A Trip to Get Frozen Yogurt

            by Eileen Cullen

 

I felt the firm, smooth fabric under my bare foot as I lay, spread out on our living room sofa. I imagined myself as a mermaid, lying on a corral reef deep in the ocean waters. I spread out my hair as if it were long, red, locks, just like the mermaids in the movie. I bit my hangnail as I watched Michelle on "Full House" being wrapped in Danny Tanner’s arms. I loved this show. My brother would let me watch TV, even though my mom told us not to. I squeezed tight onto my “stuffy”, and nestled my head in close to my chest. I suddenly heard some stomping footsteps enter from the kitchen. My mom slurred out the words, "Do yoou want to get stome frowzen yoguurrrt? Lets go..." We often went to the frozen yogurt shop just a few blocks down from my house. I always got a mini vanilla with rainbow sprinkles. I didn’t notice my mom walking ahead of me as I pulled on my pink, Barbie sneakers. I yanked the heavy front door closed as I ran after my mom who had already reached the car.

"Mama, wait!" I yelled, running after her. I hopped into the front seat of our white Honda, panting for breath, as my mom waited for me, laughing.

"I’m right here, Ei!" her eyes were big and her head moved around in different directions. It was as if her neck were made of a noodle and her jaw was made of pudding. I looked at her strangely, then distracted myself with the thought of my rainbow sprinkles. I pulled on my seat belt but then felt my body smack the back of my seat in response to the jolt our car made in reverse. We went far back into the neighbor’s steep driveway, then sped fast back into our front garden. Half of our car went into the hedge and I looked back to see branches following our speeding car down the hills of El Cerrito.

Gripping my seat, I bit my lip as my white, Honda, family car drove down the streets as if we were being chased from a monster coming down from the sky. My head peeked over at my mom whose eyes seemed to be more concentrated on getting the heater to work than following the yellow road lines on the pavement.

We were almost at the frozen yogurt shop. I was so excited for my treat. I wondered what my mom would order? She would always get half vanilla flavored, half something different. But the something different was always a fruit flavor, like strawberry or boysenberry. But always half vanilla, half something different. I was set on my rainbow sprinkles. My thoughts were interrupted as I felt a bump on our car and again, I felt my body move from the friction of our Honda. I looked up to see us sitting at a red light, and a man get out of his car.

"Ohhhh shiiitttt," my mom said, chuckling. "Ei, would you get the... the...," her hand was flopping towards the glove box as her jaw that was made of pudding seemed to move more and more as if it were made of liquid. I reached far forward and opened the glove box, and jumped as my mom snatch out some papers. She got out of the still running car and approached the man in front of us. I saw them exchange papers, and I felt my eyes wander over to the frozen yogurt shop just a little ways away. When I looked up in front of me, I saw my mom doing a silly dance that could not keep her still, I caught the man’s eyes pointing straight at me. Feeling shy, I looked away. Finally my mom got back in the car, and punched a sharp left into the parking lot.

            She stopped immediately in front of the store, even though she was directly behind a parked car. My mom threw her wallet at me and I felt myself hold in tears in reaction to her harsh gesture. I crept out of the car and slowly walked into the store, as if I was a new puppy that was scared to get his treat. I peeked up to the counter on my tiptoes, and saw my breath on the glass covering in front. I heard a woman’s voice call down to me from behind the counter, and I asked what their flavors were. I ran back to my mom to tell her they had her favorite, strawberry cheesecake.  But once my foot stepped out the door, I felt my footsteps move in slow motion.

            A woman was tapping on my mom’s car window, “Mam! Mam! Wake up!” Tap tap tap on the car window. “I need to move my car!!” Tap tap tap. I looked past the woman and into the car where my mom lay, noodle neck bent over, liquid jaw wide open. She had no response to the woman tapping on the window and sat there like a big blob of frozen yogurt.

            I walked closer to the car. “She’s fine,” I said to the woman. The woman suddenly turned around and her face turned from anger to concern. “That’s my mom, she’s fine, I’ll go wake her up,” I told the lady confidently as I walked over to the passenger door. She said nothing back to me as her hand was still in mid motion of knocking on my mom’s window.

            I nudged my mom. She moved but flopped back to her sloppy position.

"Mama, wake up! They have strawberry cheesecake…." I poked her face. Suddenly, her eyes opened and I was startled at the droopy skin beneath them that I had never noticed before.

