Chapter 6 Mum’s Competitive Streak
MUM'S COMPETITIVE STREAK
“Bingo!”
The clacking of plastic balls against the metal tumbler came to an abrupt halt.
The entire room groaned, and wooden chairs creaked as people threw their hands in the air.
Even Mum grumbled as she crumpled the Bingo card in front of her.
For all the years living under her roof, I had never seen her angry, and yet, I thought she might flip the table.
I hid the chuckle, not wanting anybody to think I was having a good time.
The American Legion served as the sole function hall for Firefly Valley.
It housed everything from spaghetti dinners to weddings and everything in between.
Wood paneling along the walls, highlighted by the soft yellow glow of fluorescent lights, kept it firmly planted in the seventies.
It might be a product of its time, but with the dozens of plastic folding tables set up in rows, it served as the perfect location for Firefly’s most competitive sport.
“Sherry! Come on down.” I continued staring at the man calling the numbers. For the last hour, I had tried to figure out how I knew him. There was a good chance we went to school together, and his face had been one of many I stuffed into a steel box and filed away for never.
“Chris, you’re killing me!” Gloria, I recognized. As old as Firefly itself, she and Gladys might as well have been founding members.
Under the table, Mum gripped my hand. The rest of the room ceased to exist as I focused on her slender fingers.
The cold metal of her wedding band pressed against my knuckles.
I hadn’t protested when she announced wanting to attend Bingo.
I pushed aside my distaste for Firefly and took on the role of dutiful son.
“Bingo has gotten rowdy since Chris started calling the numbers.”
I gave her hand a quick squeeze. “I can see why.”
“Firefly loves having its very own celebrity.”
My eyes widened. That’s where I knew him.
We hadn’t attended school together. I had gone on a date to see The Centurions, and he…
wow. On screen, he had worn tight leather, which made him a sex symbol, but it didn’t compare to the charisma in person.
All night, he traded barbs with the players and more than once had to deflect a salacious comment from the little old ladies.
“Don’t get any ideas. He’s dating Bobby.”
When I left Firefly, I cut off every line of communication. It appeared there was some gossip worth hearing. The thought of him and Bobby… I’d file that away for the shower. Though it brought up questions about how one small town wound up with so many bears, not that I was complaining.
Once Sherrie finished her victory lap, the game resumed.
While I worked on a single card, Mum had six laid out in front of her.
Her hand moved in a flurry, the purple marker leaving blotchy dots.
Chris spoke into the microphone with gusto, putting on an overly dramatic performance for the room.
Whenever he called a number she didn’t have, she’d grumble to herself.
Mum might be a calm woman, but put a Bingo card in front of her, and she transformed into a ruthless player.
“I heard from Jackie that the kids were impressed with you.”
As Chris called another number, I struggled to get up and carry a conversation. “Kids? Do you mean the gremlins?”
“Jackie said they’re excited for the trip.”
“Who’s Jackie?” Wait, did he call another number?
“Jackie. You know, Eric’s wife. She lives in the old McMillan house.”
None of these words made it any clearer. Impressing gremlins? I’d take it as a victory. Maybe this project wouldn’t turn into a nightmare. Now to find out who Jackie—
“B-7,” Chris roared.
“BINGO!”
More groaning. Everybody turned to see which adversary had claimed victory.
To my surprise, I knew the crazed figure jumping up and down, waving her sheet in the air.
Lacie. I shouldn’t be surprised that she had infiltrated another local activity.
At this rate, she’d be buying property and sitting on her porch talking about the ‘good old’ times. ’
“We have ourselves a new face,” Chris said.
“Take a victory lap and come on down.”
In jeans, a tank top, and a long-sleeve flannel, Lacie fit right in.
She strutted between the tables. Somebody should warn her that Gloria might come after her with knitting needles.
Unlike earlier, her shirt now held the unofficial Firefly emblem, a moose with a turkey riding on its back.
The legend of Beatrice would continue to be an inside joke.
I wondered if she knew the story, or, for that matter, if she even cared?
She stood at the front of the Legion, raising her card high in the air.
A group of women in their cardigans sneered before shuffling through a new deck of Bingo sheets.
I couldn’t fathom why a flatlander would find this place charming enough to immerse herself in the everyday culture.
