by Joy Redmond
She stood and watched the winter scene as if from afar, and her heart smiled at the picture. They were a family playing in the snow, and the hoarfrost clung to the trees with the frozen moisture and when the sun hit them, the branches sparkled and danced and smiled its winter smile.
By Christmas Eve, Mandy and Tony had to shovel snow and break up ice with a large pick before Mandy could get the car up the small incline from the carport and out to the street. “I hope the main roads have been cleared. If not, we may not make it to Kentucky. But I’ll give it my best. I know you kids want to have Christmas with your grandparents.”
And hour later, Mandy threw the shovel. “If I can’t get the car out after all this work, I just give up! My hands are stiff, my toes are numb, and I have no feeling in my face. I know I’m talking but I can’t feel my lips move. If I never see another snow flake, it’ll be too soon for me.”
“Everything on my body is frozen stiff. Put the car in reverse and I’ll push,” Tony said. “I think we can do it.”
Mandy managed to back the car up the incline and out to the street. She stuck her heard out of the window. “We did it, Son! Now, let’s get the presents, suitcases, your sisters, and we’ll be on our way.”
Mandy made it to Kentucky and Kati and Tony had a great Christmas Eve with Granny Pearl and Poppa Lester. They ate Christmas cookies and homemade breads and puddings and played games.
Abbie spent a few hours with Billy, Grandma Ceil, and Grandpa Marvin, then demanded she be brought back to her mommy.
Early Christmas morning it was snowing hard. Poppa Lester brought Kati and Tony over to Mandy. Mandy looked at her parents. “I’ve got to get on the road and get back home while I can. This snow is going to get worse by the hour. We can’t spend the day like we usually do on Christmas. I’m sorry, but I can’t control the weather. If I could, there wouldn’t be snow at all.”
Iris and Otis understood the situation, and they didn’t give Mandy a hard time. Otis put on his snow boots, his coveralls, and gathered up the presents they had bought for the children and carried them out to the station wagon. Mandy watched him trudge through the deepening snow and shuddered as she thought about the long drive back home.
Mandy and the children bundled up and just as they were headed out the door, Iris slipped a white envelope into Mandy’s purse. They all hugged, said the ‘I love you’s’ and Mandy headed on her way. At times it was snowing so hard the windshield wipers couldn’t keep the snow off the window and Mandy was literally guessing where the road was. Spirits, take the control, she silently prayed. I won’t make it on my own. It’s slicker than owl snot out there.
Five exhausting hours later, they made it home. She wasn’t about to pull the car under the carport. No way was she going to shovel and pick until she had a heart attack so she could get the car out to the street again. She parked in front of the house. “Kati. Tony. Grab all you can and let’s trudge through the snow. Abbie, I’ll carry you. We’ll have to make several trips but we’ll eventually get it all in.”
When the car was unloaded, Mandy lit the fireplace and they opened presents. It was a wonderful Christmas Day filled with laughter and giggles and surprises. The house echoed with the sounds of laughter and filled with love as the snow kept falling.
Before Mandy went to bed, she pulled out the envelope that Iris has slipped into her purse. She opened the card and sucked in a deep breath as two hundred dollar bills seemed to be smiling at her. A few more eggs for my nest. Thank you, Mother and Dad.
Every day, Mandy shoveled snow for an hour before she could get the car to make it over the new snow and make it to Betty’s, even though it was parked on the street in front of the house. “And winter has just begun. I can’t take much more,” she said.
The next morning, Mandy looked out the window from the living room. “We got at least another six inches of snow, kids. And it’s still coming down.”
The children ran to the window and they were awestruck. They wanted to go out and play. “We’re snowbound, again, but we’ll have fun. I think it’s time to introduce you kids to something I enjoyed as a child.” She thought back to when she was a Randall, before Daddy left them, before Mama and Evan were killed, when they were a family of six. “Time to make snow cream!” she cried, throwing her arms into the air. “Bundle up, kids. The fun is about to begin!”
