Top of the World

The sun felt cool against Polly’s grey-black hair. She had stepped out to get her paper. Her neighborhood looked like the ideal family plan. The children played up and down her sidewalk. Pauline smiled at the kids racing by her.

“Slow down, you kids!” she shouted in vein. Their laughter drowned out her words. Polly only shook her head. Kids. Don’t they listen today? But yet, could she get mad at them? They only reminded her of the kids that she would never have. That opportunity already passed her by. Polly shook her head. Why worry about that now?

“POLLY!!!” a voice yelled. The old rich biddy almost jumped in her place. Clyde stood inches from her, grinning. Polly backed away, nervously.

“What are you doing here?!?” she almost shouted. Her “friend” giggled at her.

“You said be ‘ere early,” she replied.

“Well… yeah, but…” Polly said. The woman grinned at her.

“Well ‘ere I am!” Clyde said, turning around. Her friend turned away and tried to back away.

“Yeah, but not here!” Pauline cried. Clyde blinked.

“But why?” she asked. The other old woman looked around.

“Because!” she cried. “It’s my neighborhood!”

“So?”

Polly sighed aloud. “Never mind! Let’s go!” She stormed off out of her rich neighborhood. Clyde only shrugged and followed behind.

“Not too close!” Polly yelled. The raggedy old biddy just shrugged and slowly followed behind.

Muriel and Lewis waited outside of a candy store. The retiree turned to her friend.

“Lewis,” she said. The farmer glanced at her.

“What?” she asked. Muriel turned the cigarette in her mouth.

“When we die,” she said. “You think we can come back as animals?” Lewis gave her a heavy-confused look on her face.

“Say what?” she asked. The retiree shrugged at her.

“I don’t know,” she went on. “What if we don’t want to go away just yet?”

“How should I know?” Lewis asked. “Where do you even come up with these questions?”

Muriel shook her head. “Don’t know.”

“Unbelievable,” Lewis breathed out with her smoke.

“Oi!” someone yelled to them. Both old women looked up to see Polly and Clyde walking towards them. Their mates perked up at them.

“Hiya!” Muriel said. They all came close together.

“So are ‘e doin’ toda?” Clyde asked. There went another whack to the head with the purse.

“Ow!” Clyde wailed.

“Learn how to speak properly!” Pauline snapped. “Is that difficult?!?” Clyde stuck her tongue out at her friend. Muriel and Lewis forced smiles onto their faces.

“Well,” Lewis said. “I have to pick up a package today.”

“A package?” Polly asked.

“Aye,” the farmer replied. Clyde leaned in close.

“What kinda package?” she asked.

“Oh,” Lewis replied. “Just little something from my niece.” The other three ladies looked confused.

“Your niece?” Polly asked. It took them all a moment to get it. Suddenly, the lights came on.

“Oh!” Muriel said. “Your niece! Lovely girl. How is she?” Lewis forced herself to smile.

“The same as ever,” she mumbled.

“Oh…” the others mumbled.

William knocked on Liz’s bedroom door. “Liz! Come on! We have to go out today!” he shouted.

“Why?” a voice mumbled on the other side. “Where?”

“Fish market! It’s Friday, remember?” her uncle asked.

“So?” the older girl asked.

“They always have the best fish on Friday!” he yelled. “Let’s go. I’m not getting stuck with the lousy leftovers.” Liz sighed.

“Fine,” she grumbled. “I’m comin’. I’m comin’!” The door opened and Liz rolled her eyes. William kept a serious look on his face.

“Clover is already waiting in the living room,” he said. “Get going.” Liz shrugged him off.

“Yeah, yeah,” she said as she walked down the hall. Her uncle followed after her.

Brit-Wales post office. This place could be compared to a graveyard. No one really came here. Why would they? At age eighteen, most of the kids walked away. Those who came back, never left after that. For the old people, almost all of their friends already joined the quiet invisible. However, once in a while a package from the outside would come to the citizens. Usually, they came from the relatives on the outside. Lewis pushed off the glass door. She and the other old biddies peeked inside.

“Hello?” Lewis whispered. “Anyone here?” The man at the counter frowned at her.

“You do this all the time, lass,” he complained. The farmer shrugged at him.

“Hey,” she said. “I have to cheek these things, you know?” The post man rolled his eyes. Lewis and her friends smiled as they went inside. The farmer took a glance around her.

“Just opened up today, huh?” she asked.

“We always are,” he pushed.

“You have my package today?”

“As always.” He reached under the counter and pulled out a big box. “Here you go.” Lewis to the box to her side with the paperwork.

“Where do I sign?” she asked.

“Here, here, here, and here,” the post man said as he pointed to each spot with his pen.

“Alright,” the farmer woman said. Lewis got to signing and handed the paperwork back. “Have a nice day.”

“You too,” the post man said. Lewis turned to her friends.

“Ready to go?” she asked. They all blinked at her.

“Where?” Polly asked. The farmer shrugged.

