Mr Mama Mel

Just somewhat creative stuff

[mama-mel]

Made these cuties this weekend from my neighbors old back porch wood. Super happy with how they turned out and yes it is July and yes I do have a set of Halloween decorations sitting out from. Got to let these beauties have their moment. 🎃 The idea came from a Pinterest post by Chandra Meshaw.

[mama-mel]

Unlikely Companion

Her eyes fluttered open as the sunset and the sounds of the night filled her room. Her deep red velvety soft pillow and casket linning made her want to stay in bed a little longer but she knew there were things to be done. She stepped out of bed and turned back to the coffin and admired it.

“Might as well get some use out of it while I’m still alive.” She licked her thumb and rubbed a spot on the side of it. “Surprisingly comfortable.”

After she was satisfied with that she glided to her black vanity. While looking in the mercury stained mirror she ran her mother’s antique silver brush threw her thick long hair the color of wild indigo. She attempted to tuck some of it behind her ear but as always it just fell back into place in front of her right eye. She walks behind her black folding screen that has a subtle pattern of even blacker roses on it. She reemerges wearing a long sleeve silk black knee-length A-line dress with deep purple lace trim. The dress fits perfectly over her frail-looking body. She steps into her shiny black combat boots which she laces up. About to walk out of her room she places her long black cigarette holder in her mouth, set a black-veiled hat on her head, and swings a light gray web patterned parasol over her left shoulder. 

“Time to say good evening to the folks,” she says to no one in particular. Her light steps echo down the long gothic hall of her family’s estate. The setting sun fills the large bay windows with colors of mauve and cider while giving its final bows to the sky. Once down the grand staircase, she opens the glass french doors with a loud creak and steps into the world. She opens her parasol and makes a sharp right turn. While wandering she admires the dead vines that cover her family’s home. The sound of dead grass crunches under her boots and she hums a little tune to herself. Her boots stop, she takes a deep breath in and lets out a sigh as she approaches her family. 

“It’s good to see you all,” she says with a smile on her face. No one replies. 

“Mother you’re looking well,” she bends down and brushes some dirt from a tombstone which reads; Here lies Rose Cobb a mother and wife loved by all. 

“And father looking sharp as always,” she states as she polishes an arrow engraving on his tombstone. 

Straightening her self out she walks over to a bench that faces their graves and sits. While twirling her parasol she looks around as the final hints of sunlight start to fade when movement catches her eye. 

She slowly stands to investigate. Next, to one of her great, great, great, grandparents grave, she sees a small creature flailing in an attempt to escape whatever it is caught in. As she approaches, the creature becomes more frantic. 

“It’s okay little guy, I only want to help.”

Her soft calming voice makes the creature slow its movements. Once standing beside the creature she slowly squats down to find a little brown bat tangled in a butterfly net. Her deep purple eyes meet his little black ones. For a moment they are both silent; as if speaking telepathically. 

Once again she lets her sweet quite voice calm the animal, “it’s okay little guy, I’m just going to untangle you and then you can be on your way.” With this, she moved her hands towards him to which he jumped with fear. She withdrew and tried again.

“I’m sorry you’ve been entrapped, such wretched children using toys to harvest nature’s creatures. I’m just here to get you out. I promise.” Believing her this time he didn’t move while she delicately removed the net from his little body. 

“There, free,” immediately he attempted to fly away but only managed to get a couple of inches off the ground before falling back to earth.

“Oh you poor thing,” and she scooped him up and carefully placed him inside her upside down parasol. “Let’s go inside and I’ll fix you up.” The little brown bat didn’t know what to think but had no other choice but to trust her. Feeling his fear she attempts to calm him once again.

“No need to fear little one, I am Lilly, Lilly Cobb. This is my home and I’ll take care of you.”

Request for @waldorkler 

@lilly-cobb 

[mama-mel]

One Hour

“Does it ever get easier”?

“What do you want to get easier”?

She sighs and pulls her knee up to her chest, “everything.”

The air is dry and crisp with the first nip of fall in the air. The brown couch she sits on is broken in as if it’s been there for years, sat in by many people and cried on by many more. A single beam of light comes in the window from the late afternoon sun and dances on the floor below her. They sit in silence for a while as the woman collects her thoughts.

“Every day I am struggling, struggling with being a student, struggling with losing weight, struggling with raising kids, struggling with being a wife, struggling with finances and I just don’t feel like it will ever get easier, and if it doesn’t I don’t know that I can handle this life.”

The ladies mouth never seems to move but the woman can feel the ladies eyes staring at her like they are burning a hole through her skin right into her soul.

Finally, the lady speaks, “does the good outweigh the bad in the end”

Silence.

