The idea for this story comes from the fact that night after night we flip though the channels for something to watch, and many nights after making the rounds though the stations we settle for another rerun of "Law and Order". The problem at our house is not who wants the remote but who ends up with it.
This is a story I've sent to a few contests, never been a winner, but received many favorable comments. I do hope you will enjoy it.
Remote Wars
|
Linda Kay Erickson Kuester October 31, 1948 - July 3, 2008
I'm posting a picture of my beloved sis!! We lost her on July 3rd 2008. Her bright smile and sharp wit is so missed. I depended upon her to edit my stories when I first began my writing journey. I miss her help and her encouragement. But, most of all I just miss her.
Because she is heavy on my mind today, I'm going to post a story that I wrote and she helped me edit that is loosly based upon a story about an experience that Linda had as a teenager. I do mean loosly.
Because she is heavy on my mind today, I'm going to post a story that I wrote and she helped me edit that is loosly based upon a story about an experience that Linda had as a teenager. I do mean loosly.
White Lies
Lillian’s curiosity made her speak. “Excuse me, miss. May I ask you a question? Is there any significance to all of your piercings?”
The clerk offered Lillian a distracted nod and a bland half smile as she placed the groceries in plastic bags. The young clerk’s ears, eyebrows, and nose were all adorned with gold studs and gaudy jewels.
As the clerk opened her mouth to speak, Lillian could not help but notice the clerk’s pierced tongue. ”My parents said no tattoos. They never said I couldn’t have my body pierced. So it’s just a way to let them know that it’s my body.” Tossing her head made the pink streak in her hair bounce as an exclamation point to her statement.
“I see,” said Lillian, “I was just curious. I didn’t mean to pry.”
“No, problem,” the girl said, matter-of-factly.
“Kara,” the store manager called to the clerk as she approached the checkout lane. “You can take your break now. Only an hour this time,” she said as she tapped her watch.
Kara finished checking Lillian out, placing the last of her items in the bag. She locked her drawer, placed a “Next Register” sign on the counter, and grabbed her water bottle. “Well, have a nice day,” Kara stated as she quickly headed out ahead of Lillian.
“Kara is it?” Lillian questioned as she struggled to carry her bags and keep up.
“Yes, that’s my name.”
“I overheard the manager say you have an hour break. Could I buy you lunch?”
“Why would you want to do that?” Kara asked suspiciously.
“Oh, it isn’t anything weird. I would just like to share a story with you.”
Kara smiled weakly and shrugged. “Sure. Why not? It’s a free lunch.”
“Why don’t you go ahead and get us a seat at the café across the street? Order whatever you’d like. It’s my treat.”
Lillian made her way to her car and placed the groceries in the back seat, then went to the café to join Kara.
As Lillian entered the café, she noticed Kara sitting at an empty table. “You didn’t order?”
“No, I thought I should wait for you.”
Lillian’s instinct had been right. There was hope for the young girl after all; she did have manners. Then it dawned on her. The restaurant didn’t have someone taking your order. You had to go to the counter to place your request.
“Please, order whatever you want.” Lillian prodded.
Kara paused, “No, you should go first.”
They went to the counter together. Lillian ordered the daily special: soup and salad. Kara’s order consisted of a burger, fries, and a chocolate shake. Lillian would have much preferred the same order, but that pesky ten pounds came to mind. The two returned to their table. A few awkward moments passed before Kara spoke. “You said you wanted to tell me a story.” Kara stared blankly at Lillian.
“Indeed I did,” Lillian began. “When I was your age, I was a lot like you. They called girls like us rebels back then. We didn’t do tattoos or cover our faces with studs and gold rings, but we had our ways. We all had big hair, bright blue eye shadow, pink lipstick, stacked heels, short skirts, and padded bras. Fast cars, fast boys—that’s what we liked.” Lillian explained.
“You?” Kara blinked her eyes in disbelief. “You look so…well, normal. Kind of like my grandma.”
