Issue 16
Toss
Cheryl Chambers
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Losing the Laundry
I don't know why every time I flip the laundry I lose a member of my family. And just this afternoon it happened again when I threw my load of darks into the dryer. That's when my phone rang.
I ran upstairs from the basement laundry room. "Hello?" Answering the phone
out of breath makes me nervous; who knows what this person might think.
"Mom?"
"Yes, Luanne?" I crossed my fingers because when you have as many children
as I do sometimes they start to sound the same.
"Bill has asked me to marry him!"
"Oh, honey. That's wonderful news."
"Is Daddy home?"
"No, dear, he's still at work."
"Well, I've gotta go but I'll be home for dinner and then we'll talk more."
"Goodbye, sweetheart."
After I hung up the phone I tossed my head back, resigned to my last loss. All four of my now married children decided to wed while I washed their clothes. And now Luanne did the same thing. I folded the last pair of size eight jeans and small t shirt, smoothed the collar, and cried for the last time.
~Cheryl Chambers
Cheryl Chambers is a writer and teacher in Buffalo, New York. Email.
© 2004 by Cheryl Chambers. All Rights Reserved.
© Copyright 2004 by Cayuse Press. All Rights Reserved.