SMALL WORLD

It is too hot to walk far, try to find Alice in Wonderland prancing around in her heavy dress and wig. Maggie is crabby. She wants everything, stomps her foot if I say ‘No’. And she is smart, too. ‘Daddy, I want an ice cream cone, strawberry. I’ll give you a kiss.’ ‘Next time we come to an ice cream store, we’ll stop. Just wait.’ My eyes roll around in my head. My tongue clicks at Marty. Even if it was snowing, I’d still be hot. He disgusts me when he stands between Maggie and me. I’m always the loser and he gets the kisses.

‘How about going inside, take a ride?’ Maggie is ready. ‘After Daddy gets me a cherry ice cream cone.’ ‘Maggie, you said you wanted strawberry.’ ‘I changed my mind. Mom, can I have cherry? ‘No you can’t and not strawberry either. We’re going to stop for lunch at the first place that looks nice and isn’t too crowded. Isn’t that right? Daddy?’ Marty keeps quiet, takes Maggie’s hand and leaves me cussing a blue streak.

‘Right there, Guys. It’s wonderfully cool. The temp is set very low and I am thrilled. We easily find a cleaned table. ‘Mom, I have to make. Take me.’ My little girl is like a pointer, she can find the ladies’ room anywhere, any time by herself. This day she is after my goat. As long as I am there, as much as I don’t want to, I might as well use this place. Foolish Marty has a bowl of hot chicken broth ready for Maggie.‘Daddy, it’s too hot for soup, you eat it. Get me a chocolate milk shake and peanut butter crackers. Marty offers me the soup that is now almost cold and I accidentally knock it off the table.

I’m about ready to pop them both when in walks a former neighbor of ours. ‘What a small world,’ we say together. ‘Tagging along with Jayne are her 10 year old twins. They are polite, sit quietly, speak when spoken to and eat what is put before them.

My little imp is standing, ready to look for the Magic Castle and tries to pull me off my chair. ‘Zel, I’m sorry but Maggie has antsy pantsies. We have to go!’

‘Mom, Daddy, I want a Minnie Mouse hat. Please, please.’ ‘No, you can’t have it. It costs too much and you’ll lose it before we get home. Let’s all go into the next cool place we find.’ Maggie still nagged which made the vision of Zel’s well behaved children seem like god’s intervention. ‘No, hat and that is that!’ She looks longingly at her father, who turns his back on her. I won the bout.

The long rumbling electric cart stops. The three of us get in the first cart. All the rest fill and we go clanking into a small, small world. ‘Look, Maggie, look at that adorable little girl. Can you sing with all the children? I’ll sing with you, ‘It’s a small, small world.’ That’s all I know so I sing it over and over. Maggie points, ‘I want her, that one in the blue dress. I want her to take home.’ ‘Sorry, all the small ones live here in these houses. When we are all asleep tonight, they will come to life. They will eat dinner, play games and watch the Disney Channel. They will sing about their small world too. They don’t want to go away.’

The problem is settled until the ride ends and we go back into the heat. ‘Daddy, take me into the small world again, one more time, please.’‘Darling, I can’t leave Mommy out in the hot sun while we are cool inside. Let’s go and I’ll buy you the Minnie Mouse hat.’ I kick my husband hard in his shin. He lets out a yell, takes Maggie by the hand and disappears into the small world.

Under a tree on the other side of the path I find the edge of a bench available and sit there restlessly for 30 minutes. Marty has Maggie over his shoulder. She’s asleep. The sun is setting. A warm breeze swirls dust and rain clouds form. Maggie wakes and we start to run to the parking lot. An anaconda snake line waits to leave. The AC saves our lives. Maggie falls asleep on the back seat, never hears the rain, the thunder.

Our Sleeping Beauty looks like an angel. Her Minnie Mouse hat, with one ear broken off, is laying on the floor. There is strawberry, or maybe cherry, melted ice cream on her sleeve. Her panties are wet but there seems to be a small smile on her lips.

Marty and I hold hands. He looks at me. I look at him. Marty says ‘Didn’t we have fun, Bess?’ He must be out of hs mind but I don’t want to spoil the moment, his pipe dream. ‘Sure did, Honey.’