What I Did on My Summer Vacation, by Mary (1)

Chapter 1

Mary awoke looking at her hand.

The stars shone. The moon gleamed, a slivered crescent above the trees. Sammy had rolled back the tarp so early summer air could drift into the treehouse. Mary looked past her hand at the stars. Sammy breathed noisily nearby, ensconced inside his sleeping bag. The air and the starlight dragged Mary into sleep.

-

'Are you going to go camping with them?'

Her mother's voice drifted into Mary's bedroom. Her voice was quiet. Mary barely heard it. Mary walked into the kitchen and leaned in the arch that separated the kitchen from the living room.

'Yeah.'

'Well, alright. Marianne's coming over in a minute. Help me make some coffee, please.'

Mary went to the percolator and removed the old filter. Her mother's eau de toilette hovered in the air like anticipation. Summer vacation just began.

Two dark spoonfuls dropped into the white filter. Water flowed into the mounds. Brown drops dropped into the pot.

Her mother's scalp shone in the morning light. Mary sat across from her at the table in the living room. Light, ribbed through the blinds, crossed the table. Mary slowly ate Fruity Pebbles. She saw her hand on the table. She picked up the pepperpot. She turned it around in her hand watching the undulating ligaments under her soft childskin.

There was a knock at the door. Mary walked over and opened it. It was Miss Marianne Jones and she was wearing a yellow summer dress. She had a smile and an overnight bag.

'Hi, everybody.'

Miss Marianne Jones walked over and kissed Mrs. Phan on the cheek. Mrs. Phan smiled to see her.

'So you're camping after all, Mary.'

Mary looked shyly at Marianne. 'Yeah.'

'That'll be fun.' Marianne nodded towards Mrs. Phan. 'I'll make sure your mom stays out of trouble.'

Mrs. Phan scoffed. 'Don't worry, Mary. I'll give her hell.'

-

Mary watched the Ozark forest stream past. A deciduous screen interspersed with pine and cedar. The sun burned hot over the mountains. Mary scratched under her plastic flower headband and tried to focus on not throwing up. The adults were quiet in the front seat. Sarah was next to Mary in the backseat listening to an iPod. The radio had been turned off and there was only road noise. Road noise that covered what inherent silence must endure beneath sound.

'Mrs. Hendrix,' Mary said.

Mrs. Hendrix looked back at her from the passenger seat.

They pulled over. Mary stumbled into roadside grass and vomited a Fruity-Pebbled stream of bile. She knelt there for a few minutes. She dreaded each cave of her abdomen. She spat out the last of it and stood shakily. Mrs. Hendrix gave her a water bottle and a wetwipe.

'I'm sorry. I'm really sorry.'

'Don't worry, sweetie,' said Mrs. Hendrix. 'Lots of people get carsick.'

'Better out than in,' said Bart Hendrix from the driver's seat. 'Especially when we're talking about my Tahoe.'

'Bart,' chided Mrs. Hendrix.

Sarah rolled her eyes and raised her iPod volume. Mary shut the car door and leaned her wearied head against the window. The sun beat down through the window.