The woman’s lip begins to tremble and tears form in her eyes, “honestly, right now, no.”

Tears begin to flow freely down her face.

The lady’s skinny body makes no noise as it moves from the chair to the table and returns to the woman, the lady presents a box of tissues that match the ladies office perfectly, the lady stairs at the woman with empathetic eyes that still feel as though they do nothing but judge.

Judge how bad of a person she is.

The lady glides back to her designer chair.

The woman speaks.

“Don’t get me wrong I would never give up having my kids, but looking back on it I would have waited until I was older. I mean I love him and everything but I still wonder sometimes if he really was the one. We are so different I don’t know how we have managed for so long…. I just”

The woman sighs as the tears start to dry and her shoulders relax as if a rubber band that was once holding them up just broke and they fell into their right places again. Her voice shifts from broken cries to a matter of fact tone. 

“I guess I wouldn’t change anything. It’s just everything is always so hard. I don’t know how to do it.”

The lady looks at the silver steel clock on the blinding white wall with a satisfied grin in her eyes, “Well I’m sorry but our time is up, shall we pick up here next week”?

The woman forces a smile on her face, “sure.” She starts sifting through her cheap black bag cluttered with all of her kid’s necessities searching for her wallet. After just enough time to make her feel pressured her owl wallet and black ballpoint pen emerge from her sack of responsibilities. She writes the lady a check. She walks out the door making sure to not make eye contact with anyone in the next room. It’s a quick escape from the office to the car. She walks on her toes to make her footsteps sound less heaving, trying to hide how fat she is from the people around, not that anyone even notices her presence.

The woman pulls her coat tighter around her as she unlocks the used olive green minivan and gets in. She drops her head on the steering wheel and starts to cry. The weight of the world that momentarily left is right back where it was before only this time the feelings of exposure and shame are joining it.

Her phone makes a stupid nose.

She sighs.

The woman looks in the review mirror to try and fix her red face before she leaves to do responsible things.

“Now is not the time for feeling.”

The woman blows out air like steam from a kettle.

She starts the machine and returns to life as usual.

[mama-mel]

Gray

Towards the end of the ghetto in the middle of the bay sat a house that was covered in gray. 

It had a broken foundation, a roof falling apart, and vermin and dirt that took over with such art. 

And on the inside things were quite the same, a family not from here all shouting in vain. 

There was little love and a lot of hate and one girl who sat by the window each day. 

She looked out wondering how her life got this way, she once believed that things would be great, not gray. 

But as each day goes by and everything stays the same she starts to wonder if those were just dreams and real-life was nothing but screams. 

With a deep sigh, she looks over at her daughter, “Good morning Willow”, she says with a forced smile on her face, hoping they can soon be rid of this gray place.

[mama-mel]

In a Moment (Part 2)

I can hear my mother in the living room and walk out to find her on the phone. I try to distract myself by going through his paperwork once more. I see a list of all his passwords sitting out that I somehow overlooked. ‘Why would he leave these out?’ I ask myself. I hear footsteps come into the office.

“Someone from the Sheriff depart will be here in about 10 minutes.” The words come from mother with mixed emotions behind them, a combination of worry and releaf. I turn and we stare at each other, motionless just eyes locked reading each other's thoughts. My palms start to sweat, I begin to feel dizzy, I break the connection and walk over to a painting of sailboats.

I love this painting, not because it was a particularly well done one but because my father called upon my art expertise to help him find something for his house. We had gone to a few garage sales and after looking through all the dead animal and cowboy art we stumbled upon this piece. It was calm, with three sailboats sitting on the water. While looking at it you could imagine the boats gently rocking back and forwarth on the water, the smell of salt in the air, the mist from the ocean hitting your face while your hair danced in the wind, looking over the edgy of the deck and seeing the waves gracefully pat the side of the boat.

My moment of calme is interpreted by the doorbell as it plays a peaceful melody that was deceptively happy considering what was about to transpire.

My mother opens the door and we see a lengthy sheriff standing there. He comes in without a word just a nod of his hat as if he already knows what has happened. He sits at the kitchen table and I sit across from him. I make eye contact and get the feeling of groundedness while in the middle of all this chaos. He starts with needing confirmation.

“So you needed to file a missing persons report?” His deep voice sounds like comfort and safety. My mother jumps in to answer:

“Yes. The last anyone heard from him was Saturday, and then he missed work today and he would never do that.” We all nod in agreement.

“Okay I’ll need to ask a few questions and some may be a little bit sensitive.” He locked eyes with me while he finished his statement, “So some of you should probably wait in the other room.” I pause for a moment hoping maybe he’ll let me stay, but after a while his silence spoke for him and I went back into my safespace in the office.