The children went outside with pans and spoons and gathered the snow as Mandy had instructed
“Don’t take the top. Rake off a good inch, and scoop the snow underneath.”
When their pans were full, they brought them back inside. They watched in amazement as Mandy emptied the small pans of snow in a large pan, added vanilla flavoring and milk and stirred for five minutes. She set the pan in the freezer. When it was frozen solid, she took it out, filled bowls and they all thought it was the best ice cream in the world. They made a lot of snow cream that winter, and they enjoyed the fireplace. It was so cozy sitting close by the hearth and watching the flames dance.
Mandy and Amos became very close, and Mandy supposed she loved him in her own peculiar way. She knew he truly loved her, and she found herself wishing he didn’t. Friendship was all she wanted and needed, and she hoped he never brought up the subject of marriage. She vowed she’d never marry again.
Spring arrived and the world was alive with green grass and beautiful flowers, and Mandy came alive with the weather. Summer crept in on cat’s paws and brought extreme heat but they still enjoyed the outdoors, and Kati and Tony spent three weeks with their grandparents and other family. Abbie stayed with Mommy.
When fall came visiting, it was fun as they enjoyed their regular fall activities, which included raking leaves, and the children running, jumping, and scattering the piles that Mandy had so painstakingly raked up. Many afternoons, Mandy used the leaves to make a campfire. Amos always kept the water hose close in case a fire got out of control. Though they weren’t family by blood or law and they didn’t live together, they were family in their hearts and they loved each other. It was good enough for Mandy.
Chapter Ten
November chased off the warmth and brought snow. By Christmas, there was no way to make it to Kentucky since winter had hit early and howled its wrath with a powerful force. By January, Cape Girardeau was paralyzed from the heavy snow fall, but they were lucky and never lost electricity.
Snowdrifts were over five feet high and it was impossible to drive on the streets. Local news stations showed cars and trucks stuck under piles of snow and a few in the middle of the streets with the owners frantically trying to shovel them out. Schools were closed and the children were going crazy and Mandy was going crazy with them.
Mandy couldn’t make it to Betty’s house, and Hal assured Mandy he was there to take care of his wife since he was snowbound. Mandy was relieved that Betty was being taken care of, but she was losing money. She called Betty every day and had long conversations with her. One morning, Mandy said, “Betty, I’d try to walk to your house, but if I were to fall into a snowdrift, I wouldn’t be found until spring.”
Betty laughed. “That’s for sure. You stay put. The whole town is shut down. I don’t want you to risk your life.”
“I stocked up with winter supplies and food before the worst hit, but the snow keeps coming. I just hope it stops before spring. I’ve never seen this much snow in all my life.”
“You stop fretting. Winter will end as it always does, and you stay in and stay safe. I miss you so much I can hardly stand it, but we can talk on the phone and we’ll weather the blizzards,” Betty said.
Mandy found herself missing Amos more than she believed, but he was snowed in and couldn’t get his car out of the driveway. They also talked on the phone every day. She loved to hear his voice, and the gentle way he spoke to her calmed her down about the snow
While they were snowbound, they entertained themselves with board games and card games. Their favorite board game was Monopoly. One night they sat around the kitchen table,
all of them selecting their favorite board piece. The children insisted that Mandy had to use the thimble.
Thirty minutes into the game, a horrible smell filled the room. In unison they all said, “Who cut the cheese?” All of them eyed each other and waved their hands in front of their faces.
Mandy didn’t do it. She knew the children didn’t do it because of their surprised looks, and when one of them did rip off a wind-biscuit, they always broke into silly giggles. They seemed to be proud of their farts and didn’t mind claiming them. They continued fanning the air with their hands. Within a minute or so the smell was gone. It disappeared as quickly as it had invaded their nostrils and they took a deep breath of clear air.
Mandy looked at the children. “I think we just experienced another happening.
Tony said, “It had to be Pappaw. That was a manly fart!”
