The Pheasant's Eye Or Melodrama Part 5

The Pheasant's Eye or Melodrama Part 5

Chapter 8:

            When Mildred came home, after everyone else, she found her mother on the couch reading a book that wasn’t the Bible. The privilege of being the minister’s wife was too great to be overthrown by ‘God’s word’. She was, by far, one of the most radical persons of the church’s followers. One of the philosophies of the occult was to not socialize with the outside crowd, a rule she never followed.  She had just finishing a letter for an out-of-town friend as Mildred had left earlier. 

            She looked up, and asked, “What’s wrong, Mildred?” while putting her book down and moving over to make room for her daughter.

            “It’s nothing,”

            “Really?” she asked, concerned.

            “Mother, what can you do to stop something when you have no power?”

            “Let the wind take it, things will fall into place. History has shown time and again that if you meddle with something, it will usually fall apart.”

            “Thank you, mother,” said Mildred gratefully, and she ran off to go to bed, wondering where the wind would take her.

            After Mildred had gone off to bed, Margaret looked to Gladys, the maid, and said, “Will you get my coat please, Gladys.”

            “Yes ma’am.” She went to retrieve the coat.

            When Gladys came back with the coat, she helped Margaret into it. “Gladys, I’ll be back in an hour. Evelyn invited me to her house after Wednesday service for a duck her husband shot.”

            “Yes ma’am, I will tell your husband when he gets back.”

            “Thank you, Gladys. You’re a huge help,” and she left.

            A few minutes later, Bob came home with Kathy.

            “Gladys, get some wine from the cellar,” demanded Bob.

            “But sir…” she hesitated; she felt very loyal to Margaret.

            “Now!”

            “Yes, sir,” sighed Gladys. What else could she do?

            After coming back with a bottle of Rhubarb wine, Bob ordered her, “Gladys, pour.” After she poured, “Gladys, go to bed.”

            “Yes sir,” but instead she disobeyed. She spied on the conversation through the keyhole of the dining room.

            “Oh, Kathy, I love you!” said Bob enthusiastically, deeply in love.

            “Oh, darling!” said Kathy. “You are like the wind beneath me. Let us run away and get married.”

            “Gee, I’d like to, but…”

            “But what?” asked Kathy sitting up on the table, taking her arm from around his shoulders. “You think I’m the forbidden fruit of the Garden of Eden, don’t you?”

            “No, I do not. My love for you is like a thousand nightingales, singing in the breeze.”

            Kathy had to really work to restrain her laughter, but she was (fortunately?) distracted by a door slam. “Who’s that?” she asked with alarm.

            “My wife! You better get out! Until the ‘morrow, my darling,” he said passionately.

            After she was out of the door, Kathy snickered. “Idiot! I have that fool under my thumb now.”

            Bob scampered off to bed, throwing the rhubarb wine under the cupboard so his wife would not discover it.

            Meanwhile, Margaret and Gladys were talking in the entryway.  “Gladys, could you help me get my coat off?” asked Margaret.

            “Yes ma’am. Oh, may I tell you something?” whispered Gladys.

            “Yes, of course you may.”

            “We’ll have to go somewhere more private, though…”

Chapter 9:

“Bob,” said Margaret as she was walking into her husband’s office. 

“During the sermon you were looking at Kathy with longing eyes.”

“So? During my sermon I always look at everyone. It's to bring the message of God to those poor souls.” said Bob trying to cover up the facts so his wife would leave him alone.

“Don't lie to me! Tell me the truth; are you dating Kathy right now?”

“No, I'm not! What makes you think that?”

“Bob, everyone knows! You shouldn't lie; you obviously do love Kathy.”

“Give me an example.”

“Well, when she ever talks to you, you gaze at her… like she is the joy of your life,” Margaret said, wistfully.

“That doesn't make any sense. You can't just judge an expression!”

“How come when I got home last Saturday, she was at our house? You never told me that you were having dinner with her.”

“I told you; you probably weren't even listening to me,” said Bob, trying to act pitiful.

