Post by obsession on Nov 25, 2005 16:34:43 GMT -5
Ruthie didn't understand.
She was sitting at the kitchen table, her hands neatly folded in front of her. Simon, Lucy and Mary were seated around her eating ice cream and talking loudly so Ruthie couldn't hear their parents upstairs but she could make out most of it. She stared down at her ice cream, trying to block out her sibling's voices and only hear her parents.
Ruthie knew they were talking about Matt, and from the tension in the air, she knew it wasn't a good thing. The word she didn't understand that her parents had used was homicide. It was bad, but what exactly was it?
She heard her father's faint voice. "He's going to jail Annie!"
And then her mother's sobbing. "We can win! Eric, I know we can win!"
Ruthie felt like she had just poured ice cream really fast down her back. Her eyes widened. She was only eight (that was pretty big anyway), but she understood perfectly well what jail was. It was a place where they took bad people and locked them in cells with bars and they could never, ever escape. No one ever saw them again.
Ruthie licked her lips, and looked around the table. Had her siblings heard too? They were silent. Mary's spoon was frozen almost to her lips; Lucy was frowning, and her eyes looked misty; Simon stuck out his jaw, trying to be manly.
Ruthie looked to her oldest sibling for help. "Mary?"
"Eat your ice cream, sweetie."
Ruthie ignored that. "Is Matt going to jail?"
Mary's lower lip trembled and she glanced at Lucy. Ruthie watched as her emotional sister buried her head in her arms and began to cry. Ruthie frowned, while Mary patted her sister's arm. "Of course not, Ruthie."
"He wasn't even bad!" cried Ruthie, taking her arm away from Mary's hand. "I know mommy said never to give me piggy back rides up the stairs, but he never dropped me! Not even once!"
Mary smiled weakly. "I know that."
"He's my favorite! They can't take him away, they just can't!"
Lucy looked up, her eyes swollen and puffy. Ruthie had seen her sister sad, even crying, but never like this. "Ruthie, he is going to jail! Don't you get it? You're just a little kid, I guess though, can't even tell when your own sister's lying to you." She turned and glared at Mary. "When she never sees Matt again, you'll regret saying that!" With that she got up and stomped out of the room.
...never sees Matt again...
"But..." Ruthie said softly. "He's my favorite."
"I can't take this!" said Mary sharply, rising. "You deal with her Simon." She pounded up the stairs, and Ruthie winced at her door slamming.
Ruthie looked at Simon, who had remained quiet, eating his ice cream. Simon finally looked up, and smiled. "It'll be okay Ruthie."
"No. They said Matt's going to jail."
Simon opened his mouth, paused, and then dug into his pocket and pulled out a rusted penny. He placed it on the table. "Look Ruthie."
"It's just a stupid penny," sighed Ruthie.
Simon shook his head. "No, it's not. It's..." he paused again, and then said, "It's a magic penny."
"I don't care. I want Matt."
Simon muttered something and then picked up the penny, gently running his fingers the edges. "So, you don't want to make a wish?"
"Huh?"
"Well, that's what the magic penny is. You get one wish, and only one."
"Why me? Don't you want to?" But Ruthie was curious now, and studied the regular old penny.
"No way," Simon said firmly. "I saved this just for you."
Ruthie smiled. "Really?"
"Yep. But before you make your wish, whisper it in my ear."
Ruthie knew exactly what to wish for. So she leaned towards Simon's ear and said, "I wish that Matt doesn't go to jail."
Simon shook his head. "I forgot. It can't be about anyone else. Just you."
"That's not fair! I want Matt to come home!"
"Now come on, there has to be something just you want."
Ruthie had to think about that. She knew her parents were still talking, but right then she didn't care. "The only thing I want is for Matt to come home." She glanced up at Simon, who looked tired and somehow older. "But I can't do that, right?"
"Right."
"Okay." Ruthie bit her lip. She looked again to Simon, and she thought she understood. "Hey, Simon."
"What?"
"If a person can only wish about themselves, what good is a magic penny?" Ruthie picked up the penny, and walked towards the garbage. She held it over the garbage, hesitated, and looked over her shoulder to her older brother. "Can I?"