Her mouth could barely move, but she was able to say,  "Go call Angie. Tell her to," she stopped to breathe. "To come… pick you up.. you'd like thaaat, right, pummmpkin?…" she looked at me. I quickly got out of the car and looked around. The sun was starting to set and I felt the cold, foggy air wrap around my body. I ran to the sidewalk of San Pablo and found a pay phone in front of a run-down Chinese restaurant. It reminded me of the episode of "Full House" when Michelle lost Comet and was running around the streets of San Francisco looking for him alone. If Michelle can do it, so can I. I opened my mom's big black wallet and pulled out some coins. 555-4752. I was taught to memorize my aunt and uncles phone number immediately after I had learned how to use the phone. Beep….beep… beep… it was busy. I pushed down the receiver and collected my change. Immediately I put the change back in. Again, I punched in, 555-4752. Beep….beep… beep… I clicked down the receiver again and I heard the cars wizz past me. I reached to put back in more change. Beep….beep… beep…

Finally, I ran back down the sidewalk to tell my mom that my cousin's phone line had been busy. I reached the parking lot and saw an ambulance and three police cars. I felt the blue and red lights absorb my skin but I heard nothing. The lights were so beautiful and I felt as if I was the star of a circus and it was my turn to perform. My fantasy was interrupted by the image of my mom being lifted up on a bed with wheels into the back of an ambulance.

"Mommy!" I screamed and ran towards her. I suddenly felt a firm grip on my shoulder and a warm face from above me creep down to my level. A man with olive skin, green eyes, and a stubble chin was barely two inches away from my face. I noticed his shiny badge and the big buckles on his uniform. My reaction was to pull away but my body was held in place tightly, so I stopped trying.

"Is this your mother?" the man asked me. I looked at him then back to the ambulance; I could see my mom’s feet disappearing into the back doors. I felt a squeeze on my shoulder, again.

"Is that your mother?" the police officer asked me firmly. I nervously nodded my head yes and suddenly was being led into the back seat of the police officers car.

Being in the back seat of the police officer's car was sort of like being in the back seat of a taxicab. But instead of a plastic divider between the back and front seat of the car, the cop car had a metal fence-like separator.

I looked out the window and thought about my mommy. Was she more comfortable than I was? Why wasn’t I in the car with her? Why did I have to be alone? Do they know that I’m her daughter? I wonder what she is thinkin’ about. I suddenly remembered the weekend we shared a couple weeks ago. Our trip to the city was spectacular. I'd only been in a cab once; my mom took my brother and I to San Francisco to watch the Christmas tree light up.  Early that Saturday morning, I ran into my brother’s room and jumped on his bed. I was so excited because not only did I love Christmas, but also I got to see Santa! He groaned at me and I didn’t even question the fact of why sixteen-year-olds needed so much sleep. My mom helped me get dressed in my red, velvet pants and my long sleeve shirt that had little snow men dancing all over it. I remember she did my hair with a matching red bow, as she did every morning along with a soft kiss on my cheek. We all piled into the taxi and I was sitting smack in the middle. I held my mom's warm hand and played with her ring (an activity that had become second nature to me) while resting my head on her shoulder. My brother eventually cracked a smile, and I felt a sudden warmth grasp my whole body. I looked up at my mom, "I'm going to see Santa!" She smiled in a way that reminded me of a Queen, she was more beautiful than any lady near or far.

"We sure are, pumpkin!" she responded in equal excitement.

"I love you mommy," I said as I rested my head back on her shoulder and felt a kiss planted on the top of my head.

 

            But this car ride was different. The cop car started to slow down and we were pulling into a parking spot. I tried to look ahead through the cage wall, but all I could see were the two cops in the front seat. I reached for the door handle but realized there was none. The seat I was sitting on was hard and cold. I felt I had no way of getting out. Suddenly, I was scared and clutched my fists together, tighter and tighter. Finally, the car came to a stop and a police officer opened my door. I looked out to see the same man and his green sparkling eyes looking directly at me.

            “Alright, little lady,” he said to me, while reaching his hand to help me out of the car. “We’re going to go inside here now, so follow us.” I followed the policeman and a second police woman through the hospital doors. I stayed behind, feeling a little bit  unsure. I walked in and suddenly felt the bright, neon lights press down upon me. I slowed down for a moment as my eyes adjusted to the dramatic change in lighting. My heart began to jump and I felt chills all over my body. My eyes filled up like an ocean of tears and I breathed harder and faster. I became scared and lost. It was a hospital I had never been to before. I looked around me and saw no mom. No big brother. No babysitter. Just two cops who looked like they were from a movie. I began to shake more and my face was beginning to become wet from my silent tears. We entered the waiting room, and a woman at a desk peeked her head out and looked at me.

"Well, hello, darling!" She practically yelled. Her big cheeks perked out and her red lipstick had smudged slightly on her front tooth. She had big gold earrings and a gaudy gold cross that hung around her neck. Her hair was set perfectly and I became fascinated in the ringlets that crunched together like glue. The two police officers were suddenly a few feet away, but I didn't mind. I liked this lady better, anyway.

 "So," she said, finishing her muffin and walking around the counter to my side. "We have to make some phone calls!" I looked at her, not saying a word. Phone calls? To who? The woman held my hand. It grasped onto mine like a huge grizzly bear, except it was soft and warm and made me want to squeeze back. I was behind the counter at her desk and suddenly felt like a grown up looking out at everyone from this point of view.

"Do you know your dad's phone number?" The women asked me as she brushed the crumbs off her desk and took a long sip of juice. I shook my head no in response to her question. I wasn't sure I had ever even called my dad, in fact.

