Penniless Souls

Chapter 4

Chapter 4Lani sneezed, wiped her eyes and said, “I can't stand being allergic to everything.”

“You're not allergic to everything,” her mother admonished tenderly. “It's just pet dander and cat hair. Your aunt Bess has two cats.”

“So, remind me why we're here again?” Lani sneezed into a tissue. “And why does everything smell like cat urine?”

“We're traveling and you're healing. As far as the cat goes—well–I don't smell anything bad.”

“Healing?” Is that what a broken heart is, a disease? Lani wanted to scream at someone—anyone. First Tim—now her parents–wanted to dump her at her aunt's stinky house which might as well be an asylum. “Mom, I'm old enough to get a job. I'll get my own place.”

“Young lady, we've been through this subject a hundred times. Why do you want to wear me out? It's a recession. Jobs are scarce, and you haven't finished college. Besides, your dad and I prefer knowing you're safe.”

“Emily said you're just trying to control me.”

Penny rolled her eyes. “You want to be like Emily?”

Lani pouted and thought of her friend suffering from morning sickness. She quickly answered with a resounding, “No way.”

Penny recognized the rebellion in her normally sweet child, and though Lani wasn't a teenager anymore, she would always be her baby. “She tapped a hand on Lani's knee. “Keep an open mind angel. Things have a way of working themselves out in the long run.”

Seconds later, Aunt Bess burst into the room with a tray full of snacks, ice-cold cans of soda, glasses, napkins and chocolates. Following behind her aunt, way down near her feet was a fluffy looking white dog that immediately jumped onto the couch and tried nuzzling onto Lani's lap.

“Get away, dog.” Lani remarked with a slightly aggressive sounding tone. Pushing the dog away, she sniffled and said, “Can't you see you're a curse?”

“I really think it's the cat dander,” her mother interjected, politely. “Look at all these nice snacks your aunt put together for us.”

Lani didn't feel like snacking on cookies and chocolate when her head felt like exploding from nasal congestion caused from a house full of stupid pets. To think she would have to spend the entire week locked up with these insane creatures was making her sick to her stomach too.

Never missing a beat or an insult, Aunt Bess made a sad, questioning face before looking down at her dog, “Curse?”

Time to change the subject, Penny thought. She tried to make a noise by clearing her throat and popping the top on a soda. Foamy bubbles filled the glass, gurgling and distracting Aunt Bess from more of Lani's negative comments.

“It's such a hot day. I figured we needed something to cool us down. Speaking of hot, when are you and John leaving?” Aunt Bess asked smiling.

Lani picked up a napkin and blew her nose.

“Next week, Bess,” Penny replied, after taking a nice long drink from the leaded crystal glass.

“I've got the guest room fixed up for you Lani. I changed a few things and added some shelves. Plus, now there's a bigger bed. I hope you like it. Do you want to take a look?”

“No, maybe later,” Lani said, pushing away the dog that kept trying to sneak back onto her lap. When she sneezed, the playful dog jumped off the couch, hid under the coffee table but kept wagging his tail.

Bess continued to smile and Lani noticed her mom staring at the carbonation in her soda. This was such a strange situation. To Lani it felt like a fight or flight moment in her life. An effervescent bubble, that could sink or rise to the top and burst at any moment. She looked up at a painting in an old walnut frame depicting a romantic couple in a rowboat. They were floating down the river of life. If she didn't do something at this instant, her entire life could essentially be ruined, washed away like the uneven shoreline in the impressionistic painting. It was a crucial turning point. She felt no one at home cared about her opinions, even while her teachers treated her like a grownup. At nineteen and a half, girls should have some rights regarding their pet peeves. Still, she hung to the precipice of her dignity and tried allowing her mother and her father's sister to chat in peace. Obviously, they didn't care if she died from her allergies as long as everything happened with good taste and refinement. In their eyes, she was still a little girl and they kept referring to her as a child. Lani didn't have any other options and now here she was, caught like a trapped animal–because they weren't about to let her stay home alone.

“Bentley, leave Lani alone,” Aunt Bess said, reaching for the dog that was now on his hind legs, trying to poke his tiny muzzle under her dress. “He's such a sweetie, Lani.” Picking up the dog, her aunt placed him on her lap and tried calming him down. “Don't worry my dear; I'll keep him out of the guest room while you're here. I can also run to the pharmacy for some allergy pills.”

Lani stared at the stupid, fur ball sitting contentedly in her aunt's lap. Bentley stared back with jet black, beady eyes that seemed to want to challenge Lani to a dual. When she sneezed, the dog began to bark like crazy. The determined canine jumped off Bess's lap and ran around the room faster than any dog she had ever seen. That mutt could be part greyhound, thought Lani.

Aunt Bess got up and clapped her hands, yelling for him to be quiet. Meanwhile during this melee, her mother stood and picked up her purse. Oh gawd, that defining moment had arrived. Lani leaned back on the couch feeling defeated. She felt as if she was going to be institutionalized in a home for the mentally unhinged. Discarded, pushed to the curb by her family, like a worn-out sofa that only needed attention, such as new upholstery. Abandoned, displaced from her room, with its lavender painted walls–and worst of all–her friends, she felt the tide pulling her out to sea.

“Bess, we'll stop by on Tuesday morning. We're leaving at nine.”

“What?” Aunt Bess shrieked over Bentley's continuous barking, accompanied by Lani's sneezes. “Bentley,” be quiet she shouted in a kind-hearted way. Aunt Bess didn't scold her dog. She treated the dusty mop looking dog like a member of the family.

“We'll see you on Tuesday,” Penny repeated, reaching towards Bess and giving her a hug.

The dog ran around and around the dining room table like a crazy racehorse. A tiny pink tongue hung from his lips and drool flew in the breezes he created. Aunt Bess gave Lani a quick hug and went back to clapping and yelling at her dog. On Tuesday, Lani would begin a new chapter in her life–a life that included a very rambunctious dog and two cats that might kill her. Her boat capsized on a deserted island. She felt like a hostage, held against her will, a caged captive, in a strange place filled with unusual wildlife.