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Re: Summer Story
The cars lined the street. Cadillacs, Licoln Continentals, Morris Oxfords, Thunderbirds – all shiny and a perfect road to the perfect house from which the must heavenly Boogie Woogie music blared. The high-pitched giggles and squeals of brightly clothed young women punctuated the air. The trendiness of the young men were suitable colons. Myrtle’s date, Ronald, parked the car expertly and two stepped around to open her door, his fingers snapping in time to the music. In the back, Ronald’s friend, Archie, eased out of the car and went around to open the door for Sarah and Mary to alight. He smiled at them and said, “Ladies,” just as he had when he’d held to the door open for them to get in.
The hoped their smiles were ladylike and they bit the inside of their cheeks to make sure it was so. Myrtle, on the arm of Ronald, gave them the once over and nodded once in approval. Then they were off to the house.
Inside, young people danced around, talking loudly and laughing hysterically. The air was electric. Archie asked Sarah and Mary if they’d like a drink. Yes, they’d like some punch please. He left them in search of it. At this departure, their hands gripped each other and Mary said, “Lawd, im smell good eeh?”
“Mi know! Mi know!” Sarah trilled back. “And did yuh si im teet? Oh, dem so white and pretty!”
“Mi know! Mi know!” Mary’s head nodded.
“Yuh so lucky,” Sarah groused good naturedly. “It look like yuh get de best looking boy in here.”
“Yes, Mi know! Mi know!” Mary chortled. Sarah laughed too.
“So wha, mi affi go hang roun yuh fi de res a de night? Yuh an Myrtle?” Sarah pouted.
“Yuh can hang roun wid mi, if yuh want,” Mary said, smilingly. “Jus nuh stay too close in case im k-”
“Hush! Im a come!” Sarah hissed.
The sisters released hands and hid their childishness. “Thank you,” they said in unison. “We were quite parched.”
Archie smiled and sipped from his frosted glass, one hand stuck in his pocket. “You always talk so?”
“How do you mean?” Mary asked innocently while Sarah choked on her punch. Archie regarded her with a raised eyebrow.
“Yuh know whe mi mean…”
“Because we received the proper instruction on how to speak properly,” Myrtle injected snidely. “Didn’t you?”
“Proper instruction?” Archie took another sip and turned to face her. Ronald was nowhere in sight. “Proper instruction pon mannas to?”
Myrtle’s lips thinned. “Ronald’s looking for you. Something do with the band.” She waved him and the topic off and turned slightly toward her sisters, which was tantamount to a doors slam. Sarah watched the smile tug at the corner of Archies’ mouth before he bowed slightly and walked away.
“I don’t know why Ronald brought him along!” Myrtle snapped, tapping a stray curl of Sarah’s into place. “Obviously, he’s not in the same class as we’re!”
Mary laughed gently. “What’s wrong Myr? Who bothered you?”
“Yuh jus jealous,” Sarah said mildly, undaunted by the sudden narrowness of Myrtle’s eyes. “Im nice looking, and dress good – a wha dat Ronny a wear by de way? – an im say whe mi always a say: dis ‘speaking properly’ business a pere foolynish!”
“You better watch your mouth!” Myrtle gritted. “Mama should never have let you come. When I was your age, I couldn’t go to a party. Now-a-days pickney, oonuu nuh have no mannas.”
“Oooh,” Sarah taunted. “Now-a-days pickney? A when since yuh tun Mama? ‘Oonuu? Mannas? Yuh sure say dat shouldn be ‘oonuus’? And ‘Merners’?
Myrtle was swift and before Sarah could react, her eyes had already begun to tear. She rubbed her arm where her sister had just applied a swift hard pinch.
“If you don’t start behaving yourself, I’m going to get Ronald to take you home, do you understand me?”
Sarah rubbed her arm and stared defiantly at her sister, but she said nothing. Mary tugged lightly at Myrtle, “Come on Myr. Let’s go get some punch. We look too nice to be hanging around arguing over nothing. Come on Sarah,” she put an arm around her younger sister. “Let’s go have some fun!”