“I always listen to you, and I want your relationship with Kathy to END! Do you know how sinful it is to have a spouse and love someone else? That is considered adultery.”

“I know about sin like the back of my hand, you know nothing about sin. Look at the way you lived before you met me. You were wild and uncontrolled.”

“At least I'm not a…a…HYPOCRITE!” shouted Margaret, her face turning red with anger and jealousy.

“You just don't know what Kathy has that you don't,” Bob said, nastily.  Bob had finally given up on hiding his affair with Kathy.

“Youth?” Margaret answered sarcastically.

            Bob was shocked. Although he had been married to his wife for many years, he had always misjudged her cleverness.” You’ve never loved me! You, you...!”

“I've always cared for you, but you seem to have better things to do than practicing what you preach,” said Margaret.  She was calm now, and a little sad.

“I've always practiced what I've preached,” said Bob trying to think up a comeback. “Thou shall not kill!” exclaimed Bob with a burst of confidence.     

“Oh, and you think God is going to let you get away with that?” There was a long silence. “I thought so.  I demand a divorce! I am tired of all your silly stories.”

            “A divorce, huh,” chuckled Bob, not taking his wife very seriously.

            “Yeah, when I first met you, I had it made: a good job, a faithful boyfriend. And then I met you. You really won me over.  You convinced me to come to this…this awful place…and I’ve hardly been happy since. Except for Mildred: she is my hope in this dark world. And now whenever I send my family cards, they never answer me back because they haven’t forgiven me.”

            “You must not have a very good family.”

            “Actually, I don’t blame my family for not forgiving me,” said Margaret wistfully, “I left when my grandmother was dying from cancer, I felt restrained, bossed around, and I felt like more of a burden to my family…”

“Sorry,” said Bob without pity in his voice, “we are not getting a divorce. God will never allow that!” said Bob shaking his head. “You are committing a thousand sins at once.”

“I think God would sympathize with my not wanting to be with a DISHONEST man.” Her sadness had vanished and once again turned to anger.

“There will be no divorce. My reputation will be spoiled! I could be impeached.” Bob was desperate and afraid of losing his power.

“Well then I'm leavin' so your reputation WON’T be ‘spoiled’!”

“You'll come back. You always have,” said Bob, doubting Margaret would ever leave.

“No, Bob,” said Margaret, with tears in her eyes. “I am serious this time.”

What are your favorite song?

My favorite songs? I have many in no particular order. There are many more, but this is a short list.

Animal-Ke$ha

The Harold Song-Ke$ha

Who You Are- Jessie J

Domino- Jessie J

I Bring a Love Song- Hammerstein/Romberg

One Alone- Romberg

You're Always in My Arms- Tierny/McCarthy

If You're in Love You'll Waltz-Tierny/McCarthy

I Want to be Bad- DeSylvia/Brown/Henderson

Song of the Dawn-Yellen/Alger

Singing in the Bathtub-Cleary/Magidson/Washington

Pingo-Pongo-Dubin/Burke

Tip Toe Thru Tulips-Dubin/Burke

We Two-Kalman/Strothart/Harbach/Hammerstein

Old Man River-Kern/Hammerstein

Meet Madam- Stohart/Grey

My favorite flower! It is due to bloom soon. It is one of the last daffodils to bloom.

Songs From Rio Rita- Part 7 Following the Sun Around

I had very little guidance to go upon. The only recording of the song comes from the Vitaphone Disk and naturally, some of the words get dropped. 

Intro:

I wander along,

Under a cloudy sky.

Always in wrong,

Wrong as I thought was wise,

Never has anything happened,

The way I'd choose.

Maybe we all have dreams that we say we lose.

But each darling my heart I won't say goodbye.

To prove that glimpse of heaven on earth,

I'll always save:

Chorus

I'll spend my days,

Chasing after sunshine,

Someday one ray may steal through.

Can't change my ways,

Always hoping sometime,

Someone else may learn to care as I do.

There's only one beneath the sun that I'd ever found.

If she would smile on me awhile,

it change things all around until then...

