Marlorana Monologue

“What story would you like to hear today, Chloe” asked Grandma Chica as Chloe walked into the house.

“I’d never do that,” Shay said with a giggle then added, “Now give me some sugar.”

"Let your father finish those. We’ll make it a mother daughter day. How about that?" Annie suggested beaming broadly.

My Grandma Mary was sitting there in the car, waiting for me. I quickly walked over to the car, opened up the backdoor, and put my stuff inside the car, and shut the door. I opened up the front door, got in, and shut the door. “Well hello. How was your day?” my grandma

“She learned it from me.” He smiled, procuring a shiny, silver flask. The glare that’s waiting for him when he gets down off the chair was historic, some of her best work, and made him snort a

I laughed. "I just stuffed everything I had into the suitcase and bag. Unlike you," I said.

“We do when you came up with that idea.” A black man yells from across the room. The voice starts again “you all need to work together if you want to escape. You have all been injected with a slow acting but deadly poison. There is a stool with an envelope in the middle of the room. Before I go you all have more in common than you think.”

“It’s so good to see young people taking time out of their day to help those in need,” she said, prompting a smile from me. She introduced herself, her name was Betty, and gave me a little hug. Definitely “everyone’s grandma”.

Madam saw a look of unease flash across Alex’s face before disappearing a mask of indifference and it tugged at her heart-strings. She didn’t understand then and she couldn’t understand now, why someone would essentially throw their child away.

“Mommy, why are we here? What’s going on?” She didn't answer for a while. I think she didn't know how to sugarcoat it well enough for her innocent, six-year-old daughter.

“There’s grandpa’s diner and motel,” She said parking in the lot between the two buildings. Getting out of her car Ruth noticed an empty building across the street. “That the old auto parts store where Grandpa worked.” She was amazed the abandoned building looked exactly as he had described it. When she entered the empty diner, the bells hanging on the doorknob made a noise alerting the waitress. “Good morning, you can sit anywhere you chose.” A fortyish year old woman said as she came through the swinging door carrying a towel, which she threw under the counter. “I am Maxine, but you can call me Max.”

By the time we got there it was already 1:00 a.m., and we left from home a day ago. My Tia Rosa opened the door crying. “I'm so sorry!” She sobbed my my Great Grandma Isabel, my uncle’s mother, in Spanish and hugged her. I rushed to my cousin Eli’s room and leaped on her,

“Ah, yes, come with me, dear,” the woman said, taking Marilyn’s elbow and leading her away. Marilyn wondered where she was going.

“Grandma.” I said, facing the kitchen doorway... No response. “Grandma!” I yelled this time, making sure she could hear me. “I’m going out. Remember how I was talking about that new pizza joint down on Stillwell Avenue? I heard it’s pretty amazing so I’m going to go get a pie from there.”

“Yeah, that’s it man now give her her shit.” Dominic sternly ordered as he handed D a twenty and dismissed him away from them once Dominic confiscated the weed. “Now why the fuck you not at the party and out here?” His breath was short and sharp as he tighten his jaws, daring her to say something smart.