Stash (2010) by Klein David Matthew

Author:Klein, David Matthew [Matthew, Klein, David]
Format: epub
Publisher: Crown Publishing Group
Published: 2011-01-14T19:12:53.671000+00:00

We Used to Get High

Marlene and Abby stopped by with the produce share from their community farm. A lot of corn still, along with broccoli, beets, a few twisted carrots. Gwen would make a beet salad for herself and Brian for dinner; Nora and Nate would eat corn and carrots with their pasta. Marlene also brought a tub of chili for Gwen to deliver to the Harrisons. Two days ago, Celeste Harrison fell down her basement stairs and broke her leg in two places. She had three children at Morrissey East and an ex-husband who lived in Philadelphia. Celeste’s sister from Albany was staying with her, and Gwen arranged to have the five Helping Hands volunteers take turns making dinner for the Harrison family until Celeste recovered. She had created a schedule and e-mailed it to her volunteers. Gwen had made lasagna last night; Marlene’s turn was today. Gwen would deliver the dinner later.

She put the produce box and tub of chili in the kitchen, then made coffee and sat with Marlene on the patio in the lounge chairs under the pergola. Shafts of sunlight filtered through the vines Brian had planted when they moved in, which after seven years had wiggled up and over the support posts and onto the overhead slats to provide shade cover in the summer.

“It’s such a gorgeous day, I can’t believe summer is over,” Gwen said.

“Are you kidding? I’m so glad school starts tomorrow. Since swimming ended all Abby says is how bored she is.”

“We’ve had a great summer—except for the accident thing. I love that Nora and Nate still want to do things with me, and that’s not going to last forever. Brian’s brother has two teenagers who want nothing to do with him.”

“By the time they’re teenagers, parents don’t want much to do with their kids, either. I think humans are wired that way.”

Gwen believed it but couldn’t imagine it. She and Nora and Nate had done so much together this summer: swimming, hikes, farm visits, bike rides, tie-dyeing T-shirts, planting flowers. They stuck together like a team. The moody teen years still seemed far away, although Gwen knew they would arrive in an eyeblink.

Abby joined Nora and Nate for a popcorn snack in the tower of the swing set. Gwen could hear them playing Cave Times, a made-up game consisting of grunting instead of speaking, and eating without using hands.

“Look at them, they’re like animals,” Marlene said.

“I actually don’t mind playing that game when they ask,” Gwen admitted.

Marlene smiled. “We used to get high for this.”

Sometimes they took turns sneaking to the garden shed or basement to light the pipe. Afterward, engaging the kids on their level was fun and easy, playing make-believe games with silly rules or baking cookies or having water fights. Cave Times had been Gwen’s invention, at least the sign language and grunting part. The kids added eating out of bowls without hands or silverware.

“That won’t be happening anytime soon,” Gwen said.

Marlene sipped her coffee. “It was so unfair what you’ve been put through.

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