Story version 4

Just Another Day -- version 4: If you could read this copy and make suggestions, I would really appreciate it. Uggghhhh -- I don't know if I am cut out for writing stories. Maybe I should stick to what I know. Thanks for reading and commenting.


The snow pounded down. Normally Jane and her children loved snow, but this was more of a snow storm, not the gentle fluff they were used to. It matched her mood. Jane Chesney looked like any other suburban housewife, but she wasn’t, or at least she thought she wasn’t. She was suffering from depression, and a host of old ghost-like issues had recently risen up and led to her giving up her job as an inner-city school teacher. She had thought that she would be able to find another job immediately, but hadn’t counted on her depression kicking into high gear. She was in daily, which made jobs hard to find.
So here they were, at Christmas, with just some stocking stuffers for her boys, a storm raging outside that mirrored the one inside her. “Damn, I just wish that I was strong enough to handle things better, to handle life. I can’t seem to get myself together. Shoot, even when I do pull it together for a while, it doesn’t take long before I start to unravel again.”
Hey Mom!” Joel barreled around the corner. “I’m hungry; what’s for dinner?”
The realities of motherhood snapped Jane out of her thought process. “Well, we can either have sloppy joes and fries, burgers and fries, or Hamburger Helper and fries. What…”
“Ewww -- can’t we have something else besides that nasty ground beef and those cheap fries? I am tired of them. When are we going to go grocery shopping?”
Snapping back, Jane snorted, “When I get another job or it starts raining money.”
The crestfallen look on Joel’s face was enough to make her want to eat her words. “I am sorry hon. I didn’t mean to sound ugly. I am tired of the same old, same old too. I am just trying to stretch the money as far as I can. I can’t afford to have anything go to waste and we had this stuff in the freezer. Dad gets paid this week, and I will go shopping. Can we not do this right now, please?”
Joel took a long look at his mom. He saw tired blue half moons under her eyes. He knew that she suffered from mental illness; he just wished they could have a break. He looked out the window at the snow already piled up over a foot deep on the driveway. “Mom, I am sorry. I know you are trying. Let’s make sloppy joes -- come on, I’ll help.”
They walked together through the house. Looking around, Jane never quite felt settled in the house, although they had lived there for almost ten years now. It was squat and looked like a cracker box on end. Not a yummy box of Keebler crackers, but a plain old box of saltines. Nothing pretty or unusual, just a cracker box. It was decorated with cast off and hand me downs, just like the rest of Jane’s life. Even her name was plain. Perhaps that was part of her issues -- that she was to never be happy with anything, that everything always felt and burdensome. Even her family that she loved so much felt that way at times. Like now, when they had to have ground beef for the fifth day in a row -- there is only so much you can go with ground meat.
At 6” tall, Joel looked much older than his 14 years. Sometimes he showed his old soul too. He really was a good kid. Jane watched him as he browned the ground beef at the stove, gathering all of the things he needed for the sloppy joes in between stirs.
”AAAARRRRRRROOOOO!”
“Get it boy!” said seven year old John barreled through the kitchen following Buddy, his big coon hound, closely. “I’ll bet Dad’s home!” John was built like a football player, and acted like a line backer -- he never moved slowly, always rushing headlong into whatever was happening next. This event just happened to be the arrival of Dad; it was cause for celebration every day when he came home
He was loved by his family, that was for sure. He came stomping in. “Brrr, it is cold out there!” John and Buddy both flung themselves on David. “Hey guys, can’t you let me at least get in the door? John, you are never going to learn that if you fling, Buddy flings! Remember that we are trying to teach him calm, submissive -- not knock someone down?”
“Oh yeah, but Dad I just had to get here first to tell you that there is a canned food drive at school for the, for the -- uhhh -- oh yea, for the less fortunate, and the winning class gets out of homework for one whole week! Do we have cans I can take in? Do we?”
“I’m sure we can find something. Now let me go put my briefcase down so I can give your mother a big sloppy kiss.”
“EEEWWWW!”
Jane took it all in. It was a great picture, and she didn’t understand why it didn’t make her happy. It should. She had things that many people never get. A home, a family, and a husband who was good. Good to her, good to the boys, good to everyone.
“Hi honey, how was your day?”
Making his way through boys and dogs across the house to the kitchen, David walked over to Jane and kissed her. “I had a great day, how about you?”
Jane looked around her -- at her family, at her house, and realized that she had everything she wanted right here. “I had an OK day. Dinner is almost ready. Why don’t you go change?”
Wanting to be what her family needed, Jane worked hard at getting her depressive episode in check. She knew that she needed to get back to work, but therapy was going so well right now. She was watching David with the children, and suddenly realized that he was exceptionally happy looking tonight. Her brain kicked into overdrive, and old worries began to surface.
“Didn’t you hear me Mom? I asked you how therapy went today. Are you OK?” The look on David’s face changed from happy to worry in a flash.
“I’m sorry. I did hear you. Therapy went really well. I really like the group leader, and I am learning things about myself and how my brain works. So, Jane paused for a moment while she watched the worry drain from her David’s face, “You said that your day went very well, anything interesting?”
David just smiled mysteriously. “Oh nothing really. I’m gonna go change.”
Just then, Joel said to his mom, “Sloppy Joes are ready, are the fries? And, can John set the table? I mean, I cooked and all, and he knows how to do it.”
“Kay, hey Johnny, can you set the table for mommy? I will help you.”
John came into the kitchen with Buddy, whose tail was wagging as briskly as a whisk broom in a busy hand, trotting behind. “Sure mom, you gonna pay me?”
Laughing, Jane answered, Pay you in what? Kisses? I sure don’t have any money!”
Just then David walked back into the kitchen. Leaning down to scratch Buddy behind the ears, he said casually, “I got a promotion today.”
“You what?” Jane squealed!
“I got a promotion,” he paused dramatically, “and a raise! A huge raise, a $10,000 raise, and a bonus!”
“Oh my gosh! I can’t believe it! Right before Christmas! Did you say a $10,000 raise?”
I did,” David said proudly. If that isn’t good enough for you, ask me how much my bonus is!” Before anyone could even get the question out, David blurted out, “Equal to my raise! Do you realize how many bills we can pay off?” Beaming like the Christmas lights that decorated their house, David hugged his family close.”
Jane realized then that she was going to be OK. She would always be affected by her depression, but she had a loving, supportive family, and she would continue fighting the good fight.

End