Lillian kept her strawberry blonde hair cut in a flattering style, her nails were manicured, and she dressed modestly, yet fashionably. She’d hoped to be compared to Kara’s mom or aunt, but certainly not the girl’s grandmother. “Oh, well,” Lillian thought. “Whatever worked.”
Lillian waved her hand to dismiss the thought. “Now most people would say I’m normal. Back then, my parents told me, I was ‘living large’.”
Kara stifled a laugh, “I just don’t see it. You don’t seem like that kind of person.”
As the counter person delivered their order, Lillian pushed forward with her story.
“I know it’s difficult to believe now, but back then, I crossed the line way too many times. Every time my parents said I couldn’t do something, I figured out a way to do what I wanted behind their backs,” Lillian said. “My dad was easy to get around. I was his ‘little girl,’ and he couldn’t seem to find fault with anything I did.”
“My dad’s like that with me, too.” Kara nodded in agreement. “Part of it’s the same reason as your dad. The other part is, he just doesn’t have time with work and all. Sometimes he listens. Sometimes he just answers without hearing what I say. That does work to my advantage sometimes.” Kara wrinkled her nose making the gold ring attached to her nostril bob up and down.
“I understand that,” Lillian reiterated. “Times are busier and tougher for families in that way now.”
Kara shrugged her shoulders as she took a bite of her burger.
“However,” Lillian continued, “I drove my mom crazy with my attitude. She was always angry with me about something. I just kept disobeying her because I thought she was going to be angry anyway, so what difference did it make, really?”
“I get that! My mom is definitely like that! No matter what I do or don’t do, she’s mad. So, I’ve just decided ‘what the heck?’ I’ll do things my way and at least one of us is happy,” Kara quipped.
Lillian lowered her head. “That’s the way I felt.” Then, with all the pleasure leaving her, Lillian said, “But it all turned out to be a huge mistake.”
Kara stopped in mid bite. “What do you mean?”
“I found out the hard way that my belligerent attitude would come back to haunt me. One night, I was supposed to be at a slumber party. That’s what they were called back in my day.”
“Now, we call them sleepovers.” Kara interjected.
A secretive smile softened Lillian’s lips. “Well I didn’t go to the party. I went out with my boyfriend instead. Somehow, there was a misunderstanding with my friends. They called the house looking for me, and, of course, I wasn’t there. And you know, I never figured out if they did it intentionally, or not.”
“Wow, some friends I’d say,” Kara joked as she finished her burger and fries. Kara threw her napkin on the plate, picked up her shake, took a long, hard pull on her straw and asked, “So what happened next?”
“My mom realized that I had lied about attending the party, so she came looking for me. She must have gone down every country road in the county. She found Rick and I parked and, well, I don’t need to go into detail about what she found.” A pink tint flooded Lillian’s cheeks.
Kara’s eyes grew large, and the color on her face turned rosy red, as well. “You were caught doing, ya know…?”
“Yes. We were caught. Mom pulled me out of his car and dragged me all the way to her car. Then she went back, got my clothes, and gave Rick an earful. I don’t know what she said to him exactly, but whatever it was, he must have been petrified. I never saw him again. She handed me my things, told me to put my clothes on, and then drove me home.”
“How embarrassing,” Kara said quietly, as the unbelievable images ran through her mind.
“Embarrassing, yes, but that wasn’t the worst of it. The last words I heard from her for fifteen years was, ’put your clothes on.’” Tears welled up in Lillian’s eyes. She passed her hand across her cheeks to stop the flow.
“Fifteen years?” Kara asked appalled at the thought.
“Yes. Fifteen years passed before she spoke to me again. That horrible dreadful embarrassing night took place two days before my graduation. She didn’t attend the ceremony, nor did she ever visit me after I moved out and went to work. It was as if I no longer existed. Even when I called to tell my parents I was getting married and when my two babies were born, she refused to come to the phone.”
