Down and out in a Doublewide and Other Tales of Modern Life

By Anthony Scavillo

Ellen Schneider is a young Christian who doesn’t believe in the word impossible. As she boards an airplane for France with three of her girlfriends, she excitedly looks forward to her adventure in a foreign country. But all of that is about to change when she hears a loud boom and the plane goes dark. In a collection of diverse short stories, Anthony Scavillo shares fascinating sometimes shocking insights into American life while portraying characters trapped in difficult situations and often unable to resolve the problems confronting them. Eight-year-old Angel loves ice cream sundaes, late evening snacks, and treats at fast food restaurants. Even though her parents try their best to make her happy, they are never home. Will Angel find a way to love herself unconditionally? For weeks, Marge and her husband, David, have barely been speaking. Now it is their tenth wedding anniversary and she cannot help but wonder if it will be their last. Mary feels much older than her fifty-eight years. When she receives a stunning diagnosis, Mary’s faith is tested in ways she never imagined. Down and Out in a Double-Wide and Other Tales of Modern Life asembles modern tales that delve into the American psyche while questioning our deepest beliefs.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Oct 28, 2022
• ISBN: 9781663246219

Anthony Scavillo

Anthony “Tony” Scavillo spent eleven years teaching English in Strasbourg, France. After returning to the USA, he was a professor of French and German at a small Liberal Arts college in South Carolina until retirement in 2007. He has published manuals for teaching French and one novel.

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DOWN AND OUT

IN A

DOUBLEWIDE

and other tales of modern life

ANTHONY SCAVILLO

DOWN AND OUT IN A DOUBLEWIDE AND

OTHER TALES OF MODERN LIFE

Copyright © 2022 Anthony Scavillo.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means,

graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by

any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author

except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents,

organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products

of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

iUniverse

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this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views

expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the

views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

ISBN: 978-1-6632-4619-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6632-4618-9 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6632-4621-9 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022918104

iUniverse rev. date: 10/25/2022

CONTENTS

Preface

Chapter 1     The Experience of a Lifetime

Chapter 2     The Pros and Cons

Chapter 3     Kinderszenen

Chapter 4     A Gal Named Kitty

Chapter 5     Spoiling for a Fight

Chapter 6     Serious Business

Chapter 7     A Christmas Story

Chapter 8     A Sign of the Times

Chapter 9     Maria O’Reilly

Chapter 10   Down and Out in a Double-Wide

Chapter 11   Jacob’s Ladder

Chapter 12   A Case of Quandary

Chapter 13   A Lack of Strategy

Chapter 14   A Mother’s Child

Chapter 15   Celine’s Dream Trip

Chapter 16   With Sincere Regrets

Chapter 17   Wrong Time, Wrong Place

Chapter 18   A Happy Ending?

Chapter 19   Early Graduation

PREFACE

T his short story collection depicts many aspects of modern American life. I have tried to create real-time and real-life situations in which human beings must deal with dilemmas that appear to overwhelm them. And often, in spite of their best efforts, they do overwhelm them.

The notion of the American dream has been central to American mythology, ever since the founding of this country. My aim in this collection is to present varied versions of this dream as experienced by normal human beings. The rosy idealism, which is so common in the American psyche, is almost totally absent from these stories.

Several of these tales are based on events I have personally experienced. Two good examples of this are Jacob’s Ladder and A Case of Quandary.

I would like to express my sincerest appreciation to those who read and critiqued this collection, with special thanks to my wife, Erika, who has always been supportive of my literary endeavors.

1

The Experience of a Lifetime

A s she listened to the soft purring of the jet’s engines, once more, Ellen Schneider looked out the plane window. She couldn’t believe it was true. Far below her and shrouded in the night, she saw the twinkling lights of what had to be Long Island. They had been in the air going on ten minutes, and soon, they would leave land behind and soar over the Atlantic. She was excited. She had never flown in such a big plane before, and she had never left the country. This was going to be the experience of a lifetime, and she knew it.

Ellen had been determined to make this trip work. After all, she was a Midwestern girl from Oklahoma, and she didn’t believe in the word impossible. In addition, she knew that the Lord Jesus would want her to have this experience. She was sure that He would answer her prayers. She was just a snippet of a girl for her age, and she still had freckles on her cheeks (something she prayed daily for the Lord Jesus to remove). Her light skin and blue eyes gave away her Nordic heritage. She worked out twice a week and knew she was in top shape. Nothing was going to stop her.