“Anywhere,” she said. Isn’t that always the case?

Another trip to the library. The old biddies sat around in the reading room. Clyde peeked only out of the doorway. Polly sneered at her.

“Will you quit staring at the other room so?” she snapped.

“But look!” Clyde shouted.

“Must you be so loud?” Polly complained. But, she looked on with Lewis and Muriel. Mr. Brice and Mrs. Brown were at it again. He had his hands all over her waist. Her giggles could be heard from the other side of the library. Pauline shook her head.

“Disgusting,” she muttered.

“I actually feel sorry for the guy,” Muriel said. Her rich friend gave her a puzzled look.

“Why?” she asked. Muriel turned her head.

“Well, adultery will drive people crazy,” she said. “And Mr. Brice has a college degree and he’ll end up in the funny farm in a short few years.” Pauline pressed her lips together as she nodded.

“Ah,” she whispered. Clyde flagged the secret couple down.

“OI!” she yelled. “WE BLEEDIN’ SEE YA! GET A ROOM!” Mr. Brice and Mrs. Brown almost jumped and raced away. Clyde laughed as she walked back to join her friends. The other three looked at her. Pauline sneered at her.

“Must you be so common?” she asked. The old biddy only laughed louder. Polly only rolled her eyes.

“Unbelievable,” she mumbled.

So much fish. Liz and Clover looked over the many selections. Liz shuddered a little bit. Her younger sister glanced at her.

“What’s wrong?” she asked. Liz shook her head.

“Creepy,” she whispered.

“What?” Clover asked.

“Their eyes. I hate the way they stare at you.”

“That’s what they do.”

“I know. But it’s still creepy.”

Clover looked on at the fish. “Yeah. It does a bit.” Then, another thought crossed her mind. “Some people like to eat the fish with the heads still on.”

“Eww!”

“Yeah.”

“I don’t want to eat something that can watch as I eat it.” Liz glanced at her sister. “Do you think Uncle Bill likes to eat the fish with their heads on?”

Clover thought about that for a moment. “Don’t know.” They looked at William as he picked out what he wanted. Liz looked at her younger sister.

“I’m going in,” she whispered. Clover nodded once.

“Good luck,” she whispered. Liz looked up at William.

“Uncle Bill,” she spoke up. He waved her off.

“Not now, Liz,” he said. The girls waited for a little bit. After making the purchase, William turned back to his nieces.

“What do you want?” he asked. The girls shuffled a bit. Then, Liz stepped forward.

“Clover wanted to know do you like eating fish with the heads on?” she asked. The younger sister gave her an odd look on her face.

“Why are you dragging me into this?” she asked.

“What does it matter?” the older girl asked. “He’s going to answer, anyway!” Clover frowned at her. William’s face didn’t change.

“Sometimes,” he replied. The girls stared on at him.

“Sometimes?” Liz asked.

“Yeah,” William admitted. “Why?” The girls looked on in sick silence.

Lunchtime in the Sunny Plum Café. The old biddies sat at their usual table. Lewis kept looking over at the front counter.

“No sign of Annie and Tucker yet,” she said.

“Ya thank they dead?” Clyde asked. Polly whacked her on the head, but the old biddy shielded herself in a flash.

“Don’t say things like that!” the rich old lady hissed.

“Nah,” Lewis answered. “Too much of an effort.”

“How?” Muriel asked. The farmer shrugged.

“It just is,” she said. With that, Annie walked out to their table.

“There, you see?” Lewis asked. “Annie’s alive and well.”

“What was that?” the owner asked.

“Nothing! Just four teas,” Lewis replied. Annie wrote down their orders.

“Anything else?” she asked.

“The usual,” they all said. She wrote down their orders.

“I’ll have your orders out in a moment,” Annie replied. She walked back to the kitchen. They all watched her leave. Muriel shook her head.

“What’s the point of marriage?” she asked. Her friends all looked at her.

“Why do you say that?” Polly asked. The retiree shrugged.

“I’m divorced, Lewis is a widow, Annie’s miserable with her marriage, and Clyde’s husband left her,” she explained. Muriel paused and looked up at Polly.

“I can safely say that we all envy you, Polly,” she said. The rich old lady didn’t get it at first.

“Why?” she asked. “I still want to get married.” The other women looked at her.

“What?” Lewis asked.

“Please, don’t!” Muriel pleaded. Clyde laughed aloud.

“Like anyone would marry ‘er!” she said. “She’s got a stick up ‘er arse!” Polly gritted her teeth and sneered at her.

“What did you say, you grease monkey?!?” she snapped. Clyde laughed again, showing her crooked, dirty teeth. Pauline snorted as Lewis and Muriel gave her goofy, little grins. Everything toned down as Annie brought the lunch. As they ate, Pauline began to think about marriage again. Was it really as bad as Muriel, Lewis, Annie, and Clyde all made it out to me? Polly shook her head.

Nah, it’s not that bad. Could it?

Top of the World

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