“It wouldn’t surprise me. It’s like something he’d do,” Mandy answered. She was laughing so hard she could barely speak. “Back before Daddy left Mama and us four kids, we’d sit out on the front porch in the summer time and listen to the frogs on the pond bank. Every time a frog would make a croaking sound, Daddy would lift his leg, fart, and say, “I can fart louder and longer than them damn frogs. And us kids would laugh so hard. We really thought the frogs were farting.”
The children laughed and they all said they missed their Pappaw so much.
“So do I. But Pappaw is in heaven and he’s farting with the angels. I hope.”
They continued the game for close to two hours. Mandy was tired of playing and she was losing. “I’m done, kids. Finish without me.” Just as she rose from her chair the smell of rotten eggs filled the air and almost knocked her backward.
The children’s eyes widened and they all asked, “Who did it this time?”
When Mandy could breathe again, she pulled a Daddy on them and said, “It’s the devil farting. Don’t you smell the sulfur?”
She’d never seen three kids jump and run so fast. She bent over laughing—until it hit her—what if it is the devil? She stopped laughing and looked around her, but saw and heard nothing.
Several weeks passed without incident or any smells. Mandy was sitting on the couch, the children at her feet, lying on their bellies, faces propped in hands, watching one of their favorite sit-coms. They were all laughing when suddenly they started choking from a horrible smell. The children looked up at Mandy with wide eyes.
“It’s the devil farting!” Mandy yelled.
Three kids were off the floor and trying to crawl into her lap at the same time. By the time they had almost smothered her with their bodies, the smell was gone. She did have to sleep with all three that night, which taught her a lesson—don’t act like Daddy and scare the children. Though Mandy never let on, she was a bit unnerved by the smell. Mama sent roses. Daddy played pranks. Fairy Dust was beautiful. But who was sending the sulfur smell?
The winter dragged on and they played different board games and card games, but the only time the horrible smell filled the room was when they were playing Monopoly. Mandy stopped teasing about the devil, and started calling the spirit, Phantom Farter. But none of them wanted to play Monopoly anymore.
The winter seemed even more endless than the previous year, and Mandy promised herself if the sun ever did shine and if the snow ever melted, she’d be moving to a warmer climate. She never wanted to see another snow flake, scoop another shovel of snow, or use an ice pick to break up a slab of ice, or be homebound for three solid months.
Spring finally arrived and Mandy was mulling over the idea of putting her house on the market. She’d been to Florida once when she was fifteen and Otis and Iris had taken a vacation and went to Clearwater to visit Otis’s brother and family. Mandy fell in love with Florida at a young age and she had always thought she’d love to live there. She had basked in the sunshine and warmth, and the water was so blue and perfect.
When she mentioned the idea of Florida to the children, they seemed to be thrilled. The two harsh winters were still fresh in their minds too. Though they loved to play in the snow, they didn’t like being snowbound and not even being able to get the house door opened enough to go outside and have a snowball fight
Kati was sixteen, going on twenty-five, and rebelled at every rule Mandy had set. Kati thought she should be allowed to stay out with boyfriends and girlfriends until the wee hours of morning. Curfew was midnight, but many nights, Mandy had to go looking for Kati. She always found her at her friend Cheryl’s house, where there was no adult supervision, and a lot of teen drinking going on. Mandy would drag Kati home, as she kicked and screamed all the way. Then the yelling and fussing between them began.
One day Mandy got off work, collected Abbie, went home and found Tony sitting in the living room, waiting to show her his pet snake. Tony loved critters of any kind and was always dragging home a wild one.
Mandy saw the snake and gasped as if it were her last. When she could get her breath, she sternly said, “You get that snake out of this house. Don’t ever bring home another one!” Goosebumps rose on her arms. Any snake was a King Cobra as far as she was concerned.
Abbie was trying to work up her nerve to touch the snake, but she couldn’t quite do it. Tony gingerly held the snake and headed to the basement. “Fine! I’ll tell him goodbye, then I’ll take him back to the woods.”
A few minutes later, Mandy heard the basement door open and slam shut. She breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that the snake had left the building.
