"Following text transcribed from audio interview and accopanying notes found on the body of Peter Shearer on 5/6/2015. Specific section marked: R-1-Mary Lou.
...Mary Lou: I'm sure I eventually just passed out, though I don't really remember falling asleep. All of a sudden, I was back in Astoria, back in front of the house where we used to live except now the place was crawling with all these soldiers. Our house was never big, one of those rundown places with the white paint peeling and the porch that had trick boards of wood you could put your foot through just by walking on 'em, but for some reason it looked like there were over 50 Marines moving in and around our crib. One guy comes out, he says to me;
"Come on, Edwards, you were supposed to be at the humvee 10 minutes ago. Get your ass over there right now or someone'll get pissed."
I give him a nod of thanks and start making my way up the road towards the Henderson's old place that was on this gradual kinda hill. When I say I started making my way up there, it wasn't like I was choosing, the dream was just moving me in that direction. Instead of the townsfolk I remember when I was a girl, there are all these Afghani people wearing chadori's and kameez's, really traditional stuff, and they're all looking at me. Some of the kids are making faces or throwing trash from the gutters at me, while there's a steady swarm of children bumping into me with their hands out like they want something. But when I reach in my pockets, I've got no candy. Hell, I don't even have my weapon.
Then all of a sudden, like they had some kind of hive mind, all of the people in the street move away. Like these rats, they all scurry into shelter or alleyways inbetween houses. The street looks normal, all the trees and everything the way I remember. All very green, like Oregon is. Someone comes towards me in the distance and I instantly know who it is.
My mom is wearing her uniform from the diner, the typical waitress outfit, only this isn't the Mom I remember back when I was 20. This is the woman I saw in what little photos she kept around the house, the younger her, still beautiful and full of life. When she gets closer, she smiles this big "Long time no see" smile at me and I just want to cry, just want to apologize to her for causing so much shit when I was a kid. When she gets really close, like we're sitting now distance, I try and choke out a sentence over the tears that are streaming down my face but before I can she puts a finger to my lips and take my hands.
"Mary Lou," she says to me, "I know already, and it's ok. You've already done enough, sweetheart, please don't dwell on it." This makes me feel better and I want to hug her, but she holds me away. Taking my right hand, Mom moves it to her belly...
[Mary Lou, the one sitting in the chair accross from me, moves her own hand to her stomach while still keeping her stare directed at her boots.]
...like a pregnant lady does when she wants you to feel her baby kick, right? Only Mom isn't pregnant with a child. What I feel when she presses my fingers against her is something hard and metallic, with a panel in the front and parts all around. Like a belt. Only I know what this is, and I look at her, my stomach lurches the way it does on patrol when shit starts going down.
She just smiles again, and detonates...."
(end)
If you've made it to here, you're a champ.
Probably doing some film reviewing tomorrow, so look out for that. Yours forever,
GT
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