I'll spend my days,

Chasing after sunshine,

Following the sun around.

Here's Ke$ha. More amazing then ever. I wish she would release another album.

The Pheasant's Eye or Melodrama Part 4

Chapter 6:

             I love my sisters, but they can talk about the most boring stuff, thought Gladys while she walked. She was heading for the home of her eldest sister, Victoria, to have supper. All her sisters were great spinsters and knew almost everything about the citizens in the town (although they didn’t tell God). They were known in town as the Elstree girls. 

            When she arrived, her elder sister, Mary, demanded, “Where have you been? The food’s gonna get spoiled,” Mary was old and frail, but had lots of energy (something her husband had found out the hard way).

            “I was walking,” answered Gladys calmly.  She was quite used to the constant nagging of her sisters. Five older sisters were enough to beat up someone’s patience. Gladys used to have six sisters, but the sister closest to her in age, Theodora, had died.  Yes, that was all the past now.

            “Well I’m older than you, and I can manage to arrive twenty minutes early. Don’t you roll your eyes at me!” until all her older siblings were dead, she would still have her own fair share of (thought to be) parents.

            The food was simple, but that’s not why Gladys was here. Before her mother had died, she had told Gladys to keep her sisters from starting any trouble.

            “Did you hear about Yvonne?” asked Theresa, leaning over to dish the gossip, that little scoop of pleasure that the sisters (with the exception of Gladys) had made their joy of their existence.

            But she was interrupted. “Oh, who cares about her.  But now listen to this,” said Gloria while elbowing in. Of course, Gladys wasn’t tuned in, instead staring out the window, watching the leaves fall, waiting for the clock to chime the hour of eight so she could leave.

            “Humph,” sulked Theresa.

            “May I resume?” asked Gloria. “Thanks. Anyways, Bob…”

            Oh! Gladys had to hear this. She turned with a start and interrupted her sister again.

            “Oh, even you’re interested then?  Well, you know that new girl, Kathy?” asked Gloria making an excellent introduction, while everyone nodded their heads yes. “Well, I saw her…and Bob…kissing!”

            “Oh my,” whispered everyone, including Gladys.

            “What should we do,” asked Victoria. “How did you find this out, though?”

            “Theresa told me,” answered Gloria.

            “But you said you saw her,”

            “Well, Theresa told me though,” answered Gloria.

            “Don’t you think that maybe Theresa wanted to share it?” asked Victoria in a condescending tone. “Gosh, Gloria.”

            “She never said anything…” defended Gloria.

            “Yeah, Gloria,” said Mary, ganging up on her sister with Victoria.

            “Mary?”

            “What?”

            “Shut up,” answered Victoria, while she pretended her hand was a mouth and mimed shutting it.

            “Victoria! Mary! Stop it!”  Celia, who was the oldest, demanded. 

            “Gee, thanks Vicki!” pouted Mary to her sister Victoria. “You got us in trouble.”

            But her sisters ignored her. “You know what we should do,” commanded Celia, who had been mostly silent until now, “We should tell someone in the family, it’s not our affair, you know and there is nothing we can do it.”

            Now Mary, who had recovered relatively quickly got back into the conversation, “He is the minister, you know, we wouldn’t want to spoil his reputation, I’m sure that that ugly blonde,” (referring to Kathy), “had a hypnotic trance on him, and he can’t help. It’ll take his family to save him,”

            “She must be right!” exclaimed Gladys. Of course, her sisters had forgotten about Gladys until now.

            “For once,” muttered Gloria under her breath; she was ignored.

            “Well, what do you think we should do Gladys, since you are closer to that family?” asked Victoria.

            “Well, the daughter, Mildred, we should tell her,” answered Gladys, blushing at the sudden attention and deference from all her sisters. “She’s responsible and thoughtful.”

            “Wouldn’t we want to tell Margaret?” asked Celia, frowning. “She is the wife, you know.”

            “I understand, but younger people think about these things different; they’re much bolder.”