Just as she was recovering from snake fright, Kati came home. Her attitude made it before she did. Mandy heard the stomping of Kati’s feet as she came into the kitchen. Mandy was cooking and Kati marched in with a defiant look in her eyes. She stood with her hands on her hips and said, “Cheryl got her driver’s license, she’s going to borrow her brother’s car, and we’re driving to Texas!”
Mandy smirked. “I don’t think so! And I’m in no mood to argue with you. The answer is no!”
Kati gave Mandy the dagger look and stomped all the way to her bedroom.
Abbie came into the kitchen holding a book that Mandy had recently bought for her. Abbie had just finished first grade, but she could read on a third grade level. She always read aloud while Mandy cooked the evening meal. Mandy’s heart warmed as Abbie read, and she thought her youngest was the sweetest child on earth. Then she remembered when Kati was the same age and she had thought the same about her. If I’m lucky, Abbie will stay sweet and not turn into a headstrong, impossible brat and act like her sister, who acts like her daddy and her granny Pearl.
Tony was thirteen, but he minded and seldom gave Mandy any trouble except for his bad conduct in school. He was constantly playing pranks on the teachers and students. Being the class clown was his life’s ambition. That boy has got a lot of my daddy in him. Lord, help him. Lord, help me, Mandy thought, but she kept her thoughts to herself.
One afternoon, Mandy had the evening meal on the table. She went to the front door and called Kati and Tony in from outside. They sat around the table and Kati continued throwing her mother dagger looks. Tony had a case of silly giggles. Abbie ignored her brother and sister. When they finished the meal, Mandy told Tony to go mow the yard, and she told Kati to do the dishes. Tony headed outside. Kati let her mother know that she wasn’t doing dishes, and stomped off to her room, slamming the door.
Mandy hung her head, “I’m going to kill her,” she mumbled through clenched teeth.
Abbie walked to Mandy’s side, “Mommy, I’ll do the dishes and I’ll help you kill Sissy.”
Mandy felt as if Abbie had stuck a dagger into her heart. How do you explain to a six-year-old about figure of speech? Mandy did her best to explain that sometimes hurtful words tumble out, but they were just words and she would never kill her big sister. Abbie seemed to understand.
Later that night, Mandy put Abbie to bed and Tony was in the basement in his bedroom. Mandy opened Kati’s bedroom door with intentions of having a decent conv
ersation. Using the nicest tone she could, she began. “No mother in their right mind would allow a sixteen-year-old to take off in a car with a seventeen-year-old girl, and go all the way to Texas—”
“You’re the mother from hell!”
Before long they were having a yelling fest. Then, Kati said, “We’ll take a bus!”
“You’re not going to Texas by car, bus, train or plane. That’s the end of the conversation!”
Tony yelled up from the basement, “How about a ship!” His comment struck Mandy funny, but she didn’t want Kati to see her laughing, so she tucked her head. Then she let out a bloodcurdling scream.
Kati seemed to be paralyzed.
Tony came running up the steps. “What is it, Mom?”
“A snake just slithered between my feet and it’s under the bed!”
Tony dropped to his knees, reached under the bed and pulled out the snake. Mandy saw a smirk on his face as he passed her on his way back down the basement steps. It dawned on her. Tony hadn’t put the snake outside as she thought. She decided to use the situation to her advantage. She looked into Kati’s terrified eyes, and in a menacing voice she said, “You see what happens when you yell and show disrespect for your mother? The spirits from hell turn snakes lose in your room!” Mandy was quite satisfied when she saw Kati’s face turn ashen and then she turned and headed down to the basement.
Tony was sitting on the edge of his bed, bent over double, laughing.
“Where’s the snake?” she demanded, her eyes darting around his bedroom.
“I put it back in the box. I thought I had it secure with the metal lid on top, but it must have gotten out while we were eating, and it crawled upstairs.”
“Get it now!” Mandy commanded, and opened the outside door. She pointed to Snake and then to the opened door. Tony put Snake in the grass, and Mandy watched it slither off in search of a new home. Just before she headed back upstairs, she looked over at the box. It was deep, and Tony had put a sheet of metal over the top.