"Hmm," the woman smiled. She suddenly leaned in close, "I don't know my daddy's phone number neither," and winked at me softly. I suddenly felt better and felt a grin appear on my face.

"Wait!" I told the woman. "I know a phone number! Jenna's!" Jenna was my best friend from my second grade class. The woman handed me the receiver and positioned the phone in my reach. I dialed Jenna's phone number, an activity that had become quite frequent during the year. We discussed all topics during our nightly phone calls, including our crushes in Mrs. McKnight's class and the new Spice Girl song that we heard on "Z 95.7". She finally answered, and her Mom talked to the lady from behind the counter.

I walked over to the abandoned chairs just to the side of the lady's desk. I picked the seat against the wall, the one with the best view of the entrance. I looked down on the shiny, white, floor and saw the light's reflection bounce back as my Barbie sneakers dangled down from the chair. I looked over to the women behind the desk; she was talking to a tall man who had no hair and was wearing a long white jacket. They then looked at me and I quickly returned to studying the tiles on the floor. I listened as I counted the speckles of color on the white linoleum, “Mr. Rodney, from Kaiser in Oakland, must have prescribed her the wrong type of antibiotic last week,” the man in the white jacket told me newfound friend.

“Well, will she be okay, doc’?” the receptionist questioned. “What happens in situations such as these?”

“She’ll be fine,” he began to search through papers in his file and then looked up at the clock. “We got the meds out of her system, and now she’ll just rest over night.” The receptionist nodded her head in response. “And what about the little one?”

“She was with Mrs. Cullen,” the receptionist answered.

            “It is a blessing that the mom didn’t get herself in trouble,” the doctor said, shaking his head. “and it’s a miracle that her daughter is safe, too.” The doctor in the white coat walked away with his files and turned a quick left down the hall.

I felt suddenly alone and my mom jumped into my thoughts. Where was she? What room is she in? Is she awake? Can I go with her? Why am I out here if I could be inside with my mom?

I then stood up and began to search. "Mom? Mommy?" I yelled louder and louder. "Teresa?" I thought she might respond to her name, since maybe she didn’t know it was me yelling "Mommy". My heart started to race and I then felt myself being picked up all at once. I turned around and it was Jenna's dad. “Ready to come over, kid?” Jenna’s dad said to me. I looked past him and saw Jenna, with two ice cream cones and a smile.

                                               

*          *          *

 

"Girls!" I heard a voice call from what seemed like another world. I slowly opened my eyes and felt them burn from the sunlight pouring directly into my view. I opened my mouth and rubbed my eyes. I let out a long sigh and slowly turned over to Jenna. My body seemed to carry the weight of an elephant and it was a struggle to move. I woke up thirteen times during the night. I had counted. Jenna sat up in her big bed that we had shared many-a-sleepovers in and smiled as she put on her glasses.

"Come on," she told me. "My mom is making French toast." We stumbled out to the dining room. Jenna always had her French toast with powered sugar, but I liked mine with maple syrup. Jenna's mom handed me my own bottle of syrup and a big plate of French toast. It was my favorite (the way my mom made it for me was even better, though).

"So," Jenna's mom said, sitting down with her big cup of steaming coffee. "I just got off the phone, and we can go see your mom today, Eileen," she said turning to me. I dropped my fork.

"Let's go now!" I was so excited to go see her. I didn’t think I’d get to see her, I was just in the cop car last night. Today was Saturday, too, which meant it was pizza night. I had hoped I could be with her for our special routine.

 

            We walked to my mom’s hospital room. Room 225. “Wait here for one minute, girls,” Jenna’s mom said to us. We waited outside and I became scared. Jenna and I didn’t say a word. I was staring directly in front of me at a poster of a cartoon dog dressed up as a doctor. How silly. I wonder if my mom had a doctor. I remembered when I needed to go to the hospital for my broken arm and my mom rushed me in the middle of the night. I wonder if her room was the same as mine? All I remembered of my room was pink sheets.  They made me feel like a princess, in fact, my brother and I pretended my hospital room was my palace. They were beautiful “princess sheets” that I had wished were in my bed.

 Finally, Jenna’s mom came out. She leaned down to my eye view and said to me calmly, “Your mom is a little tired, and has to have some black goop on her teeth because of the medicine. So don’t be afraid if she looks a little goofy,” Jenna’s mom told me. I slowly walked into the room. My mom was lying on the bed and smiled at me. Her teeth looked like they had been painted black.

            “Hey, Ei!” she said to me. My Mommy smiled her same smile and talked like the mom I knew again.

            “Mommy!” I ran over to the bed and jumped up into her arms. Her room was plain, but her face was glowing. Her teeth had some black color on them, but I didn’t mind. She sort of looked like a clown. I felt her warm touch and felt her ring instantly inbetween my fingers. I peeked down to her bed mattress. The sheets were blue, not “Princess Pink”, but this was the most royal hug I had ever felt.