The Door
Written by: Collette Cottingham; Consciously Woman
The door to upstairs swung open, “Colleen, Bobby is on the phone for you.” Mom slammed the door shut, shaking the upstairs.
“I don’t want to talk to him, tell him I am not home.”
The door to the upstairs swung open. “Colleen I will not lie for you.”
The door slams shut shaking the upstairs.
My mother, so proper; she makes me nuts. “Fine,” I said as I ran out the back door into the yard. I cut through the Johnson’s yard and ended up on the next block. “Now you are not lying, Mother.”
“Bobby, she just ran out the door, can I take a message?”
As I circled the block I lit a cigarette to take the edge off. My mother makes me nuts. She badgers me morning, noon, and night. I can’t do anything right even though I am passing all my classes, I have a job, and I am home every night.
“Colleen, are you smoking?”
“No mom, these are candy cigarettes.”
“Don’t patronize me young lady, now get inside.”
“No.”
“Colleen, I am not discussing this outside,” whispering, “the neighbors.”
Of course mom worries about the neighbors. Wouldn’t want the neighbors to see us fight or acknowledge the fact your sixteen year old daughter smokes. I took one last puff and extinguished the cigarette. I ran in the house and opened the door to the upstairs. I bolted up the stairs and into my room.
“John, do you know what your daughter is doing?”
“No.”
“Smoking in broad daylight for the neighbors to see.” Mother opened the door to the upstairs and screamed, “I am not supporting your habit.” She slammed the door so hard the whole upstairs shook.
She quickly opened the door back up,”You will pay for your filthy habit. You understand young lady?” The door slammed again with more shaking.
“Yes, mother.”
The next day while walking home from school I stopped by the hardware store and bought a hook lock. My thoughts wandered to how mother totally freaked out when she saw my cigarettes. She isn’t going to let this go! She needs to take a chill pill. I wonder if they sell those in the hardware store.
I returned home to peace and quiet. Yes, no one was home! I opened the door to the upstairs and saw cigarettes on the steps. On top of the cigarettes was a roll of cash. And a note from Dad, “Don’t tell your mother.” Ah, I love my dad.
I began my homework. I heard mom’s voice downstairs, “Colleen, are you home.”
“Yes.”
I could hear mother reach for the upstairs door handle, but the door wouldn’t open. The hook lock worked like a charm. The best two dollars I ever spent. Yet when the door failed to open I felt the upstairs shake.