Boy, she had worked hard for this trip! She and three of her girlfriends who were also studying French had made up their minds at the end of their junior year to take a trip to France following graduation from high school. Not being world travelers, their parents had been hesitant to consent to such a dangerous and expensive undertaking, but after months of pleading, threatening, and cajoling, the girls managed to get their parents’ consent. In the meantime, Ellen started working at a fast-food restaurant after school and saving as much as she could. Whenever she could, she also took on babysitting jobs. It was a long and tiring endeavor, but by the spring, she had succeeded in saving almost enough to pay for her plane ticket.

Ellen, can you believe it? We’re on our way to Paris. I can’t believe it’s really happening. Gwen’s shrill voice interrupted Ellen’s thoughts.

Ellen smiled at her and gave her hand a squeeze. Isn’t it great? Gwen, look out the window. You can see all the lights on Long Island shimmering below.

Gwen leaned across Ellen’s seat and stared entranced out the window. It’s like a fairyland. I’ve never seen anything so beautiful. Oh, Ellen, I can’t wait till we get to Paris. Do you think we’ll understand anything? The French really do speak awfully fast.

Ellen smiled again and reassured her that between the four of them, they would have no problems. But in her own mind, she wasn’t so sure. She had been studying French for five years, and she still had difficulties trying to understand Mr. Pickens. Maybe it’s because he isn’t French, she thought, and his accent isn’t perfect. While listening to cassettes, she had often noticed that Mr. Pickens’s accent didn’t correspond to the way native speakers on the tapes spoke. Maybe I’ll understand a real Frenchman better. I wonder what the French will be like. Everyone says they’re snobby and rude, but I just can’t believe that. After all, they’re Christians too. If we’re nice to them and show them that we’re trying hard to speak their language, I’m sure they’ll appreciate our efforts and be nice to us.

Just at that moment, the fasten-the–seat-belts’ light went off, accompanied by a little bong sound. For a short instant, Ellen thought of going to the bathroom. She hadn’t had time in the airport. Their connecting flight had arrived late, and all four of them had had to run to make it to the gate before they closed it. She changed her mind, though, when she realized that not only would she have to disturb Gwen and Christine but also have to wait in a long line. Obviously, everyone had arrived a bit late at the airport.

For some silly reason, Matthew came to mind. She wondered if it was the twinkling lights that reminded her of him. Whenever he smiled, she often had the impression that his eyes sparkled. Though she had told herself that she would only be gone for three weeks and that she shouldn’t think about Matthew, she couldn’t help herself. She really loved him and missed him already. Once they arrived in Paris, she would be sure to call him every other day. Matthew had been very supportive of her trip to Europe and had even lent her—unbeknownst to her parents—$200. She had every intention of paying him back, even though he had called it a graduation present. Matthew was nice, and when she was with him, she always felt good. She wished that he were there right now. She was sure that one day they would get married, have kids, and be a wonderful family. She might even be able to convince hm to travel to France with her.

She also had to remember to call her parents as soon as they got to the hotel. She could imagine how anxious they would be. They were not the traveling kind, and though they had gradually gotten use to the idea—or so she hoped—they had really had a lot of misgivings about letting their daughter fly away to a foreign land on a foreign continent. She thought about how happy they would be to hear her voice and to know that she had arrived safely.

She would have to write to and buy presents for many friends and family members. And she mustn’t forget Pastor McDonnell. He had been so kind and supportive. Suddenly a lump formed in her throat when she thought she might have forgotten her lists. She quickly opened her purse and searched for the two small pieces of paper on which she had written the names and addresses of those whom she needed to send a postcard and those whom she had to bring presents back for. Both lists were there, folded securely in a pocket of her wallet. She also had some euros and two credit cards there. Everything seemed to be in order. She was feeling relieved and quite ready for this experience of a lifetime.

The chatter and movement in the cabin were beginning to subside as the passengers started settling in for the long flight. Ellen noticed that Gwen was leafing through the in-flight magazine. She didn’t feel like reading, even though she had brought along a few books. She knew that soon, the flight attendants would be serving a meal, and she thought that now would be a good time to close her eyes and relax. The muffled sounds of the engines had a soothing effect on her, and a little light music would surely put her to sleep. She tore open the plastic bag containing the headphones, plugged them in, and searched for a channel with soft music. This was exactly what she needed.

At that very moment, she heard a loud explosion come from the front of the aircraft. This was slightly muffled by her headphones, but the jolt and then total blackness that followed were enough to convince her that something was very wrong. There were no lights and no music. Though she couldn’t see or hear very well, the panic surrounding her was unmistakable. After a moment of stunned silence, people began to scream. She could hear Gwen yelling, Oh, no! Oh, no! What’s going on? Ellen couldn’t imagine what had happened, but being an optimist, she was sure the pilots would be able to handle the situation. She was sure the lights would come back on shortly, and they would continue on their way; otherwise, the pilots would head the crippled plane back to the airport. This latter theory seemed the most plausible because Ellen could sense that the plane was definitely going down. Her ears were hurting, and she had to take several deep swallows to alleviate the pain.

