ARR 1988 - Flipbook - Page 23
"Give me one for my baby and one more for the road."
While the hot, muggy summer wore on, Mary B. took Ophelia-Joy out
with her often on her trips to the park because, she reasoned, plants like a
change of air as much as people do, even if the air in the park was not much
better than in her apartment.
If on occasion Ophelia-Joy seemed to droop a bit and look worn out,
Mary B. would attribute it to the fact that the plant was again in labor, and .
in due time the plant would come forth with tender leaflets that burst out on
the now strong green stalks and made it look like a prize plant from an
expensive nursery. Each new leaf was greeted and proudly shown off to
everyone in the park and the customers at Angelo's, who continued to ply her
with free beers. She reveled in the attention and it reminded her of the days
when she used to take her darlin' son to the park to be admired.
As summer gave up its smoggy grip and fall began to set in with cooler
weather, some of the regulars disappeared from the park. At Angelo's a few
of the customers started to get a bit weary of buying Mary B's beer and some
ofthem taunted her a little and made teasing remarks when she came in with
Ophelia-Joy. This hurt her feelings a lot as she had thought it was all in good
fun and wasn't prepared to be greeted with things like, "Here's the crazy lady
with her drunk plant." Or, "Here's the nutty plant lady with her beerdrinking pet. Let's see it pee on the bar." She didn't think things like that
were called for but didn't say anything, of course. She just smiled and went
through her act.
But her attitude toward them began to change and she didn't enjoy it
as much anymore and she began to notice that Ophelia-Joy was looking a bit
droopy in the mornings and didn't seem as perky as before. Then Angelo
began to act unfriendly toward her and one night said curtly, "You gotta stop
that damn plant from peeing on my bar 'cause it's beginning to leave a stain."
The next morning she had a long talk with Ophelia-Joy and explained
why it would be better if she went out alone from now on.
"But don't worry, darlin'," she added brightly. "111 rush home every
evening and we'll have our own beer,just like we used to. We don't have to
depend on those grumps for free ones."
It was shortly after that on a chilly fall evening when she was hurrying
home at dusk and had almost made it into the safety ofher building that the
ever-dreaded happened. She was searching for her front door key when the
mugger ran up the steps and grabbed for her purse. She wrestled with him
and held on to her purse which contained her last five dollars, but he was
young and strong and finally got it away from her. When she saw that he
actually was going to leave with her purse, she was so angry that she jumped
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