Arsenic Lobster
poetry journal |
Issue Thirteen Spring 2007 |
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Good China Brandi Homan My ex-future-mother-in-law used to be a cop, but when she retired she started selling antiques on eBay. Soon, there was a whole “inventory” in her basement, with stainless steel shelves and everything. She’d show us her loot after estate sales. * Once I noticed she had a set of china like my mother’s. The good china, the kind we only brought out for holidays or if we were expecting the President or something. It was white with little blue flowers and had silver around the edges. * My ex-future-mother-in-law pointed to the china and said how beautiful it was, her favorite of the china she’d seen. I smiled and told her my mother had the same set, that she had bought it piece by piece at Hy-Vee, our grocery store, as a part of an on-going promotion. * Well, she said, it’s my favorite of the china I’ve seen. She smiled funny, and I knew she’d give it to me for Christmas. * She gave it to me for Christmas, 10 settings. Dinner plates, salad plates, bread plates, teacups, and saucers. Plus 10 little bowls I don’t even know how to use. My mother didn’t have those bowls. * I was so happy about my new china that I told my mother about it. I didn’t tell her about the bowls, though. She didn’t have any. * Well, she said, if I’d have known you wanted china, you could have had the set that’s in the attic, the one from your grandfather. It was gray with little pink flowers and gold around the edges. He’d bought it piece by piece at gas stations as part of an on-going promotion. * My mother didn’t understand that I was excited about our matching china. I don’t understand why and spend a lot of time thinking about it. * I love my mother but sometimes I don’t like her. I don’t understand why. I spend a lot of time thinking about it. |
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About Brandi Homan |