"If that's what you want."
She let it go.
She was sitting at the kitchen table, her hands neatly folded in front of her. Simon, Lucy and Mary were seated around her eating ice cream and talking loudly so Ruthie couldn't hear their parents upstairs but she could make out most of it. She stared down at her ice cream, trying to block out her sibling's voices and only hear her parents.
Ruthie knew they were talking about Matt, and from the tension in the air, she knew it wasn't a good thing. The word she didn't understand that her parents had used was homicide. It was bad, but what exactly was it?
She heard her father's faint voice. "He's going to jail Annie!"
And then her mother's sobbing. "We can win! Eric, I know we can win!"
Ruthie felt like she had just poured ice cream really fast down her back. Her eyes widened. She was only eight (that was pretty big anyway), but she understood perfectly well what jail was. It was a place where they took bad people and locked them in cells with bars and they could never, ever escape. No one ever saw them again.
Ruthie licked her lips, and looked around the table. Had her siblings heard too? They were silent. Mary's spoon was frozen almost to her lips; Lucy was frowning, and her eyes looked misty; Simon stuck out his jaw, trying to be manly.
Ruthie looked to her oldest sibling for help. "Mary?"
"Eat your ice cream, sweetie."
Ruthie ignored that. "Is Matt going to jail?"
Mary's lower lip trembled and she glanced at Lucy. Ruthie watched as her emotional sister buried her head in her arms and began to cry. Ruthie frowned, while Mary patted her sister's arm. "Of course not, Ruthie."
"He wasn't even bad!" cried Ruthie, taking her arm away from Mary's hand. "I know mommy said never to give me piggy back rides up the stairs, but he never dropped me! Not even once!"
Mary smiled weakly. "I know that."
"He's my favorite! They can't take him away, they just can't!"
Lucy looked up, her eyes swollen and puffy. Ruthie had seen her sister sad, even crying, but never like this. "Ruthie, he is going to jail! Don't you get it? You're just a little kid, I guess though, can't even tell when your own sister's lying to you." She turned and glared at Mary. "When she never sees Matt again, you'll regret saying that!" With that she got up and stomped out of the room.
...never sees Matt again...
"But..." Ruthie said softly. "He's my favorite."
"I can't take this!" said Mary sharply, rising. "You deal with her Simon." She pounded up the stairs, and Ruthie winced at her door slamming.
Ruthie looked at Simon, who had remained quiet, eating his ice cream. Simon finally looked up, and smiled. "It'll be okay Ruthie."
"No. They said Matt's going to jail."
Simon opened his mouth, paused, and then dug into his pocket and pulled out a rusted penny. He placed it on the table. "Look Ruthie."
"It's just a stupid penny," sighed Ruthie.
Simon shook his head. "No, it's not. It's..." he paused again, and then said, "It's a magic penny."
"I don't care. I want Matt."
Simon muttered something and then picked up the penny, gently running his fingers the edges. "So, you don't want to make a wish?"
"Huh?"
"Well, that's what the magic penny is. You get one wish, and only one."
"Why me? Don't you want to?" But Ruthie was curious now, and studied the regular old penny.
"No way," Simon said firmly. "I saved this just for you."
Ruthie smiled. "Really?"
"Yep. But before you make your wish, whisper it in my ear."
Ruthie knew exactly what to wish for. So she leaned towards Simon's ear and said, "I wish that Matt doesn't go to jail."
Simon shook his head. "I forgot. It can't be about anyone else. Just you."
"That's not fair! I want Matt to come home!"
"Now come on, there has to be something just you want."
Ruthie had to think about that. She knew her parents were still talking, but right then she didn't care. "The only thing I want is for Matt to come home." She glanced up at Simon, who looked tired and somehow older. "But I can't do that, right?"
"Right."
"Okay." Ruthie bit her lip. She looked again to Simon, and she thought she understood. "Hey, Simon."
"What?"
"If a person can only wish about themselves, what good is a magic penny?" Ruthie picked up the penny, and walked towards the garbage. She held it over the garbage, hesitated, and looked over her shoulder to her older brother. "Can I?"
"If that's what you want."
She let it go.