Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: CANDY (04/28/16)
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TITLE: We're all just kids | Previous Challenge Entry
By Catherine Craig
05/04/16 -
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Tempted to stretch out her legs and look at her feet, she resisted the foolish urge. Her short stubby legs and shiny black patent leather shoes wouldn’t be there. All Katrina would see would be stockings and black heels.
Dressed in black robes with a gold cross on his back, the man before her chanted, his deep monotone voice rising and falling. Shifting on the hard bench to get more comfortable, she sighed. How the years had flown since she had last attended a Greek Orthodox service such as this? Katrina’s focus drifted to the past as the faces, those of her parents and Greek grandparents, flitted through her mind.
“Mom!” whispered the child sitting next to her. Startled, and certain that everyone within three rows had heard Katia, she frowned.
Bringing the children against her husband, Steve's advice had been a mistake. But it had also been unavoidable. With their having tried to combine a business trip to San Diego with a vacation, his meetings would have prevented him from watching the girls anyway.
“Shush!” Katrina hissed, and with a warning look, she squeezed her daughter’s skinny leg to emphasize the word.
“But, mom!”
Katrina turned her head, and glared. What about the word, ‘shush,’ didn’t Katie get? “What’s the problem?” she murmured.
“Katia touched me,” complained Katie. Her eyes, bright with tears of frustration, dispelled Katrina’s anger. It hadn’t been that long since she, as a child, had been forced to sit through a long boring Orthodox Church service. It wasn’t their fault that, against her husband, Steve’s advice, she had dragged them here.
Aloud, Katrina whispered, “Here, let’s try this.” Reaching over Katie, she grabbed the second of her twin daughters by the arm, and then added, “Come here.” Positioning herself between the two, she plunking Katia down, and said, “You, young lady, will sit on the other side of me.”
“But, mom,” whined Katia. “I want to sit next to my sister!”
“That’s it!” said Katrina, bending over to reach for the purse by her feet. “I’ve had it! It’s time for more serious measures.” She smiled as the sniffling and complaining stopped.
Thankful that it was a mid-week church service with few attendees, she glanced around. Relieved at not finding expressions of annoyance on nearby worshippers’ faces, Katrina felt through the small handbag.
Voila! Katrina thought, and handed each of the two girls a hard candy. Aloud, she said, “There’s another for each of you if you don’t make a peep for the rest of the service, okay?” Content, both Katie and Katie nodded.
Grateful for the temporary reprieve, Katrina relaxed. Armed with two more candies to bribe the twins into silence with, she returned to her reminiscing.
In fact, the remaining moments were so peaceful that Katrina was lulled almost to sleep. When someone from behind tapped her on the shoulder, she jumped.
“I want to tell you something, dear,” said a woman’s voice. Katrina stood up and turned around. The speaker was an elderly short woman dressed in black. Short gray wisps of hair stuck out from under her colorful scarf. “Your children are the best-behaved I’ve ever seen.” Before turning to leave, she shoved her arms into a warm woolen sweater and added, “You should be proud.”
Murmuring “Thank you,” Katrina looked down and smiled. Slumped on the bench, both girls were asleep.
Katrina fingered the wrapped candies still tucked into her hands, thinking, It could have gone so differently had I remained angry. She opened her purse and dropped the sweets in, praying, “Thank you, Lord, also, for reminding me that indeed, we’re all children.”
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