The Paper Cowboy by Kristin Levine

Author:Kristin Levine
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Group US
Published: 2014-08-17T16:00:00+00:00

27

DECK THE HALLS

Every year in December, Mary Lou and I linked together colorful rings of paper to hang on the tree. Since we couldn’t do it at home this year, I gathered an armful of paper and glue and took them to the hospital. Mary Lou was thrilled. “It’s so boring here, with nothing to do,” she complained. We spent the afternoon linking the rings together. The next week when I visited, she’d made a chain so long, it went all the way down the hall.

I missed Mary Lou something terrible, especially in the evenings. There were carols on the radio, and Dad made hot chocolate, but it just didn’t seem like Christmastime. Mom usually went to her room right after dinner now, and was often asleep before we put Pinky to bed. In the morning Mom still seemed tired, and sometimes, if she’d taken one of Dr. Stanton’s sleeping pills, she woke with red-rimmed eyes.

Even though Mary Lou and I always made the paper chains, we weren’t allowed to decorate the tree. Oh no. That was my mom’s job, because it had to be absolutely perfect. We might put the ornaments too close together or, God forbid, drop and break one. Mom decorated the tree alone on Christmas Eve, after we’d gone to bed, so that when we woke up the next morning, it would appear like magic, fully trimmed.

But I was allowed to pick out the tree with my father. So one cold night, while my mom was doing the dishes from dinner, my dad and Boots and I went to find a tree.

The Christmas tree lot was in a wooded area near the edge of town, and was run by an old man. He’d brought in a bunch of new trees that morning. A light snow was falling and the moon was bright, so all the trees glowed like they were covered with tinsel. While my dad talked to the old man about the price, I chose a tree. It was a huge Douglas fir, with branches as thick and strong as the tail of a horse. Boots ran in circles, snapping at the snowflakes, until he lay down dizzy in the snow.

We carried the tree home on our shoulders, Dad and me. Even though my arms were aching, I didn’t complain.

“Dad,” I asked, “what’s the League of Women Voters?”

Dad turned to look at me. “Why do you want to know about them?”

I shrugged. “Just heard about them somewhere.”

“It’s a civic organization for women who are interested in politics and democracy.”

Oh.

“I’ve been trying to get your mom to join. Thought it might do her good to get out of the house.”

“But they discuss ‘subversive activity.’ And ‘congressional investigations.’”

Dad gave me a funny look. “How do you know that?”

“I . . . saw a note about it in the paper.”

I guess he believed me, because he nodded. “They are discussing Senator McCarthy and his congressional investigations to root out suspected communists in the government. The League has been quite critical of him.

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