First Thursdays: The Collective Works of Somerset Ink Writer's Group

By The Somerset Ink Writer's Group

First Thursdays is Somerset Ink's debut effort. Murder, mayhem, fantasy. love and family are all found the pages of First Thursdays. Add a little Thursday to any day of the week with this collection of unique stories.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Feb 26, 2018
• ISBN: 9781543926255

Book preview

Maggie’s Pearls

Arlene Banfield

The scent of unwashed bodies assaulted Maggie’s senses and her depression worsened. Waiting her turn on the food line, she tried to come to terms with what had brought her to this desperate place in her life.

Next! The woman behind the mound of bags called in a voice that contradicted the harshness of the surroundings.  The dank, gray concrete walls of the church basement did not welcome, nor did the dim, hazy light of the uncovered light bulbs ease the melancholy.  There was no eye contact, no how are you today smiles, only down-turned, needy faces.  Maggie’s blank stare was on the yellowing notice that displayed the food program’s hours and policy.

That would be me.  Maggie exhaled and moved to the pick-up table and the pleasant face of Mrs. Benn.  Mrs. Benn, God bless her—with her old smiling eyes, she was a stream of light breaking through the darkness Maggie was trying to navigate.  She did what she could to make Friday mornings tolerable.  But today, not even Mrs. Benn’s affable smile and endearment, God bless you, darlin’, could lift Maggie’s spirits.  After scribbling her name on the sign-in sheet, Maggie took the bag of groceries, gave the kindest thank you she could muster and left.

Sitting in her parked car, Maggie gave in to the emptiness that had plagued her for days.  She put her head on the headrest and didn’t try to stop the flow of tears, but the fleeting catharsis didn’t ease the pain lodged in her soul.  The question she kept asking herself lurked somewhere in her head once more: What did I do wrong?  And again, the answer hadn’t changed––would never change.

"You are a beautiful lady and all beautiful ladies should be pampered."  He had said that and more the first night.  I’ll make you so happy, you’ll think I’m your fairy godmother, he had joked.

He had turned on the charm, and each time Maggie shed a little more of her independence.  His ideas became hers.  His decisions were always the perfect solutions.  He was so smooth and subtle, it all seemed natural.  Instead of being offended, Maggie had felt pampered.

More tears fell as she felt the rejection anew.  Her husband had gotten bored with her and their marriage.  After eight years, he left, tossing her onto an emotional rock pile.  It wasn’t long before she realized her financial health was just as rocky.  She was Cinderella and midnight had come and gone.  Not only had the magic disappeared, so had the prince.

Maggie knew she should be grateful.  After all, unlike some of the people at the food pantry, she now had somewhere to live.  But she remembered all too well…the look, the smell.  It was just a few weeks earlier when her car was home and a bath, a conjured-up daydream.

After a time, Maggie’s tears ebbed and she used the back of her hands to wipe away the last drops.  Releasing the rubber band that held her ponytail, she massaged her head.  The release felt good, and after a few seconds she reapplied the band.  Looking in the rearview mirror, she squirmed at the dark circles under her eyes; they were no longer strangers.  She wondered when precisely she had stopped counting the gray strands that seemed to have appeared overnight, mixing stubbornly with her once beautiful auburn hair.  She pinched her cheeks and applied a little lip gloss.  No matter how awful things got, Maggie never wanted her son to see her looking so unhappy.  With resolve, she put on her made-to-order smile that instantly warmed her dark brown eyes, and she drove to the bus stop to meet him.

Mom, there’s nothing good to eat, Sean sulked.

Sure, there is.  Keep looking.

I am looking, nothing.  It’s the same stuff every time.

Maggie never checked what was inside the pantry bag until she got home; public inspection was much too humiliating.  She noticed other "guests, that was Mrs. Benn’s word, returning items they didn’t want.  Some were homeless and had no place to cook.  A few, who just couldn’t wrap their brain around their new reality, were still trying to live some semblance of the life they had before—No meat products, thank you."  Maggie took whatever was given and made the most of it.

Here, let me see.  Hmm, I can make a tuna casserole; we haven’t had that in a while.  And look, there’s flour.  I’ll make a cake.

Maggie tried her best to keep the mood light while trying to meet the challenge of preparing a decent meal.  The challenge got tougher every day, but she refused to ask for any more help.  Living in her sister’s home was enough.  She knew having two additional people in the house was already straining the budget.  It was also causing tension between her sister and Richard, her brother-in-law.

What kinda cake are you gonna fix, Mom?  Do you have chocolate icing? Sean whined.

Just you never mind.  Why don’t you go do your homework?  Dinner will be ready in a little while.

In the pantry bag was a can of clam chowder, a bottle of spaghetti sauce, two boxes of pasta, a can of tuna, and a super-size can of chicken and dumplings.  What she would do with the small can of artichoke hearts she wasn’t sure.  Today there was a bonus: two small bags of pretzels, half dozen hotel-size bath soaps, shampoo and a roll of tissue.  An ironic smile turned painful as Maggie looked at the toiletries.  How many times had Ashton chastised her about taking these items from their fancy hotel rooms.  I think we can afford to buy our own!

They expect us to take them, Sugar.  Besides I’m only taking one as a souvenir, she had cooed back then.

Quickly drying the ever-ready tears, Maggie went back to the task of dinner.  Overall, today’s bag was a bonanza.  She decided to combine the chowder and tuna into a casserole, making dinner for two nights.  Rummaging through the small cabinet she had just for her things, Maggie found enough of the items she needed for the cake.  She was sure her cake would turn out fine. All those hours watching her mother cook didn’t go to waste.  She was rewarded later with That was awesome, Mom, from Sean.

As Maggie moved about the kitchen, she thought of her sister’s family.  Another Friday night found them gone.  Tonight, it was an evening with friends and a scouting excursion that took ten-year old Kyle away overnight.  She and Sean had the house to themselves, but even with her sister’s family gone, Maggie would still only seek the confines of the room she shared with her son.  She rarely made herself comfortable in other parts of the house.

Maggie had thought long and hard about asking her sister and Richard for help.  She and her sister Janet had never been close.  Sibling rivalry had escalated into a tug-of-war for their parents’ affections.  As adults, Maggie’s propulsion into the jet-setting crowd alienated Janet even more.  Maggie heard the jealousy in Janet’s voice any time they spoke.  All of that hardly mattered now, Janet was the only choice Maggie could have made.

Reluctant to let anyone know of her situation, Maggie had lived out her two months’ security deposit in the luxury apartment.  There was food in the pantry and freezer, so she and Sean ate well.  Still hoping for her husband’s return, she had not dwelled on life after Ashton until the notice to vacate was pushed under the door.  She had to buy some time.  Selling her beautiful furnishings and fancy gowns was depressingly easy.  Her neighbors had descended on her home like vultures, with little more than veiled smugness.  As she pocketed the cash, she tried to bury the pain.  The final tally allowed her to support herself and Sean for several weeks. But when the time