Cinderella's Mother (a short story)

Cinderella's Mother

by Sheri Grutz

Penelope was an only child living with her parents at their business, a Bed and Breakfast place called, Journey's End. Her parents named it that after what they created as a perfect piece of heaven, complete with stained glass windows, pure cherry wood interior, and the furniture of the most comfortable deco donned with a roaring fireplace, and every tea and sweet cake on end tables.

Penelope was an early bloomer, a scientist, a botanist, and she used the old utility closet upstairs for her specimens and collections of rocks and bones. She would race home from school, and go immediately to her hand grown 4-leaf clovers, knowing, this was the year she would be lucky enough to get a picture published in Scientific World, one of several magazines that her parents had around the house.

“Slow down, child!”

“Mother, the abandoned nest, I think that perhaps it will be soon that the eggs will hatch.”

“I've got a small lamp for you and those baby birds, it's down in the cellar, let me just go get it.”

“I've got candles, mother, but yes, a small lamp would be nice.”

Her mother brought back a shadeless lamp, but the bulb was out, so she gave Penelope 10 cents to go to the Country Store and buy what she needed. Penelope said, “Yes, mother,” and she ran out.

“Slow down, child!”

It didn't cost the whole 10 cents, so Penelope bought an eye dropper, and several handfuls of soft cotton. She would make the baby birds live. She would.

The Bed and Breakfast was on Main Street, and many people that stayed there were delivering some kind of item, either a hand delivered piece of mail, or seed and feed for local farmers. Penelope always thought they smelled of the earth and she'd want to talk with them about traveling.

“Up north, it's very likely you'll see all kinds of wildlife,” a man who called himself Uncle Joe told her.

“What kind, what kind of wildlife?”

“You know, winter snow hares, deer, owls, anything really.”

“Is that only in the winter?”

“Usually, but it depends how many voles we got.”

“What about Moose?”

“Yes, but that's further north.”

They were sitting at the large dining room table full of fruit with all his maps spread out. This was a lucky man she was speaking to, because he came there by motor truck, and after they spoke, he gave her a ride around town, so proud, Penelope waved at a school friend who looked at her amazed.

Penelope did raise those baby birds, only one died, and it nearly killed her when it happened, it fell off the table trying to move. It was a late winter day when they were able to fly around the utility room, and Penelope laid out seed all around the backyard in the snow, then carefully let them fly out. She never saw them again.

She grew into a tall, lanky young woman who never stopped growing things, learning or ignoring nature. Then a family came into Journey's End, a man and woman with two teenage kids, a boy and a girl. They told Penelope's family they were staying here to go the County Fair, about 30 miles away. Penelope had never been to the fair.

“Oh it's great...there's a huge Ferris Wheel, there's rotating swings, there's corn dogs, and cotton candy!”

“Yes, I think I have heard about that.”

He was eyeing with wonder in his eyes. He admired the way her hair was cut so short and thick, and he wanted instantly to run his fingers through it. He thought she was precoscious and kind.

“I'll tell you what, we can take you there, if your parents say it's alright.”

“I'd like that!”

His name for Stephen, and it took them two hours to get to the fair. Penelope sat in the way back, feeling the summer sun press her legs red. His sister didn't especially want to be there, but Penelope would show her the pond and the creek where they could swim and sit and talk. And even Stephen would like it, where he could fish.

Stephen's sister stuck close by her parents when they went into the animal barns, leaving Penelope and him all the free time they wanted. He was laughing at her wonder of the place, the games, the lights, the music. She was on the Ferris Wheel when she said to him, “My stomach is gone!” and he said back to her, “Is that lovin' in your tummy?” Finally, at once, she considered him, liked his muscular stature and his easy smile. He was a little bit shorter than her, but Yes, she liked him a lot.

Then came the letter writing, the distance, the longing, but he promised her great things, said he loved her, and the courtship was on.

