye, Edward.”

The red ball bounced once, and Mary squeezed the trigger, squirting holy water from the pistol over and over. The air around the stuffed green bear steamed, and the high shrieks resumed, though this time sounding less like a tantrum cry and more like pain. A hazy shape formed around the bear, the image of a little boy appearing in the steam. The child pointed a finger at Mary and Jacob and the red ball flew towards them, but the projectile veered to the side and fell to the floor weakly. The image of Eddy faded into nothingness. Mary continued to pull the water pistol’s trigger, though it had long stopped squirting the holy water, and tears streamed down her face from tightly screwed eyes. Jacob moved to her and hugged her close.

“Honey, he’s gone. Eddy’s gone. It’s okay now.”

After a minute, Mary sniffled and nodded, lifting her head from her husband’s shoulder. “I know.”

The couple held each other for a while longer, then sat down at the kitchen table and ate a slice of red velvet cake with chocolate frosting.

The End.