Pecanpieandchocolatemilk

The Eastsons Chapter 9

Mary Ann was so bored and crossed and happy at the same time. Yep, she was a ball of emotions this morning. She was crossed because, well, her plans were ruined for the weekend. Yet bored because all she could see for miles was trees and nature for miles around. If you were into that kind of thing, it was beautiful, but Mary Ann was a teenager who was into boys, parties, and fashion. This stargazing and going camping was not her cup of tea. So, she was bored.

Then there was the happy. Why? Because she was helping her bestie, Ashly Jetsons, get ready for the 7:00 p.m. party at Jason Matthew Tran, her current crush of the year, house. She loved fashion, and this was like a fashion show. Unfortunately, she couldn’t be with Ashly in person, but Skype video calling—an idea she borrowed from her younger brother—was a great idea. Her younger brother Peter had great friends, or rather, a friend who could come up with such a beautiful solution to solve not only Peter’s problem but her own as well. It was wonderful.

“So like the green butterfly top with the blue jeans shorts is cute, but…” Ashly said through the cell phone screen. “I think I like the blue top with the cross and pecan cake better. What do you think, Mary Ann?”

Mary Ann’s soft pink lips pressed together as she thought, her eyebrows knitted together. That was a tough one. The blue blouse with the cross and cake had a cute red waist bow which caused Ashley’s newly developing breasts to stand out. But the green top with the butterfly had a chic arm ruffle at the arms. It was simply tough to choose.

“Um….” the young teenager said, crossing her legs. “If you changed the bottoms from jeans to a knee-length skirt, I might be able to tell better.”

“Okay,” Ashly replied and headed for her walk-in closet to change her bottoms. Mary Ann waited. As she did, she noticed the television behind Ashly drawing out the news. From what she could gather, a gun owner’s son had shot someone. It was all white noise. In America, such incidents were common now and then. So she turned it out. It was mostly in some other state or city where such a thing was happening. Importing but boring news.

What was interesting at the moment was the fact she wasn’t going to the party she wanted, and she couldn’t decide what outfit for her bestie to best wear. Those were interesting, non-boring old people news. Yes, as a teenager who couldn’t do much of anything even if she wanted, Mary Ann found the news to be for old people, like her grandparents and parents. Maybe when she was older, she would pay more attention. Besides, the news was something out of her hands anyway. So why bother?

“So like what about this?” Ashly returned all excited. On her was the cute blue blouse with butterfly and pecan cake design and red waist bow. On her head was a cute pink hat to match the pink ruffle past her knee-length skirt she was donning. “Cute, yes?”

“Very,” Mary Ann said, giving her bestie two thumbs up and a bright smile. “Totally chic.”

One day, maybe, Mary Ann thought to pursue a fashion designer career when she went to college, along with a degree in law because she saw “Legally Blonde” that one time. Maybe it was all just a daydream, but it lit up her imagination and made her feel inspired to think of her future. She imagined walking the runways of New York, showcasing her unique designs, or even standing in a courtroom, passionately defending a cause she believed in donne in something iconic. It sparked a fire in her to envision a life beyond the confines of her current middle school life—a life filled with creativity, passion, and empowerment.

“Yeah, totally ch—” Ashly began but never finished when her bedroom door slammed open and a cute, petite Asian woman rushed in. She looked disturbed. She was Ashley’s and Mabel’s mom; Mary Ann knew that much.

“Oh my goodness, Ashley, we have to go!” Ashley’s mother said, not even noticing Mary Ann on the video call. “It’s your Aunt Simone from church—someone shot her today while she was at work at the university. Uncle Frank is driving there so we are going too as support!”

Aunt Simone was not really Ashley’s aunt, but she and Ashley’s mother’s family were from the same region in the old country, and they attended the same church, thus she was called Auntie. It was just polite. Also, she was Ashley and her siblings’ godmother if anything happened to Ashley’s parents and her actual relatives were not around. They knew to call Aunt Simone. Even Mary Ann knew to call her, and she wasn’t even related to the Jetsons by blood.

Aunt Simone worked at the local university as a professor of English and the language arts. She had worked there full-time as a teacher for 15 years, and thus, it was shocking to Mary Ann to hear that someone shot that sweet old Asian lady. She remembered how Aunt Simone would regale them with funny stories from her teaching days, often filled with laughter and warmth. The thought of such a person being harmed was unbearable.

“Huh?!” Both Ashly and Mary Ann shouted together, not believing their ears. “What?! Someone shot Aunt Simone at the University?! What?!”

Witnessing the unfolding chaos on the screen, Mary Ann felt her stomach drop, the fun and games of fashion and friendship evaporating like mist. A panic seized her as she thought about the impact of this event on Ashly and her family. A sensation of dread washed over her, slowly replacing the light-hearted atmosphere they had just shared.

Then a thought crossed Mary Ann’s mind, causing her to stand up from her seated position on the campsite bench. “Oh no, Peter!” She shouted as Ashly and her mother continued talking on the other side of the video call. Mary Ann’s heart raced, the worry for her younger brother hitting her like a tidal wave. What if he was nearby? She couldn’t shake the image of the playful moments they shared, and a gnawing fear crept in.

This reality felt terrifyingly close to home. Was that news about her city?! The questions churned in her mind, and a sense of helplessness washed over her like a heavy blanket. She longed to maneuver between the worlds of carefree teenage life and the sobering realities of danger lurking too close for comfort. Suddenly, clothes, boys, and parties seemed insignificant compared to the worries now looming larger than life. She had to find Peter!

James from chapter 1 and chapter 8 of the Eastsons. I was finally able to do a quick sketch of him. In the future I will do a full sketch of all the characters from this short novella.  Anyway enjoy and thanks for reading.  Until next time goodbye. 

Salome Jackie D Peah

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