Despite being in the other room I could hear him asking about what my dad may have been wearing when he left, what his missing truck looks like, he is also informed of the gun missing and a few other questions along these lines. Then he asks my mom:

“Do you know if your ex husband was sexually active?” I quickly cover my ears like I use to do when I was a child and they would fight. I feel so helpless and lost. A little while later the Sheriff finishes his questions and comes in to check on me.

“How are you doing?”

“I mean I’m worried and I’m just hoping he’s okay.” I say matter a factly.

“We’ll find him, I’m sure of it.” He once again nods his head and walks out the front door.

My mom comes in, “come on let’s get you home. There is nothing more we can do now but wait.” I can see the tiredness in her eyes, so I walk out the front door despite wanting to object.

We get in the car and start driving down the gravel road once again, this time to the sound of silence. And with that silence my brain begins to race. ‘Where the hell is he? Did he go for a hike? Is he stuck somewhere in a canon? Why did he buy that gun and why did he take it with him? Was he robbed, no wait his house was undisturbed. Would he really leave town with only those things? No I don’t think so. I just hope he’s okay and comes home soon.”

The headlights shine onto my apartment building and my mother starts to open her mouth to say something but then closes it once again.

“I love you” I say.

“I love you too sweetie.”

I walk up the cold concrete stairs and turn left. I face my brown door, unlock and open it. Dropping my backpack onto the unvacuumed floor I flop myself onto my half made bed. My heavy eyelids start to droop and soon I’m asleep.

A few hours later I wake to the noise of my phone vibrating on my nightstand, the screen reads mom. In a moment all the events from the night before flash through my mind and with that I sit straight up and answer.

“Mom?” The worry instantly back in my voice.

“They found his truck.”

[mama-mel]

In a Moment (Part 1)

It was quite with a gentle, cold glow from the computer room’s monitor on my face. ‘Ugh have to finish this assignment.’ The vibrations from my phone ringing on the desk shatters the quite in the room. Upon the screen reads Mom. 

“Hello?” My voice cracks as I answer. 

“Have you heard from your father today?” I can hear the panic she is trying to hide by talking faster than usual.

“No. I last spoke to him Saturday. Why? What’s up?”

“He didn’t go to work today and he didn’t call in.” My pulse increases and my forehead starts to sweat, I know something is wrong, he would never miss work. I can’t find words so instead my mother breaks the silence.

“I’m going to drive over to his condo-”

I interrupter with “I’m coming.” I tell her where I am and quickly pack up my school stuff. My gut knows something isn’t right.

Mother talks the whole way there but I can’t hear anything she is saying. My mind is racing and I can only stare out the window. I watch the view go from buildings, to ranch land, and roads go from paved to gravel. What feels like years later we arrive. We both don’t have keys, so I knock on the neighbors  slate gray door to see if they have one. A tall man with black wavy hair answers:

“Hello I was wondering if my dad maybe gave you a key to his place? See we haven’t heard from him and we’re worried.” The words coming flying out me as fast as possible. Without a word he walks away and reappears a second later with a shiny new silver key in his hand. 

“Yeah he gave us one Saturday which was kinda random because we just met him.” My heart sinks, my gut is screaming at me, something is really wrong. I snatch the key from his hand without a word of thanks and run to my dad’s front door. I unlock it and run in.

“Dad?”.... “Dad?!”.... “DAD!!” I’m in a panic while we search his place but don’t find him anywhere. It looks like he just left, with some clothes in his laundry bin, and bills sitting out on his kitchen counter. I go to his office and start looking through his paper work for a clue of some sort.

By now a couple of family friends have joined us. One friend walks into his closet and looks on top of a high shelf. I hear him shuffling things around and suddenly the noise stops. I turn to look and see him standing there with tears in his eyes. I look in his hands and see box. An empty box. An empty box that once held a pistol.

I stare at him wide eyed...“Call the police.” 

[mama-mel]

Made an Easter wreath because why not

[mama-mel]

An Emotion

“That Bitch”, his voice deep with anger. He slowly rises to his feet with his phone in hand. “THAT BITCH!” He shouts to the wall holding his family's portrait. “ How could she do this to me!” He begins to pace the floor leaving a trail in the sand colored carpet. Hands begin to shake and in a fit of rage throws the phone against the glass sliding door. “How could she cheat on me?!” His question echoes through the empty house filled with happy photos of his family and country style art on the walls. Still in his anger, fists closed tightly as his face turns red. His mouth opens ready to scream but nothing comes out. Silence. His hands open and he falls to his knees then cradles his head in has hands. His face becomes warm and wet. Before he realizes what is happening tears are running down his face. “What do I do now?” He asks in a muffled moan. He lays on his side curled in a ball “What do I do now?”.