On Growing Up - Part Two (Continued.)
Christmas break was a little longer this year, due to the way Christmas Day and New Year's Day fell.I had homework to do and was bored by it. Not only was it mostly review work - and a snap to do, too -but it wasn't easy to do alone. Merry was too sick to go out yet and I didn't want to go to her house with her father in residence. The Christensen parents had never formally gotten a divorce when he had walked out the first time - but both of them had suffered in their own way over the enforced separation, reconciling after Merry's illness. Now he was ensconced in the little house they lived in, with no sign of moving out in a hurry. Life was so unfair!
The drippiness of the sidewalks began to melt the frozen sleet. Papa went out and took advantage of the weakened winter sunshine and cleaned the sidewalks. I went out and helped him. Annie had gotten a snow shovel for Christmas and she tried to help, too, but all she did was dump snow in her boots because she hadn't fastened them closed before clumping out after us. Papa took the shovel away from her and ordered her back in the house "and take a bath to warm up your feet before you get frostbite."
Despite the cold and dampness, Annie burst into tears - right on the public sidewalk.
"Andrea Elizabeth - " Papa turned stern. " - do as you're told! I won't have you getting sick on me and Mama."
"B-But I w-wanna shovel, too!"
"You're NOT shoveling. You're just making a mess. Mari can help me.You go back in."
Annie ran to the back door and wrenched it open. She got inside, still sobbing hard, and wailing. "Ma-ma - Pa-pa's bein' MEAN to me!"
Papa closed the door behind her with a long, gusty sigh and leaned her wet miniature shovel against the wall of the house. He resumed his task. I stood where I was, my own shovel cutting a groove in the slop alongside the path he was cutting.
Papa looked up and saw my frozen state. "Mari - what are you doing, child? Come and help me get this stuff up before it freezes over again.I can't wait until spring comes. I am so eternally sick of snow, it's not funny - "
He bent even harder to his task again. I resumed my work beside him.
(To be continued.)
