Saturday, March 13, 2010

Part I: Adonia

“Merry Christmas”, Jake said to Sandy as he handed her a candy cane from the poorly lit and scantly decorated Christmas tree.

Christmas at the Pearson household was always quite odd – not only the guests but the food. I sat across the room from a woman who had a green knit hat on that looked like it had been through the washer too many times with a paper towel, it was covered in lint. Her face was shriveled like a prune and her brightly pink polished toes curled up from her open toe sandals she wore with nylons, her toenails matched the lip stick she wore. Her bright pink suit looked like she stole it from an unfashionable bride who scared her maid’s of honor into wearing the gaudy piece.

“Merry Christmas Adonia!”, Jake screamed in my ear as he handed me a chocolate Santa Claus.

I had been patiently waiting for the Pearson’s to announce dinner was ready, but it seemed like that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon. I sat there impatiently tapping my foot, and staring at the green knit hat wearing old lady. I started to peel away the paper that wrapped tightly around the chocolate Santa Claus. I had to eat something to take the edge off the hungry pains I had started feeling. I bite the chocolate, chewed and swallowed, when the taste hit me. The candy tasted partly of the paper in which it was wrapped, partly of hair oil, partly of the great unknown. My face must’ve shown the horrible taste I was experiencing, because as I looked up the old lady with the green hat was snickering.

“Like that candy huh Missy?”, she shouted from across the room. “Made it myself in the nursing home last night.”

I felt like vomiting, there was no telling what was in it and how many dirty old hands had touched it.

“Yes mam, very delicious”, I answered back.

“You’re a lousy liar Missy, ha ha ha”, she responded. “My name is Haddy C. McPherson, I live at Sunshine Valley Nursing Home on the East Side of town, what is your name Missy?”

Missy? If I could get the old bat to stop calling me Missy.

“Adonia, Adonia Prada is the name mam, nice to meet you”, I replied. “Sunshine Valley Nursing Home? I know the place, my dad used to live there. Nice place.”

“Nice place? Maybe for the blind and deaf, but not for this spring chickadee” replied Haddy.

I got up from my seat; I seriously needed to rinse my mouth out from the nasty chocolate Santa. As I walked past the kitchen I peeped in to see if it was any closer to dinner, but what caught my eye was seeing the Pearson’s in each other’s arms crying. I couldn’t tell whether their tears were of joy or sorrow, or whether they had ruined dinner. Unfortunately I didn’t have time to investigate, there was a rancid taste moving up my throat from my stomach.

500 words based on a sentence selected by Dive.

3 comments:

Lulubelle B said...

Hey GF -

Welcome to 500 words. Love your story and your new look.

So glad you decided to play.

:^D

Katie said...

Hi Adonia from a friend of Dive. What a delightful story you've written! Well, the chocolate sounded awful, and I could practically taste it after reading your perfect description of what gakky chocolate would taste like, but that's what good fiction is supposed to do. I give you lots of kudos for participating in Dive's 500 words, as I turn down every one of hiss attempts to get me to write. Looking forward to more stories, and other blogger stuff from you!

dive said...

Hi, Adonia! And welcome to 500 Words.
What a marvellous debut you've made. I LOVE that hat (though maybe not Haddy) and as Katie says, your descriptions are startlingly and ickily real.
More, please!

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