            A sense of excitement spread through the room as they looked at each other, deciding who should be the bearer of bad news.

            “Let me tell her!” screeched Gloria.

            “No, Gloria, you always are dishing out stuff! Let me do it,” demanded Mary, standing out of her chair.

            “This is not a question of dishing out stuff, this is our moral duty,” answered Celia. “Personally, I think Mildred knows us all very well and we are like her mothers, but Theresa is most distant from her. And, you know, people don’t like getting advice from people better known to them, it is human nature.”

            “I agree with Celia,” said Victoria as if making a decision. “Theresa will tell her tomorrow.”

Chapter 7:

            On Wednesday nights, the town held a long meeting, which ended with the town finding out who would be deemed a 'heretic' and thrown out of town. It was uncommon for someone to be accused of heinous crimes such as adultery, or rape, or murder, but a very common crime was being deemed a radical. These people included people who were in favor of equal rights for women, instead of the double standard; allowing same sex marriages; or cherishing evolution instead of the six-day creation.  Some were guilty of ridiculous chatter or goofing off in church.  A few accidentally recited a Bible verse wrong, changing the meaning.  The case tonight would be very memorable.

            Mildred was walking to the church with Theresa, one of the Estree girls.  “Millie, your father…” started Theresa.  Mildred and Theresa were carrying bread to the Wednesday night meeting.

            “What, Theresa?” asked Mildred shortly, forgetting that Theresa was one of her elders.

            “I was a'walkin' home last night and you wouldn't've believed what I saw, you probably wouldn't even care,” said Theresa, trying to get Mildred more interested.

            “You can tell me, Theresa,” said Mildred, half-interested, as she was walking over the treacherous gravel road to the church.

            “Well, I was walking home, and I saw that new girl… What’s her name?”

            “What does she look like?”

            “She’s tall, and her hair is an awful color of blonde.”

            “Oh. That’d be Kathy.” Kathy’s dyed-blonde hair had made quite the statement in the town.

            “Well she was at the back of the church, near the pile where we dump our scraps.” Theresa lived right next to the church in the upstairs-level of a very old and rickety building.

            “And you’ll never guess who she was with. Their arms wrapped around each other.” And this is when Theresa leaned forward to tell of Kathy’s Jezebel like qualities. Like her sisters, she too was a spinster. “It was your father!” she whispered excitedly. She rocked on her feet with excitement, for the town could get dreary.

            All her calm drained away. “Kathy? Unbelievable, just unbelievable,” said Mildred as she stormed off. Kathy had betrayed her, even after she had told her that her father was off limits. “There’s nothing I can do about it,” she said to herself. “It’d be different if mother was to run off with someone else. That’s it, I’m going to talk to Kathy, after the meeting, and if she doesn’t consent to stop, I’ll throw her in the scrap heap.”

            “Mildred, wait up, my legs aren’t what they used to be!” yelled Theresa to Mildred off in the distance. After Theresa had finally caught up with Mildred, she finally said, “Let’s sit and we’ll talk.” She tried to muster up a motherly voice.

            “I don’t want to talk about it. Honestly, I don’t care,” lied Mildred.

            “Honestly, you do care,” she said pointedly. 

            “Fine, it does bother me,” insisted Mildred, “But let’s get this bread to the church before it gets cold,” said Mildred, hoping that Theresa would drop the subject. The walk to the church was silent, except for the clopping of their shoes and the leaves falling; there were very few leaves on the trees now.

                                                            .   .   .   .   .   .

            Later, at the church, the program was in full swing.

            “Why did you cheat on your husband?” Bob asked a middle aged woman named Yvonne while he was standing in front of the podium, as the judge. The seats where the choir sang were the jury, made up by older men, no women, and the audience sat in the pews.

            “The only reason I did it was,” said Yvonne taking out a handkerchief, “He was cheating on me, with Frances,” yelled Yvonne pointing out to the audience.

            “Frances, please come up to the stand,” said Bob. When she got up their Bob said, “Were you ever with Yvonne’s husband?”

            “No, I was not,” denied Frances.