“She wouldn’t even see your babies?” Kara asked as she rubbed her forehead in bewilderment.
“No,” Lillian said as she studied her hands. “I met and married a very nice man and had two children all without my mom. She didn’t help plan my wedding, or help us care for our babies. We missed so many mother-daughter activities.” Lillian’s head shook as tears slowly found their way down her cheeks.
Kara pulled a napkin from the dispenser and handed it to Lillian. “Did you and your mom ever get things worked out?”
“Almost too late, but yes, fifteen years after the ‘incident,’ mom got sick. Dad called to tell me that mom was in the hospital, and that I should come and visit her. I asked if she wanted to see me. He said it wasn’t a matter of want, but need. I left the kids with my husband and caught a flight home. When I arrived at the hospital, I couldn’t believe this small, frail woman was my mother. I said, ‘Mom, it’s me, Lillian.’ For the first time in fifteen years, I heard my mom speak my name.
“‘Lillian, I’m so very glad you’re here,’ she said. All the tears and guilt came pouring out from both of us. All the years we spent apart not sharing our lives. She told me the reason she quit talking to me was that she decided it didn’t matter what she said to me, she knew I was going to do whatever I wanted; that I’d find ways around the rules anyway, so she just gave up. Of course, she was right. She knew all along the troubled path I was headed down. She only wanted to make me wake up to the mistakes I was making. I’m glad she did, but it was a very high price to pay for the lesson. Fifteen years! I told her that there were so many times over the years that I wished for her wisdom and advice.”
Kara glanced at her watch. It was time for her to go back to work, but she just had to know something. Kara asked. “Is your mom… is she “gone” now?”
“Yes, she has moved on.” Lillian nodded sadly. “I just wanted to give you something to think about with your mom and all.”
Two weeks passed before Lillian needed to shop again. She looked for Kara’s register and was pleased to see significant changes in Kara’s appearance. The studs, gold rings, and jewels were missing from her face. The pink hair was replaced with beautiful brown strands. Kara even smiled at the customers as they passed through her register.
“Kara? Remember me?” Lillian asked.
“Oh, hey, it’s you. I didn’t even ask you your name.” Kara said.
“Lillian, Lillian Noble. I must say you look different. You look absolutely stunning, in fact.”
Kara smiled and said, “Lillian, I wanted to thank you so much for lunch and, well, everything. When I went home that afternoon, my mom and I talked. Like, really talked for a change. I listened, Mom listened, and well, we’re going shopping for a prom dress tomorrow!” Kara exclaimed.
“What happened to all your earrings and studs?” Lillian asked.
“Mom hated them. She said they took away from my pretty face. She said they made me look like, well, the wrong type of girl. When I took an honest look in the mirror, I knew she was right. I took them out, and all the holes should be healed by prom.”
“It sounds like you removed the tongue thing, too,” Lillian chuckled.
“Yeah, it was always getting in the way of eating.” Kara said with a smirk. “Besides, I didn’t want to give my prom date the wrong idea about me, you know?” Her face split into a wide grin.
“So who’s the lucky guy?” Lillian asked.
“My date’s name is Chris. He’s a nice guy. He works here too. He didn’t speak to me until I removed all my studs.” After a long pause, Kara continued, “I owe you a lot. I wanted to thank you for taking the time to talk to me and for telling me your story. I didn’t know how to get in touch with you. I’m glad you came back to the store.” A muscle quivered at her jaw, she was trying to hold her emotions under control. “Can I give you a hug?”
“I’d like that,” Lillian stated. They moved to the end of the checkout lane. Kara wrapped her arms around Lillian.
“Thank-you, Lillian,” Kara said ever so softly.
Lillian whispered in Kara’s ear. “You’re welcome, Kara.” Lillian pulled back and said. “Remember to listen to your mom. She only wants what’s best for you.” Kara nodded in agreement, as Lillian continued. ”Please have a great time at the prom. I’ll be back to hear all about it. Okay?”