The cars lined the street. Cadillacs, Licoln Continentals, Morris Oxfords, Thunderbirds – all shiny and a perfect road to the perfect house from which the must heavenly Boogie Woogie music blared. The high-pitched giggles and squeals of brightly clothed young women punctuated the air. The trendiness of the young men were suitable colons. Myrtle’s date, Ronald, parked the car expertly and two stepped around to open her door, his fingers snapping in time to the music. In the back, Ronald’s friend, Archie, eased out of the car and went around to open the door for Sarah and Mary to alight. He smiled at them and said, “Ladies,” just as he had when he’d held to the door open for them to get in.
The hoped their smiles were ladylike and they bit the inside of their cheeks to make sure it was so. Myrtle, on the arm of Ronald, gave them the once over and nodded once in approval. Then they were off to the house.
Inside, young people danced around, talking loudly and laughing hysterically. The air was electric. Archie asked Sarah and Mary if they’d like a drink. Yes, they’d like some punch please. He left them in search of it. At this departure, their hands gripped each other and Mary said, “Lawd, im smell good eeh?”
“Mi know! Mi know!” Sarah trilled back. “And did yuh si im teet? Oh, dem so white and pretty!”
“Mi know! Mi know!” Mary’s head nodded.
“Yuh so lucky,” Sarah groused good naturedly. “It look like yuh get de best looking boy in here.”
“Yes, Mi know! Mi know!” Mary chortled. Sarah laughed too.
“So wha, mi affi go hang roun yuh fi de res a de night? Yuh an Myrtle?” Sarah pouted.
“Yuh can hang roun wid mi, if yuh want,” Mary said, smilingly. “Jus nuh stay too close in case im k-”
“Hush! Im a come!” Sarah hissed.
The sisters released hands and hid their childishness. “Thank you,” they said in unison. “We were quite parched.”
Archie smiled and sipped from his frosted glass, one hand stuck in his pocket. “You always talk so?”
“How do you mean?” Mary asked innocently while Sarah choked on her punch. Archie regarded her with a raised eyebrow.
“Yuh know whe mi mean…”
“Because we received the proper instruction on how to speak properly,” Myrtle injected snidely. “Didn’t you?”
“Proper instruction?” Archie took another sip and turned to face her. Ronald was nowhere in sight. “Proper instruction pon mannas to?”
Myrtle’s lips thinned. “Ronald’s looking for you. Something do with the band.” She waved him and the topic off and turned slightly toward her sisters, which was tantamount to a doors slam. Sarah watched the smile tug at the corner of Archies’ mouth before he bowed slightly and walked away.
“I don’t know why Ronald brought him along!” Myrtle snapped, tapping a stray curl of Sarah’s into place. “Obviously, he’s not in the same class as we’re!”
Mary laughed gently. “What’s wrong Myr? Who bothered you?”
“Yuh jus jealous,” Sarah said mildly, undaunted by the sudden narrowness of Myrtle’s eyes. “Im nice looking, and dress good – a wha dat Ronny a wear by de way? – an im say whe mi always a say: dis ‘speaking properly’ business a pere foolynish!”
“You better watch your mouth!” Myrtle gritted. “Mama should never have let you come. When I was your age, I couldn’t go to a party. Now-a-days pickney, oonuu nuh have no mannas.”
“Oooh,” Sarah taunted. “Now-a-days pickney? A when since yuh tun Mama? ‘Oonuu? Mannas? Yuh sure say dat shouldn be ‘oonuus’? And ‘Merners’?
Myrtle was swift and before Sarah could react, her eyes had already begun to tear. She rubbed her arm where her sister had just applied a swift hard pinch.
“If you don’t start behaving yourself, I’m going to get Ronald to take you home, do you understand me?”
Sarah rubbed her arm and stared defiantly at her sister, but she said nothing. Mary tugged lightly at Myrtle, “Come on Myr. Let’s go get some punch. We look too nice to be hanging around arguing over nothing. Come on Sarah,” she put an arm around her younger sister. “Let’s go have some fun!”
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