Circus Home: A Novel of Life, Love and New Jersey by Ollander-Krane Jason

Author:Ollander-Krane, Jason [Ollander-Krane, Jason]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Jason Ollander-Krane
Published: 2022-10-18T00:00:00+00:00

Upon seeing all the cakes in place, Miss Garner thought: With each cake beaming on its cake stand and each cake stand trimmed charmingly with blossoms, surely no mortal on earth could resist a cake or the dance required to win it!

Propelled by that thought, the party started.

✦

After arrivals and initial greetings, like many large parties do, Iris’s birthday party devolved into small conversational groups. The matrons knitted themselves into a buzz about sewing, which meandered from mending, to newly available sewing patterns, to fitting adolescent daughters properly as they grew, to influenza, to husbands. The men took on the topic, “Which is the best combine to use in heavy rain?” leading to, “Why does it seem to rain so much more lately?” leading then to, “Can the newly widowed Lautrice Conrad hire a hand (who is just a hired hand)?” The daughters (who were Iris’s schoolmates, but of scant interest to Iris) frittered in three small minims: those who thought the new Mathematics teacher graded harshly, those who thought he was too lenient, and those too overcome with thoughts of marrying him to notice. The sons: truck tires. There was a maverick group of late-teenaged young women and young men whose topic appeared to be kissing (including a clumsy practicum which caused individuals to sprint from the group into the center of the room, whooping, and then back followed by peals of laughter). Last, a small knot who assembled because of their common affiliation with Gethsemane Church of Hope started their conversation with, “What is the true nature of the Trinity?” and ended with each of the group members sitting alone staring at their hands.

In other words, the party chugged along like a neat small-gauge locomotive.

Iris, Rodrick, and Uncle Luke chose not to join any of the conversations. On Luke ’ s arrival , the three started an obligatory conversation about the occasion, the flowers, and the cakes that finished when Uncle Luke exclaimed, “Isn’t this an auspicious night?” Then they fell into the awkward silence that only occurs at the start of parties, before the mass of people arrive. Eventually, Luke and Rodrick walked together to embark on a conversation about the challenges of raising a fifteen-year-old daughter alone. That evolved to discussing a thorny issue each of them coincidentally faced with church expenses. When they finished those topics, they fell into unforced, fraternal silence. Eventually, Rodrick pretended to notice some party detail he had to tend to and he walked toward it, leaving Luke standing alone. Luke, who had not yet removed his coat, set a course for the platter of chicken on t he buffet.

When Luke walked away, Iris felt she had finished her hosting duty. With almost everyone happily sewn up in conversation, she declined any further social obligation and walked off to quietly pet her dog. Once her arms were securely around his graying neck, she spoke reassurances (To him? To them? To herself?) that, although alone and seemingly friendless, they had each other.

After

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