Hello and welcome to Brick Sandwich. This week's post is actually the first of a four part series. One installment per day for the next four days. I hope you enjoy the ride. I definitely had fun writing this piece!
Once upon a time there was an amazing, talented, beautiful girl with a mountain of potential named Meena Clayton. Instead of dreaming big and going after what she wanted in life, she coasted – through relationships, jobs, and everything else. Meena never even bothered getting a drivers license, getting used to the sights and sounds of buses, trains and when she felt like really splurging, cabs. She would tell anyone who would listen that she wanted so much more out of life, but never followed through on anything. She wasn’t bringing much to the table, so she didn’t have her pick of quality suitors. As with her life, when it came to men, she just dealt with what drifted in and was confused and hurt when they drifted right back out. She chalked it up to her “bad luck” with relationships. The misfortune also found its way into her job and money situation. Her loved ones would tell her often that she could do so much better. She paid them lip service, with the obligatory “I know, you’re right”, but nothing changed. This girl is now a 35 year old woman. The encouraging talks about her potential have long since stopped. She’s broke, angry, bitter and sick of all the damned teenagers on the bus. She’s also on her way to ask her elderly parents for a few bucks to float her until the end of the month.
Meena’s parents give her a couple hundred dollars. She promises to pay them back, but they know they’ll never see the money again…paying them back will put her right back in the hole. Meena rides the bus back to her barren apartment. She looks around at the second hand furniture and grimy walls and thinks to herself, “I gotta move out of this dump!” Her phone rings. It’s her best friend, Tanya. For the third time this week, Tanya’s calling to complain about her parents. She’s 35 too, but this is the 3rd time she’s moved back in with them in as many years. Tanya & Meena are in the same boat. After assuring Tanya for 20 minutes that she’ll move out again, this time for good, Meena prepares a microwave dinner and opens a can of beer. She falls asleep while watching TV.
A few minutes later, Meena wakes up to find a pair of big brown bespectacled eyes staring back at her. She lets out a scream, her mind races – no one else lives there. Wait a second, the eyes look familiar. Meena blinks a couple more times and realizes that it’s her Aunt Phyllis. This can’t be right, Aunt Phyllis has been dead for at least 10 years.
“Hey MeMe!”
“What the hell? Who are you?” Meena asks.
"You know who I am, MeMe – it’s Auntie Phyl!”
Meena’s parents give her a couple hundred dollars. She promises to pay them back, but they know they’ll never see the money again…paying them back will put her right back in the hole. Meena rides the bus back to her barren apartment. She looks around at the second hand furniture and grimy walls and thinks to herself, “I gotta move out of this dump!” Her phone rings. It’s her best friend, Tanya. For the third time this week, Tanya’s calling to complain about her parents. She’s 35 too, but this is the 3rd time she’s moved back in with them in as many years. Tanya & Meena are in the same boat. After assuring Tanya for 20 minutes that she’ll move out again, this time for good, Meena prepares a microwave dinner and opens a can of beer. She falls asleep while watching TV.
A few minutes later, Meena wakes up to find a pair of big brown bespectacled eyes staring back at her. She lets out a scream, her mind races – no one else lives there. Wait a second, the eyes look familiar. Meena blinks a couple more times and realizes that it’s her Aunt Phyllis. This can’t be right, Aunt Phyllis has been dead for at least 10 years.
“Hey MeMe!”
“What the hell? Who are you?” Meena asks.
"You know who I am, MeMe – it’s Auntie Phyl!”
“Wh..wh..why are you here? Oh no! Am I dead?”
“No, baby you’re not dead. But by the looks of this dump, you’re clearly just waiting to die.” Aunt Phyllis said dryly.
“What are you talking about? My style is eclectic chic!”
Auntie Phyl starts laughing hysterically and slaps her leg. “That’s the same type of bullshit I’d tell people when they talked about my place!”
“Auntie…” Meena starts.
Phyllis holds up her hand. “I don’t have time to talk about that right now, MeMe. I came back her to tell you that the way you’re livin’ is crap. It’s not right.”
“What are you talking about? I live on my own terms!” Meena protested.
“Look baby, I get it, I really do. I told myself the same thing. I know… you just need a chance, right? Things are going to turn around soon, right? NO! Not if you don’t do something about it. I died filled with regrets, MeMe. Trust me, it’s not a happy way to go. When you get really old and you can’t move around as well as before, you have a lot of time to just sit and think about your life. Do you know how incredibly depressing it is to have everything that flashes across your mind be an unending showcase of the chances you didn’t take, things you didn’t try – because you were afraid?”
“I’m not afraid.”
“Ok. Fine. Let’s go with that, for now. I’m just the preview anyway.” as she zips up her tangerine velour track suit.
“Preview? What are you talking about Auntie Phyl?”
“Tonight, you are going to be visited by three spirits – the spirits of Decisions Past, Decisions Present and Decisions Future.”
“I should have checked the expiration date on that Hungry Man dinner. I’m obviously delusional.” Meena mumbled to herself.
“Uh, sure…let’s go with that, for now.”
