Gossip Mongers

an excerpt

She spied. Another lied. No one died – yet.

Lynnette scribbled in her journal. Between extra shifts at the Co-op grocer, swim lessons, and weekly library visits, the season had stolen her reflection time. She couldn’t believe it was already September. Cocooned upstairs in her bedroom, the voices of her teenage boys playing ping pong was barely audible. Snagging the games table in the divorce was priceless. She stared at the peeling bedroom wallpaper and added another line to the page.

Summer 1972 – Marriage is one big wallpaper disaster. You hope it sticks but over time it yellows and unravels. Mothers, on the other hand, are the paste you rely on for support.

Martha never chastised her daughter for her failed relationship. Instead, she often landed on her daughter’s doorstep, a baked casserole in hand, finding ways to distract Lynnette. Over the summer, their bond grew tighter. Living in the small rural town, without a movie theatre or fancy restaurants, the two women concocted their own entertainment. Summer nights included, Singapore sling cocktails, Cheez Whiz on crackers, and dipping their hot pink manicured toes in the kiddie inflatable pool.

Last week they counted all the summer weddings on one hand. Martha, often said, ‘you could predict how many babies were born yearly based on the teenage cars parked by the camp grounds in June. Lynnette never faulted her mother’s wisdom.

“Keep a journal,” Martha had said when the divorce was finalized. “That’s what I did when your father walked out. Look at things from a bird’s eye view. Purge your angst. Embellish all the joys, ‘just a little’, so you can start again. No harm done. Your diary is private.”

Lynnette picked up her pen. As close as she was to Martha, she didn’t plan to share this journal entry. Some things were better left unsaid. She wrote hastily.

One hot summer night in town was worth two in the bush.