“I never loved him,” Mama told me as we headed to the pawn shop in the part of town Daddy told us not to go to.
“Not even on your wedding day?”
“Nope.”
She made me swear not to tell Daddy she was selling her diamond wedding ring. “I’ll just pretend it went down the shower drain.”
I was quiet. I didn’t like to keep secrets, but it felt good when Mama trusted me.
After we left the pawn shop, Mama paid the light bill. With the remaining money, we got ice cream, just us two, just how she liked it.
Delightful story. You can feel the weight of responsibility on the child’s shoulders, the discomfort, but also the pleasure at being trusted with such knowledge. Love the stark honesty of the mother also and the humility of the story. Selling a ring to pay a bill with a little left for ice-cream. Such a simple treat packs a huge punch when you realise how rare and special it is for them.
Wonderful story! So much conveyed in so little words!
One of the best in the last few months.
“I never loved him…” even on her wedding day. That’s harsh but it seems if she married him for his money it misfired. So there’s another possible reason, she was pregnant. Obviously this story intrigued me 🙂
Wonderful! I agree with Paula’s comments. That first sentence sets the entire story in motion!
Shotgun wedding? Well done!
While I tend to agree with the prior comments, there are other possible explanations — with possibly false info given to a young child — which could unfairly color the latter’s lifetime reactions to her father. Like, the mother is a drug (e.g., alcohol, opium) addict, who spends most of her, or her husband’s hard-earned money on such. Or that she’s unfaithful, and trying to explain it away, possibly because she and/or .her husband turned out to be bisexual, and wanted a partner of a different sexual orientation for sexual and/or romantic satisfaction. Etc., etc.. Jerry
I loved the story. So much said about the 2 characters. A world in 101 words 🙂 I feel for the little girl (boy?) though, caught in this dysfunctional parental relationship. Thank you for sharing.