Then there was a second, even greater explosion, as the fuel tanks caught fire. Ellen wanted to scream, but she couldn’t. Her hands gripped the armrests, and her mouth opened wide, but no sound came out. As the plane soared downward into the sea, with panic showing in both eyes, her mind kept screaming out, Oh, my God! Oh, my Lord Jesus!

The early morning newspapers and radio and TV shows blared out the news of the terrorist bomb attack on Delta flight 394. From the scant information available, it was presumed that some terrorist organization had stowed a powerful explosive device somewhere in the forward section of the aircraft. Eyewitnesses had seen the plane come flaming down from the sky and plunging into the sea. With the break of dawn, salvage and rescue crews were sent out to do their mournful tasks. Ellen’s body was never recovered.

2

The Pros and Cons

W innie tossed and turned. For some reason she just could not fall asleep. She was too excited—and too anxious. She had really enjoyed her first date with Bob, and all she could do during her sleepless tossing was relive the three hours that she had spent with him. He was really a nice guy, and he seemed to take a liking to her.

She nevertheless had her doubts. She had never ventured into the realm of internet dating before, and she was a bit reluctant to throw herself wholeheartedly into a relationship that might fizzle out after a couple of dates. She had already endured painful and heart-wrenching breakups several times, and she had met these guys the traditional way. She was skeptical that a guy she found on the internet could turn out to be her Prince Charming.

Winnie opened her eyes. It was still dark. She glanced over at the digital clock and saw, to her dismay, that it was only three thirty. She decided to make a mental list of pros and cons. More or less, Bob had turned out to be the way that he had described himself on the internet. That was certainly a pro. He had been married once, he had been divorced two years ago, and he got to see his five-year old son every other weekend. At dinner, he had honestly detailed the sad circumstances of his divorce and had appeared to be genuinely moved by the loss of his son’s presence in his life.

He was no longer young—maybe thirty-five or forty—and that could be either a pro or a con. He was definitely more mature than the younger guys whom she had dated, but he would definitely also be more fixed in his ways. During the whole time they were together, he had only kissed her once on the cheek. This was a great relief after experiencing the hormonal aggression of her previous boyfriends.

The longer her list got, the more she realized how positive his attributes were. Maybe he was the guy she was looking for.

*     *     *

Bob lay in bed with his eyes open. He had really enjoyed his first date with Winnie, but he was worried. After going through a devastating divorce, he wasn’t sure that he could handle another failed relationship. Maybe he should have waited longer before beginning to date again. Maybe he shouldn’t have listened to his colleagues at work who kept urging him to get over his past and start dating again. Maybe he should have opted for traditional ways of meeting people instead of relying on a highly technical and new means of finding a partner. He just didn’t know. Yet she was nice. He liked the way she looked and handled herself. He shared her interests and concerns. He wondered, though, how she felt about dating a divorced man who constantly brought his son up in the conversation. Maybe he shouldn’t have done that. Maybe he should have kept his damned mouth shut and listened to her more.

He was also worried about their age difference. She couldn’t be more than twenty-five, and he would turn thirty-seven on the following month. What if she finds me old, decrepit, and not with it? Will she shy away from an older man who has been divorced and is burdened with a child to support? If only he had met her ten years earlier, how different his life might have been. He had made a serious mistake in marrying Theresa. She turned out to be totally self-centered, and she derived pleasure solely from her professional endeavors. He was sure that she had kept custody of Jamie just to spite him. She had never shown any affection for the child, she was always too busy to play with him, and she couldn’t wait to pass on her maternal duties to a surrogate. Every time he had tried to discuss Jamie’s needs with her, she had snapped back that he was making a mountain out of a molehill. Only when she noticed that the child was favoring his father over his mother did she decide to separate the two. Bob should have seen the divorce coming. For months, she had refused to have sex with him, and whenever she could avoid being home alone with him, she had done so. He should have seen her growing lack of interest in family life. Near the end, she talked exclusively about her job and colleagues.

No, Bob couldn’t go through that again. He had to be careful. Once burnt, twice shy—that had to be his motto. He turned and looked at the clock. It was only three thirty.

*     *     *

Winnie woke up exhausted. She hadn’t slept most of the night, and she dreaded going to work. Maybe she could call in sick. She was so tired that she knew she wouldn’t do a good job. She would have to think about it over breakfast. As she got out the cereal, a bowl, and a spoon and put the coffee on to brew, once more, her mind