“Don't you think you're moving a bit too fast with this young man?” her father asked her while laughing and gushing over a newly delivered letter.

“He loves me for who I am.”

“And just who is that, because I can't remember.”

“Father, I'm the same old girl I used to be.”

“Ahhh. I don't know why you can't take a look at Curtis Jenkins. He goes to church, and he's a hard worker.”

“I know, father. But Stephen wants me to laugh!”

Her father would have to bite the bullet, because one year later, Stephen and Penelope were married in a back pallor of a freed slave family, a Baptist minister. It was just one town away, and Penelope went horseback to get there, then the two rode horseback together all through the ravines and hills, so alive with love and happiness.

They settled there in the town they got married in, and Stephen took up work at what was just starting out, the telephone. He learned how to install all the cables and wires, and he fixed problems all day with connectivity. It paid him well, and soon, before he knew it, Penelope was pregnant with their first baby. He pampered his wife, and bought so many things that child would need. Penelope was writing for Scienfic magazines, certain articles about what she discovered over the years, and it did pay her a little bit of money.

The baby was born, it was a girl, and couple lavished on the sweet, high forehead, the long eye lashes and fingers, the smell of pure sunshine. They named her, Cinderella, after her dark hair the color of cinders.

Another year later, tragedy stuck Penelope's parents, they were caught in a fire at a barn dance just outside of town, the thought was that the kerosene did it, but the owner of the barn had locked them all in to keep the doors from blowing open. Penelope was crushed. Her parents were gone.

After some thought about the family business, Journey's End, and what was needed, Penelope and Stephen decided to take over the business, and raise their daughter in the house. Penelope was thrilled with the idea since most of her treasures still were there, and of course, every memory.

Business was good in the spring and summer, and even not so bad over Christmas, when relatives would come into town, and Penelope would take time out of the day to instruct the small children, along with her own child about the various names of trees and wildflowers in the area.

Cinderella grew into a girl quite opposite her mother, whereas Penelope wanted to be outdoors, Cinderlla wanted to be inside, and constantly had tea parties with guests. When she got to be 8 years old, Cinderella started taking ownership of the Journey's End, stripping the beds, doing the laundry, helping in the kitchen.

“Mother, I want to help.”

“I know, child, but just go have fun.”

“This is fun, mother. It's my business too.”

“Alright, Cinderella.”

When Cinderella was 14, she was into baking, decorating, and shining everything she could see. She spent every waking moment helping out her mother. One day, her mother said, “Ok, you've got this, I'm going for a ride.” She took the old horse for a little gallop around the back fields. But by old horse, that's what I mean, Old Horse. It went wild on her, racing out of control, and Penelope was thrown off of it. She hit a large rock on her fall, to the head, and died instantly.

Stephen lived in heartbreak for months, and their daughter even stopped cleaning. He knew he needed to do something. There was an ad in the paper, a Widow 3 towns down in a large house with 3 daughters, looking for a forever companion. Stephen went to meet her. He was instantly unsure about her since she smelled like tobacco and cats, but what won him over was her money, something that Penelope would be rolling over in her grave over. The phone company was being taken over, and Stephen's hours had been cut. He wanted a good life for Cinderella.

The two were married by a justice of the peace, no church or priest, and then Stephen sold the Journey's End to a banker from out of state. His new wife instisted upon a luxurious honeymoon, and all new clothes for them. It took a big chunk of what Stephen made in the sale. Cinderella hated this woman, and made it very clear how she felt, but this was her step mother now.

“I know all about how you helped your mother at Journey's End. You will do the same for me, and my daughters, all the cleaning, the cooking, everything, and you will like it. You will treat me as your mother.”

“You'll never be my mother!”

“Silence! Count yourself lucky that I came along for the likes of you.”

Life was hard for Cinderella, at only age 14, she abhorred doing anything for the step sisters, and step mom. But she continued to do so, dreaming, and singing of a time when possibly the prince would come. Would he come?