IN MEMORY TO SOME FAMILY MEMBERS NOW GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN.

 

A TS Fantasy 8                  by: Paul G Jutras

 

The gang was down at the beach. They were all there: Paul, Jennifer, Katrina, their parents and grandparents. Mrs. Jutras was know as the soup and sandwich grandma since that was what she always served for lunch.

"I see everyone is dressed up for church." Paul said as he walked into the screen porch. When he sat down in his gray dress with puffed out shoulders and beige queen plus pantyhose, he put on a pair of Mary Jane."

"Give me the camera and I’ll take your picture." Grandma said, trying to hide her over weight self. Grandma was always seen in a stripe blouse, slacks, knee-hi and open toe sandals, grandpa and uncles in either gray or blue suits with ties and his mom in a black dress and pumps with suntan hose. First time Paula had seen her mother in nylons all year.

Paula hadn’t gone to church since she had gone public, but her grandparents wanted her to go. As Paula sat there and listened to mass, familiar lines filled her head as she had heard it all before. After having to kneel several times in a dress, she was glad to see the collection plate go by and tell her it was almost over.

"You should see the stuff my mother already put in her car." Paul’s mother said to her mother in law as they headed into the bathroom and changed out of their church dresses and into their swimsuits.

"Oh, really." Grandma said. "I wonder if I have anything she’d like."

"Don’t show her anything else!" Paul’s mother shook her fists in the air.

The small bathroom contained nothing more than a stand up shower, a sink, a small stool to sit on, and a full length mirror on the back of the door. Due to the closeness of the neighbor house, the window blind had to remain shut all the time as Paul finished pulling up a pink one piece woman’s swim suit over his breast forms; which remained snuggly in place.

Going through the dinning room shrine to Paula’s military dad and into the living room, she went out on the cement front porch; which over looked the ocean. Raymond sat in the chair next to him in a black T-shirt and blue shorts. He looked pretty out of place in his white socks and sneakers.

"Have you been filming?" Raymond asked as he saw the camcorder down between them.

"Yea." Paula said, checking her hair and face in the compact mirror. "When I move to Florida, I want a memory of this place."

"Frank! Sam!" Paula whistled to the neighbors dogs walking pass Jennifer on the beach. Catching her eye, Paula followed the string in her hand to the blue eagle shape kite in her hand.

Raymond hesitated. He then removed his shoes and socks. "Maybe I can chased them back home."

"You trying to be funny again?" Paula asked.

Letting the kite fall, Jennifer starting chasing the dog in a white T-shirt and blue shorts with her cousin, Katrina; who was dressed in a matching pink shirt and gray shorts. They ran circles in the sand and jumped waves with the dogs before chasing them off.

"Give me a break," Paula said.

"I gave some clam chowder and a ham and cheese sandwich in the kitchen." Grandma said as Paula smiled, got up and then went inside to eat. She went and got a glass from the set she spent a summer winning in skeet ball in the local arcade.

 

The next day most of the family set up their garage sale. The big items like the swing set was set out in the drive way. Paula had all her board games and old male toys; which she was glad to get out of her life at her own table. Her old Star Wars shoe box reminded her that there wasn’t anything from the movie trilogy that she didn’t own.

"Look, she’s collecting things already." Jennifer laughed as she saw her grandmother looking through a bunch of books on one table.

"You should see her Explorer." Paula’s mom said as she pointed out to the driveway. "It’s already jam packed. I can’t see how she can take any more with her."

"Look at all these good plastic containers." Grandma said as she moved to another table. "What does it matter where the money come from. You just need to keep an eye on your expenses for the trip to Florida."

Paula just shook her head and giggled like a little girl in her 101 Dalmatians shirt and matching shorts while a man in gray sweats and a blue shirt carried off a sold chair. After

She sold her old three year old play desk, she notice Jennifer roller skating into the driveway in a white and blue stripe shirt and short set.

With a football in her hand, she skated around the curves of the driveway. She went in and out of the lamps, tables and shoppers that were scattered about the ground. She moved up the street; turned around, and picked up speed as she tried to make her life pass before her eyes and she slammed up to the front steps.

"If you want to film something, film this." Paula’s mom said as she watched Paula aim her camcorder at her great grandmother. "How old are you?"

"95," She replied.

"She’s 95 years old," mom repeated as they started to ramble off in French. "Doesn’t she look good?"

As Paula stood that, she wished she hadn’t flunked French in school. Japanese was the only language she was even partly good at.

"What did you do?" Paula’s mom asked as Raymond walked into the room. "Stay up all night so you couldn’t get up in the morning?"

"You should talk," Ray said. "You’ve been at it all day that you’re dead on your feet by 6 or 7 at night."

The evening Paula slipped on a white nightgown with lace trim and pink geometric shapes paten on it. Before bed she got out a Spooksville book from Christopher Pike and some Archie comics. She really wished she could look as sexy a Veronica. Even Betty at times.

Paul was happy when her mom brought home some Whippers Pizza. It didn’t matter where she went, Paula found Whippers to be the best pizza place around. It was always the best 12 inch loaded.

Shortly after sunrise, Paul got out a white blouse with a plaid skirt, white nylons and black dress shoes. With the yard sale over, they headed down to grandpa’s cabin on the lake. Paula’s mom was already so use to Florida’s heat, being back in Maine caused her to where a green wind break and black slacks.

"Ron, Susan lets you take Nick by yourself?" Paula mom said as she pointed at Paula. "My husband never took her by herself until she was... whoops, she’s filming."

"Oh my God," Uncle Ron cried at seeing him in grandma’s arms. "He jumped right off to you."

"Let me take care of her." Aunt Susan said as she came home in a black dress and flats with white pantyhose. Taking the little guy in blue pajamas with feet, she grabbed a bottle and began feeding him.

As Paula went with Megan, Jennifer and Katrina to play a little backyard basketball Paula took off her shoes and played in her stocking feet as she made a lay up without hitting the rim. Others cut some cake and sat around the Raymond’s pool.

Paula had collected her shoes and was heading up the porch to the built in pool when she noticed Uncle Roger grab hold of her daughter, Jennifer. As he tried to throw her into the pool with her clothes on, she broke his grip and nearly pushed him in instead. After he broke her head lock, he decided to back off.

Changing into a hot pink bikini, Paula hit the slide into the pool as the quickly way to get use to the water. Some of the others joined them. But only the kids. The adults remained in clothes rather than swimwear.

After some time of swimming, she aided the little kids against Uncle Roger and Raymond in a basketball game. After Roger made three baskets in a roll, Paula snatched the ball and started to dribble it. As she made a shot; Roger took the ball away, and made one himself.

Before turning in for the evening and heading back to Florida the next day, they all got together and watched 1950s home movies from Paula’s mother side of the family.

 

THE END

 

© 2001
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