“I’ll bring pictures. Maybe we could have lunch again. My treat.” Kara gave her another squeeze.
As Lillian left the store, she felt only a tiny twinge of guilt as she got into her car. Her story had been somewhat embellished. When Lillian had told Kara that her mom had moved on, that was certainly true, but in a different way than Kara assumed. Lillian’s parents had retired and moved to Scottsdale, Arizona. As she started her car and headed home, Lillian thought of Kara and her mom. It made her smile and gave her a warm feeling in her heart. She’d done well!
The clerk offered Lillian a distracted nod and a bland half smile as she placed the groceries in plastic bags. The young clerk’s ears, eyebrows, and nose were all adorned with gold studs and gaudy jewels.
As the clerk opened her mouth to speak, Lillian could not help but notice the clerk’s pierced tongue. ”My parents said no tattoos. They never said I couldn’t have my body pierced. So it’s just a way to let them know that it’s my body.” Tossing her head made the pink streak in her hair bounce as an exclamation point to her statement.
“I see,” said Lillian, “I was just curious. I didn’t mean to pry.”
“No, problem,” the girl said, matter-of-factly.
“Kara,” the store manager called to the clerk as she approached the checkout lane. “You can take your break now. Only an hour this time,” she said as she tapped her watch.
Kara finished checking Lillian out, placing the last of her items in the bag. She locked her drawer, placed a “Next Register” sign on the counter, and grabbed her water bottle. “Well, have a nice day,” Kara stated as she quickly headed out ahead of Lillian.
“Kara is it?” Lillian questioned as she struggled to carry her bags and keep up.
“Yes, that’s my name.”
“I overheard the manager say you have an hour break. Could I buy you lunch?”
“Why would you want to do that?” Kara asked suspiciously.
“Oh, it isn’t anything weird. I would just like to share a story with you.”
Kara smiled weakly and shrugged. “Sure. Why not? It’s a free lunch.”
“Why don’t you go ahead and get us a seat at the café across the street? Order whatever you’d like. It’s my treat.”
Lillian made her way to her car and placed the groceries in the back seat, then went to the café to join Kara.
As Lillian entered the café, she noticed Kara sitting at an empty table. “You didn’t order?”
“No, I thought I should wait for you.”
Lillian’s instinct had been right. There was hope for the young girl after all; she did have manners. Then it dawned on her. The restaurant didn’t have someone taking your order. You had to go to the counter to place your request.
“Please, order whatever you want.” Lillian prodded.
Kara paused, “No, you should go first.”
They went to the counter together. Lillian ordered the daily special: soup and salad. Kara’s order consisted of a burger, fries, and a chocolate shake. Lillian would have much preferred the same order, but that pesky ten pounds came to mind. The two returned to their table. A few awkward moments passed before Kara spoke. “You said you wanted to tell me a story.” Kara stared blankly at Lillian.
“Indeed I did,” Lillian began. “When I was your age, I was a lot like you. They called girls like us rebels back then. We didn’t do tattoos or cover our faces with studs and gold rings, but we had our ways. We all had big hair, bright blue eye shadow, pink lipstick, stacked heels, short skirts, and padded bras. Fast cars, fast boys—that’s what we liked.” Lillian explained.
“You?” Kara blinked her eyes in disbelief. “You look so…well, normal. Kind of like my grandma.”
Lillian kept her strawberry blonde hair cut in a flattering style, her nails were manicured, and she dressed modestly, yet fashionably. She’d hoped to be compared to Kara’s mom or aunt, but certainly not the girl’s grandmother. “Oh, well,” Lillian thought. “Whatever worked.”
Lillian waved her hand to dismiss the thought. “Now most people would say I’m normal. Back then, my parents told me, I was ‘living large’.”
Kara stifled a laugh, “I just don’t see it. You don’t seem like that kind of person.”