She didn’t have the normal condescending attitude of outsiders.
Instead of raising an eyebrow at their way of life, she thrust herself into it.
Lacie didn’t want to be an onlooker; she wanted to join the ranks.
This is why Lacie made me uncomfortable.
Sure, her enthusiasm could be dialed down to a six and still be too giddy for my tastes.
While she charged into Firefly, determined to embed herself in the culture, I wanted to run in the other direction.
She found the small-town nature endearing.
I found it suffocating. She loved the interconnectedness.
I couldn’t handle the invasion of privacy.
Every which way, I found my opposite. But it wasn’t that, it was that I couldn’t understand the mindset.
Perhaps she had never seen the dark underbelly of a small town? Or maybe she simply didn’t care.
Huh.
“I know you hate it when I meddle,” Mum whispered.
She leaned against my shoulder, trying to be subtle. Unlike the rest of Firefly, she and Pops had always given me space. It’s part of why I didn’t understand why they loved it here. They were aware of the gossip and prying eyes, but they didn’t participate… mostly.
“But there’s a young man looking at you.”
“Mum, I think you’ve had one too many Moxies.”
She snatched the unopened can from the table, clutching it against her chest. “Why would you say such horrible things?” Not even Pops could tolerate it. Mum couldn’t get enough. She claimed it’d keep her kicking until she hit triple digits.
“Subtly, Charles. He’s at your eight.”
I turned, taking my time, the chair groaning under my weight.
“I meant your five!” she blurted out.
Great, half the room heard her. Now, when I turned, they’d try to act as if they weren’t eavesdropping.
I feigned a stretch, shifting in my chair until I found her young man.
Nick sat at one of the tables, looking as out of place as I felt.
Whatever flowed through Lacie’s veins, it hadn’t infected him.
It was obvious that this was his first time attending Bingo.
He didn’t have a single lucky charm adorning his table.
In his hand, he held a pencil, a dead giveaway that he wasn’t an aficionado at the game.
My heart went out to the poor guy. Whatever brought him to Firefly seemed more like a dark cloud over his head than a fun romp in the mountains.
“I’m going to go talk to Gladys,” Mum said.
She turned, staring me in the eye. As hers narrowed, I could almost hear her using my full name. Her eyes glanced toward the back of the room. When I didn’t respond, she let out an exasperated sigh.
“Maybe you should get some air.”
“I’m okay for a few more rounds.” Though if she wanted to go home and watch game shows, I’d have tossed her over my shoulder and—
“I think you—” Her lips thinned as her brow furrowed. “—need to get some air.” Now, when she glanced to the back, she didn’t attempt subtlety. Her eyes went straight to the miserable young man.
“Oh.”
She shook her head. “No wonder I don’t have a son-in-law.”
My jaw dropped as she got to her feet. She hobbled away, the boot clomping against the floor with each step.
I couldn’t believe the audacity of the woman.
It’s why I loved her. While Pops had tried his best to connect with me through activities, Mum had a way of verbally shoving herself into the situation.
There was never any sass back. I might have been defiant, but even I knew the line.
When she glanced over her shoulder, she shooed me with her hand.
I admitted defeat. Shimmying between players, I made my way to the aisle.
As I reached the last row, Nick had his eyes focused on his losing card.
I might not want to be here, but I endured for the sake of Mum. Nick, on the other hand, appeared lost.
Up close, I could see it better, the same worn, guarded expression from the other day, only now it frayed at the edges. Once upon a time, I wore the same look, at least until I learned to maintain a blank face.
I gave the table a gentle knock. When he looked up, I glanced at him, head nodding to the door. I offered him a way out. Now let’s see if he took it.
The sun had set, leaving downtown dark except for the streetlamps.
From a distance, the soft yellow orbs lived up to the town’s name.
Peppered along the green, it almost seemed as if fireflies were lighting the town.
On its own, I had to admit, there was something peaceful that I never found in the city.
Here, as the moon rose above the town, the people hid away indoors, letting the hush settle in.
I pressed my back to the corner of the building, just out of sight of the windows. My mind had already drifted to the forest, wondering how much it had changed since I last stepped beyond the tree line. When I closed my eyes, I could smell the campfire and hear the rush of the river.
“Got a smoke?”