The Fairy Tale
THE FAIRY TALE
by
Clem Mason
warning: graphic language
(age-16+)
(wc-1400)
The rays of the afternoon sun filtered into the tiny, one room apartment through dingy lace curtains. They hung limp. They were suspended on a cord held by two nails on the corner of the window molding. There was no breeze to speak of. A small, thin girl sat alone on the unmade bed, twisting her long, shiny, ravin black hair. The tears from her pale blue eyes mingled with the beads of sweat that formed on her round, freckled face. She stared at the telephone as if at any moment, it wold ring, disturbing the silence. Hesitantly, she reached for it and dialed. She waited.
“Hello? This is Jodi Lindbloom. I called earlier for Kevin Akers? Is he…in?” She waited, biting her lip to keep from crying harder. “No, I don’t know who I talked to earlier. Didn’t they leave him a message?” She listened to a long explanation. “No, I’d rather talk to him. This is very important.” Jodi hung her head as she listened to more excuses. She nodded, unwittingly aware the person on the other end of the line couldn’t see her. “Yes, I know he’s going to college but he has to come back to the dorm sometime, doesn’t he? He does live there, right?” She listened. “Okay, fraternity. Are you happy?’ Pause. “Yes, I guess I’ll have to. It’s 555-9254, New York City.” “Yes! Please leave him a message to call me anytime because I can’t afford all these long distant charges,” she explaned. She nodded. “Yes, goodbye.” She flopped back on the bed and cried.
It was 11:09 p.m. when she woke up with a start. She sat up quickly and stared at the telephone. None-the-less, she jumped when it rang. She waited, letting it ring several times until the voice on the other side of the thin wall that separated them told her to answer the goddam phone
“Hello?” She listened, smiling, recognizing the voice. She tried her best not to cry again. She was greatly relieved. “Yes, this is Jodi Lindbloom. Do you remember me?” she asked softly. “You do? That’s great, Kevin.” She listened. “Really, I think a lot about you too.”
“Yes, Fort Lauderdale is a wild and crazy place during spring break.” “No, I’m not sorry I went there. I met you didn’t I?” “How did I find you? You wasn’t trying to hide from me was you?” she asked with mock laughter. “No, I remember you said you went to Temple and how many Kevin Akers can there be?” She frowned. “Yes, I know Kevin. Things did go too far.” “Well, I’m sorry too.” “No, I don’t make it a habit of doing those things either. It just…happened. I…I guess I really like you a lot.” She began to cry. “Kevin, what do you plan on doing for the rest of your life?” She listened a long time as he laid out his plans for his future. She nodded, unable to trust her voice. She nodded again. “Kevin, …that sounds so great. I…I wish you all the luck in the world,” she sobbed, unable to control her emotions. She shook her head, tears streaming down her face. “Yes…yes, I am crying. So what?” “What am I crying about? Your life is all laid out for you and all you have to do is show up on time. Me? My life is in the gutter.” “Yes, that’s what I said.” “What do you mean, what do I mean?” “Look, college boy. I don’t just go around screwing every Tom. Dick and Harry that comes along. With you, it was the first time, I swear to God.” “No, I’ve had to drop out of college.” “Because I can’t live with my shame, that’s why.” “Kevin…I’m pregnant.” She burst into great, heaving sobs. She gripped the phone, afraid to miss a single word he said. It meant everything to her. He was quiet a long time. Then he began to talk again. She detected the stress in his voice. She nodded. “In…in about six months,” she said in a whisper. She fumbled for a tissue to dab at her leaky nose. “You’ll send me some money?” “You don’t have to, you know, This is my shame, Kevin and I’m the one who has to live with it,” “Just remember, when you eventually get married, you’ll have to tell her all about our baby.” “Yes, I did say our baby.” “I thought you were smarter than that, college boy. An abortion is not the answer to this problem. That really hurts you know, to even suggest… It makes me fell so…so cheap, like I’m really a slut.” “No, I don’t hate you.” “How can you say that? I could never hate our baby. It is me I hate.” ” No, I’m not prone to doing anything irrational, thank you very much.” “If you send anything at all, it will be spent on the baby, I swear.” She nodded and gave him her address.
“Goodbye, Kevin. Have a good life.” “Goodbye.”
She laid back and folded her hands behind her head. She allowed her tears to mingle in her hair.
“That’ll be the last time you hear from that son-of-a-bitch,” came the voice from the other side of the wall.
“Thank you very much,” she said to the wall. “That makes me feel sooo much better.”
“You want maybe I should punch this guy’s lights out for ya?” he asked.
Jodi smiled. “No. That won’t be necessary, thank you.”
“You’re welcome,kid. Tough break, huh?”
It wasn’t long before a check arrived in the mail. Jodi opened up the type written letter and gasped. It was for $1,000. It was a shock. But the real shocker was who the check was from; a Lyle and Betty Akers of Tulsa, Oklahoma. He told his parents about me! My God. What kind of a girl will they think I am? She almost started crying again.
The next month, another check arrived with a sum of $1,000. No letter; no note; just a type written envelope. She wondered what they were like. They must be very rich.
Month after month, the checks arrived without fail and Jodi had done as she promised. What she didn’t spend on her prenatal care, she saved. It was the most money she had ever had at one time.
One day, there was a knock on the door. Jodi went to listen and could hear the person on the other side panting. It is five flights of stairs to her door. “Who is it,” she asked. “Who’s out there?”
“United parcel, Ma’am,” came the reply. “You have a package to be picked up, I believe.”
“Take a hike pervert or I’m calling the police.”
The man insisted. “Please Ma’am, we know you will be delivering a wonderful bundle of joy soon and we want to take it home with us.”
It was Kevin. Jodi couldn’t unlock the door fast enough. There he was, all decked out in slacks and a smart blazer, holding a dozen red roses and a wide Oklahoma smile. He shoved the flowers into her hand. Behind him stood an older couple. They would be Lyle and Betty Akers, no doubt.
Suddenly, Jodi was ashamed of her appearance and blushed. “I wasn’t expecting anybody. I look terrible.”
Lyle pushed by his son and embraced her in a big hug. “You’re family now. Don’t matter what you look like.” He held her back to take a look. He nodded. Kevin, you picked a real beauty, this one.” He nodded approval.
Betty pushed her husband aside. “Get out of the way you big galoot and let me gave my daughter-in-law an Oklahoma welcome.” It was a genuine, heartfelt hug.
Kevin protested. “Mom, I haven’t even asked her yet.”
Tears of joy came to her eyes. She couldn’t believe this was happening.
As Kevin got down on one Knee, a stranger in the hallway walked past the open door and looked in. He smiled and gave Jodi a thumbs up.” She knew who he was right away.
THE END.
If you liked this story and you feel the poor, old author deserves compensation in his retirement for this creation, please feel free to send $1.00 to Clem Mason, c/o Backwater Publishing. 66021-0213.
Please tell your friends where you found this web site.
Comments are welcome.
Thank you very much and may God bless you.