Calm in the Storm

It is the time of the month when I join Natalia from In the Writer's Closet  for Write and Link #3. If you've been reading, Natalia gives us a phrase to incorporate into a short story.  We post on our blog, and link to her Write and Link portal. I hope you enjoy.  I'm loving exercising the creative side of my brain, and hope you find this worthy of a short amount of your reading time.  The phrase for July is...It was one of those endless summer days...

Calm in the Storm

It was one of those endless summer days that you thought would last forever when you were a child. For Kara, watching her nearly grown kids, Kyle and Courtney play like children in the water at her parents lake home, she thought wistfully of her own childhood and teen years. Mom would keep the Koolaid pitcher full, but with the decades gone by, and the fear of adding to a generation of childhood obesity, she convinced her mom that plain water would be just as appreciated. Brent, the college boy, was bound to have a beer or two tucked somewhere to access later,  didn't go for the sugary drinks and soda either. It was one of many debates Kara had with her mother that summer. Not really debates, but Kara doing something or saying something, and getting a contrary response or reaction from her mother. Funny how you can be a wife and mother for more than 25 years, and still be talked to with the same words and tone as when you were 16.

Still, she loved the time at this retreat. Even though now it was maybe one or two weeks a summer, she made the most of it.  This year was much like many others, but of course, with the passing of her dad, could never be the same. Suddenly a loud boisterous voice broke up the reverence. Her brother Jim had arrived with all his thunder. Following him was Allison, his quiet as a mouse wife, his teenage daughter, Jenny, and twelve year old son Jack, bringing up the rear with  backpacks and coolers. The calm Kara was feeling was coming to an end. Jim made the rounds, hugs to his mother, sister, and niece, and handshakes with as much vigor as a campaigning politician to the guys. He slapped Kara's husband on the back, did the same to Brent and shouted to his wife, "Hon, break out a few cold ones." 

Jim came into the world 6 years after Kara, like a hurricane, storming day and night.  Kara, being a quiet child, never grew accustomed to the bigger than life  younger brother that had invaded her calm world. Suddenly the mom who used to adore her, had to pay double duty attention to a colicky baby, then overactive toddler,  moving on to dote on the captain of all he was involved in school kid. His proficiency for commanding  a group meant mom was the main worker bee, organizing all the other parents. Over time, it was as if Kara had disappeared, so when she graduated high school, and selected a college, she went as far away as she could and came home only as necessary.

Summers though, she was happy to hole up at the cabin.  She had a job at the local ice cream place and earned enough for her spending money, along with the campus work study job, so she never was asking for money outside of help with tuition and room and board. If it was too rainy to be outside, she found nooks and crannies with books.  When she met Paul, studying for his PhD in anthropology, even the summer visits became fewer, and shorter. They lived as nomads for a few years, moving wherever Paul's research took him.  Eventually they settled out east near where he grew up. After they got married, she got a tidy little job for a nonprofit academic publisher; Paul was on the tenure track at the University. Five years later, Brent was born, followed by Kyle and Courtney after another 5 years. At 48, Kara still lived her calm life. With the kids older, she and the kids often travelled with Paul on research trips, or when Paul's parents could stay, she'd go alone with him. She never asked her parents to stay with the kids. In fact, they only visited three times, when Brent, and then the twins were born, and Brent's graduation.

Jim still was the center of his world, with Allison keeping an immaculate home, tending to their immaculate children, and hostessing for his weekly poker and pool parties. Jenny and Jack excelled at everything, at least according to Kara's mom who gave thoroughly detailed accounts of her grandchildren on every phone call. Even if she asked about her kids, undoubtedly something she shared would remind her of a precious story about Jim's kids when they were young, and tales of academic and athletic prowess as they got older. "The family prodigies, just like their dad," her mom would say. The God forsaken Christmas letters made her cringe each year.  Kara was asked to write up her own family's paragraph, and would keep it short and sweet. When her copy would come, Jim's section read like the Who's who of society.

It may have been the age difference, though Kara always knew it was more than that. It wasn't quite jealousy, because overall, she just didn't care enough about the things that Jim was always excelling in, and was content with her life. She just was tired of the indifference, her parents, particularly  her mother, seemed to show. It came as a surprise when a few hours after lunch, Jim grabbed a canoe and asked Kara to paddle out onto the lake with him.

They made small talk while paddling until they reached a little island sand bar towards one end of the lake.  "Let's pull in here for a bit," Jim said.  They wandered around and then sat on a rock.  Jim had  put a couple beers in his cargo pants pocket and handed her one, and popped his. After a big gulp, he looked at her and broke down in tears. Not knowing what to do or say, and assuming it was vented up grief from the loss of their dad nearly a year earlier, she tried to console him. "I know, Jim. This will be a hard first summer without dad.  We all miss him."

He looked at her with a bit of surprise, and then nodded.  "Yes, yes, of course. It doesn't feel the same. "  He grabbed a corner of his shirt and wiped his eyes. "It's all gone, Kara.  All of it." Kara remembered her mother telling her about a big deal Jim was involved in, that was going to make him the first family millionaire. "The house is in foreclosure-we couldn't get a bite on it this last year. We've tapped into all our savings, our retirement, the kids college accounts, just to keep food in our mouths." The words just spilled out. "When we have to be out, we'll be moving here until we can figure out what's next. I'm so ashamed. What would dad think of me? What do you think of me?" She knew her dad had given a substantial stake in the business venture before he died. Jim's words continued to spill until he was spent.

Kara's heart sank for her brother. Despite the emotional and relational gap, he was still her brother, and these were her niece and nephew being impacted. They would have to leave their affluent suburban school and attend the local small town, grade 7-12 secondary school in the nearby town. Gone would be life as they have always known it.  Allison had already found a job in a bank in town, and was already commuting for her training.  Until Jim could get some employment, any employment,  she would be the bread winner. Jim  said she was tougher than he ever gave her credit for.

Kara gave him a hug. "This is just a temporary set back. You can regroup-start again. Don't you know you're the family prodigy." Jim took a deep breath, and she could see a weight being released from his chest. They got back to the cabin in time for afternoon snacks and cocktails.  Paul and Allison were laughing together in the kitchen, mixing up a big pitcher of Margarita's. Their mom gave them a look, and a faint smile. She must have known what the canoe ride was for.  She came over and whispered in Kara's ear, "He is so lucky to have a sister like you. The calm in the storm."