As the counter person delivered their order, Lillian pushed forward with her story.
“I know it’s difficult to believe now, but back then, I crossed the line way too many times. Every time my parents said I couldn’t do something, I figured out a way to do what I wanted behind their backs,” Lillian said. “My dad was easy to get around. I was his ‘little girl,’ and he couldn’t seem to find fault with anything I did.”
“My dad’s like that with me, too.” Kara nodded in agreement. “Part of it’s the same reason as your dad. The other part is, he just doesn’t have time with work and all. Sometimes he listens. Sometimes he just answers without hearing what I say. That does work to my advantage sometimes.” Kara wrinkled her nose making the gold ring attached to her nostril bob up and down.
“I understand that,” Lillian reiterated. “Times are busier and tougher for families in that way now.”
Kara shrugged her shoulders as she took a bite of her burger.
“However,” Lillian continued, “I drove my mom crazy with my attitude. She was always angry with me about something. I just kept disobeying her because I thought she was going to be angry anyway, so what difference did it make, really?”
“I get that! My mom is definitely like that! No matter what I do or don’t do, she’s mad. So, I’ve just decided ‘what the heck?’ I’ll do things my way and at least one of us is happy,” Kara quipped.
Lillian lowered her head. “That’s the way I felt.” Then, with all the pleasure leaving her, Lillian said, “But it all turned out to be a huge mistake.”
Kara stopped in mid bite. “What do you mean?”
“I found out the hard way that my belligerent attitude would come back to haunt me. One night, I was supposed to be at a slumber party. That’s what they were called back in my day.”
“Now, we call them sleepovers.” Kara interjected.
A secretive smile softened Lillian’s lips. “Well I didn’t go to the party. I went out with my boyfriend instead. Somehow, there was a misunderstanding with my friends. They called the house looking for me, and, of course, I wasn’t there. And you know, I never figured out if they did it intentionally, or not.”
“Wow, some friends I’d say,” Kara joked as she finished her burger and fries. Kara threw her napkin on the plate, picked up her shake, took a long, hard pull on her straw and asked, “So what happened next?”
“My mom realized that I had lied about attending the party, so she came looking for me. She must have gone down every country road in the county. She found Rick and I parked and, well, I don’t need to go into detail about what she found.” A pink tint flooded Lillian’s cheeks.
Kara’s eyes grew large, and the color on her face turned rosy red, as well. “You were caught doing, ya know…?”
“Yes. We were caught. Mom pulled me out of his car and dragged me all the way to her car. Then she went back, got my clothes, and gave Rick an earful. I don’t know what she said to him exactly, but whatever it was, he must have been petrified. I never saw him again. She handed me my things, told me to put my clothes on, and then drove me home.”
“How embarrassing,” Kara said quietly, as the unbelievable images ran through her mind.
“Embarrassing, yes, but that wasn’t the worst of it. The last words I heard from her for fifteen years was, ’put your clothes on.’” Tears welled up in Lillian’s eyes. She passed her hand across her cheeks to stop the flow.
“Fifteen years?” Kara asked appalled at the thought.
“Yes. Fifteen years passed before she spoke to me again. That horrible dreadful embarrassing night took place two days before my graduation. She didn’t attend the ceremony, nor did she ever visit me after I moved out and went to work. It was as if I no longer existed. Even when I called to tell my parents I was getting married and when my two babies were born, she refused to come to the phone.”
“She wouldn’t even see your babies?” Kara asked as she rubbed her forehead in bewilderment.
“No,” Lillian said as she studied her hands. “I met and married a very nice man and had two children all without my mom. She didn’t help plan my wedding, or help us care for our babies. We missed so many mother-daughter activities.” Lillian’s head shook as tears slowly found their way down her cheeks.
Kara pulled a napkin from the dispenser and handed it to Lillian. “Did you and your mom ever get things worked out?”