            “Yes you were,” yelled Yvonne, shaking her finger at Frances. “I was walking into my home, and I saw my husband with her in his arms.”

            Silence fell over the room.

            “John, please come up to the stand,” said Bob. “Were you committing adultery, breaking one of the Ten Commandments?”

            “No I was not. My wife was drunk that night.”

            “I was not dru…” yelled Yvonne, before getting cut off by Bob.

            “You will get your turn to talk!” shouted Bob to Yvonne.

            “I was helping her,” said John, making things up as he went. “I helped her put her coat back on.”

            “Why were you helping her put her coat back on?” asked Yvonne, cross-examining John, her husband.

            There was a long period of silence, not even Bob had told Yvonne to be quiet. Yvonne was grinning because she had thought she won her testimony.

            “She was umm…” said John, snapping his finger trying to think up something.

            Now Frances, who had no part in this argument, finally invented a response for John. “I was bringing back the needles Yvonne loaned me.”

            “I never loaned you needles…” denied Frances.

            “You did, too. Two years ago. I forgot to bring them back.”

            “I have a question, for Yvonne” said one of the mock jury members, a short man with thinning hair. “Who were you cheating on John with?”

            “Bill, the old bachelor who walks through our town everyday,” admitted Yvonne. “He seemed like such a nice man, and it would teach him a lesson,” said Yvonne pointing to John.

            “So you used sin to teach someone a lesson,” said Bob.

            “Well…” pondered Yvonne.

            “Case closed. I order you to leave our church, you are an endangerment to others,” said Bob, dishing out his punishment to Yvonne.

            “But, I’ve lived here for my whole life. I’ve been good for this community,” pleaded Yvonne. “I’m a Sunday School Teacher!”

            “You were, but you will only poison our youth with your bucket of sin,” yelled Bob. “Now leave this community before you poison the rest of us. Now.”

            Yvonne calmly stood up, walked to the door, trying to hold back her tears.

            “Next case,” said Bob, as if the banishment of Yvonne had only been a dream.

            All through the three other cases that would follow that one, nobody said a word and afterwards proceeded to the potluck.

.  .  .  . .

            “Kathy, may I see you for a minute?” motioned Mildred.

            “Why?” demanded Kathy, sneering.

            “Please meet me outside, now.”

            “Fine, but don’t…” She was cut off, as Mildred ran outside to meet her match.

            When they were outside, Kathy asked, “What do you want, anyways?”

            “I want you to stop your business with my father!” insisted Mildred. “He already has a family; and I don’t need you to spoil his reputation.”

            “He is mine, and you can’t take him away! Do you think I want to be here?”

            “Well…” pondered Mildred.

            “No!” refused Kathy. “He’s my ticket to freedom. One day, I’m gonna blow this dump.  I can convince him to steal all the money this town has; he’ll do it for me.  And if he won’t, I know where he keeps it.”

            “You have no right to use my father!” declared Mildred.

            “You little hypocrite! I know your game,”

            “What do you mean?” asked Mildred, caught off guard.

            “I know that there are sparks flying between you and Karen; it’s so obvious.”

            “How would you know?”

            “I might be a lot of things, but I’m not stupid. Except for just about everyone here, anybody in his right mind could tell that you two are together.”

            “You Jezebel!”

            “Don’t you think it’s also his fault that he accepted my invitation of flirtation? Is it always a woman’s fault for what a man does?”

            Mildred was speechless.  She’d never considered things that way before.

            The tables turned on Mildred for Kathy had found her weak spot. “I’m not the only sinner. “If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them, Leviticus 20:13.”

            “How would you know that?”

            “Being dragged to church for the past 19 years…and boy, will it pay off here! You better keep quiet about me stealing your father, or else I’ll tell every one about your ‘abomination’, as Leviticus would call it.”

            Mildred wandered off. The urge to throw Kathy in the scrap pile was gone. Oh, how helpless she felt! It was like being sucked into a whirlpool with nothing to hold on to. How long would she have before everyone found out her secret?