“Almost too late, but yes, fifteen years after the ‘incident,’ mom got sick. Dad called to tell me that mom was in the hospital, and that I should come and visit her. I asked if she wanted to see me. He said it wasn’t a matter of want, but need. I left the kids with my husband and caught a flight home. When I arrived at the hospital, I couldn’t believe this small, frail woman was my mother. I said, ‘Mom, it’s me, Lillian.’ For the first time in fifteen years, I heard my mom speak my name.
“‘Lillian, I’m so very glad you’re here,’ she said. All the tears and guilt came pouring out from both of us. All the years we spent apart not sharing our lives. She told me the reason she quit talking to me was that she decided it didn’t matter what she said to me, she knew I was going to do whatever I wanted; that I’d find ways around the rules anyway, so she just gave up. Of course, she was right. She knew all along the troubled path I was headed down. She only wanted to make me wake up to the mistakes I was making. I’m glad she did, but it was a very high price to pay for the lesson. Fifteen years! I told her that there were so many times over the years that I wished for her wisdom and advice.”
Kara glanced at her watch. It was time for her to go back to work, but she just had to know something. Kara asked. “Is your mom… is she “gone” now?”
“Yes, she has moved on.” Lillian nodded sadly. “I just wanted to give you something to think about with your mom and all.”
Two weeks passed before Lillian needed to shop again. She looked for Kara’s register and was pleased to see significant changes in Kara’s appearance. The studs, gold rings, and jewels were missing from her face. The pink hair was replaced with beautiful brown strands. Kara even smiled at the customers as they passed through her register.
“Kara? Remember me?” Lillian asked.
“Oh, hey, it’s you. I didn’t even ask you your name.” Kara said.
“Lillian, Lillian Noble. I must say you look different. You look absolutely stunning, in fact.”
Kara smiled and said, “Lillian, I wanted to thank you so much for lunch and, well, everything. When I went home that afternoon, my mom and I talked. Like, really talked for a change. I listened, Mom listened, and well, we’re going shopping for a prom dress tomorrow!” Kara exclaimed.
“What happened to all your earrings and studs?” Lillian asked.
“Mom hated them. She said they took away from my pretty face. She said they made me look like, well, the wrong type of girl. When I took an honest look in the mirror, I knew she was right. I took them out, and all the holes should be healed by prom.”
“It sounds like you removed the tongue thing, too,” Lillian chuckled.
“Yeah, it was always getting in the way of eating.” Kara said with a smirk. “Besides, I didn’t want to give my prom date the wrong idea about me, you know?” Her face split into a wide grin.
“So who’s the lucky guy?” Lillian asked.
“My date’s name is Chris. He’s a nice guy. He works here too. He didn’t speak to me until I removed all my studs.” After a long pause, Kara continued, “I owe you a lot. I wanted to thank you for taking the time to talk to me and for telling me your story. I didn’t know how to get in touch with you. I’m glad you came back to the store.” A muscle quivered at her jaw, she was trying to hold her emotions under control. “Can I give you a hug?”
“I’d like that,” Lillian stated. They moved to the end of the checkout lane. Kara wrapped her arms around Lillian.
“Thank-you, Lillian,” Kara said ever so softly.
Lillian whispered in Kara’s ear. “You’re welcome, Kara.” Lillian pulled back and said. “Remember to listen to your mom. She only wants what’s best for you.” Kara nodded in agreement, as Lillian continued. ”Please have a great time at the prom. I’ll be back to hear all about it. Okay?”
“I’ll bring pictures. Maybe we could have lunch again. My treat.” Kara gave her another squeeze.
As Lillian left the store, she felt only a tiny twinge of guilt as she got into her car. Her story had been somewhat embellished. When Lillian had told Kara that her mom had moved on, that was certainly true, but in a different way than Kara assumed. Lillian’s parents had retired and moved to Scottsdale, Arizona. As she started her car and headed home, Lillian thought of Kara and her mom. It made her smile and gave her a warm feeling in her heart. She’d done well!