Playing with Fire
The gas stove was the old kind that required a match to light the burner. She kept the match book on the top shelf, way in back, in the cabinet. She realized that little Annie was able to climb on chairs and usually kept the chairs away from the counter. She looked in the refrigerator and realized she had no cheese and no garlic bread. She picked up her purse from the couch in the living room. She did not move the chair.
“Tommy!” she yelled, “Come down here.”
She glanced at little Annie. Annie was playing with her doll house. Annie took the doll out of the doll house and placed it in a toy chair. “You sit here and I’ll get you some milk.” She put a cup on the toy table. “Now drink your milk.” The doll’s name was Peggy.
Tommy came running down the stairs.
“What are you doing?”
“My homework.”
“Well… Do it down here in the kitchen. I want you to watch Annie while I go to the store.”
“Okay.” Tommy went back up stairs to get his book. The title of the book was ‘My body. My Self.’ He came back down and sat at the table. Tommy was flunking his health course. Every time he read about the organs in the human body, he would feel sick. Nausea would set in. It would diminish when he stopped reading. He wasn’t sure his mom would understand. But he also didn’t know what to do.
Mom kissed Annie on the forehead. “I’ll be right back.”
“Say good bye to Peggy too!”
Mom smiled. “Bye Peggy.” The doll did not respond.
Mom ran out the front door.
Annie came into the kitchen and climbed onto the chair. Then she stood up and opened the cabinet door. She took out a box of chocolate cookies. She climbed down the chair and put the cookies on the counter.
Tommy turned around and said, “No. Mom wants you to wait for dinner.” He put the cookies back in the cabinet. Tommy heard the phone ringing and walked into the living room. He picked up the receiver. “Hello.”
He heard his friend Jerry’s voice at the other end of the phone. “Are you coming over?”
“Oh. Later. I got stuck baby sitting. Why don’t you come over here?”
“Okay. I’ll be there in an hour.”
Tommy tried to read a paragraph in the text book. He began feeling sick. He closed his eyes and rested his head in his hands. Tommy rose from his chair and went upstairs.
Annie climbed back up onto the chair and onto the counter. She opened the cabinet door and saw something on the shelf in the back. She reached in and pulled out a match book. She remembered watching Mom use the matches to start the stove burner. She climbed down and went back to the doll house. “I’m going to make you some food.” She said to Peggy. “This will be the stove.” She said as she moved the toy bureau into the kitchen of the doll house. She opened the match book and took out a match. She struck the match against the match book. The match did not ignite. She threw the match and the match book in the doll house. Then she came back into the kitchen. She climbed onto the chair.
“Oh no you don’t!” Said Tommy as he entered the kitchen with a fiction book. He took her off the chair and placed her on her feet. Then he moved the chair away from the cabinet and put it near the table. The fiction book would provide relief by taking his mind off the health book when needed.
Mom opened the front door and Ann ran to hug mom. Mom put the groceries on the table and hugged Ann. “Have you been a good girl?”
“She was after the cookies.” Said Tommy.
Mom shook her head and headed for her bedroom.
Ann went back to her doll house and took the match book out. “Dinner will be ready in a few minutes. Did you finish your milk?” She asked Peggy. “Milk is good for you.”
Tommy was struggling to get through a chapter in the health book and paid no attention to Ann except a glance now and then. He read from the fiction book whenever he felt sick.
Ann tore another match out while talking to Peggy. Tommy glanced at Annie but did not see the matches.
Mom came out and placed several plates on the table. “Okay, Tommy. Time to wash and eat. Annie, come here.” Mom removed the pasta from the kitchen sink.
Tommy removed his books from the table and went to wash his hands in the kitchen sink.
Annie came running. Mom took Annie to the bathroom to wash her hands. Tommy put the books on the couch in the living room and sat at the table.
The pasta dinner with home made sauce and homemade meat balls were mouth-watering good. Tommy loved pasta and he loved the homemade turkey stuffing.
After dinner, there was a knock at the door. Tommy opened the door. “Hi Jerry. Come in.”
“Hi.”
“Hi Jerry,” said Mom, “How’s your mom doing?”
“She’s doing okay.”
“Is she back from the hospital?”
“Yeah. She came home today.”
“What was she in for?”
“She had a nose bleed this morning.”
“I’m glad she’s doing better.” Said Mom, “We have turkey and pasta. Would you like some?”
“No thanks. I ate before I came here.”
“What are you two boys up too?” asked Mom.
Tommy turned the TV on and set it to channel three.
“Video games.” Said Tommy as he and Jerry sat on the couch.
He gave one of the controllers to Jerry.
While Tommy and Jerry were engaged in their games, Annie came from the kitchen table with a napkin and placed it on the doll’s lap. Then she took a plastic fork, spoon and knife and placed them on the small table.
“I wish the teacher didn’t schedule the exam for Monday.” Said Jerry.
“I know. What a rotten way to end the weekend!” Tommy replied, “Are you ready for it?”
“No way.” Said Jerry.
“I’m having a difficult time too.”
“Maybe we could get together and study.”
“We’ll see.”
“Head lock!” yelled Jerry.
All eyes were glued to the television.
“Get off of me!” yelled Tommy.
Annie was ready to cook a meal for Peggy. A little plastic pan was on the make-believe stove. Annie struck a match. It ignited. Tommy smelled the sulfur and looked up. “No!” He jumped up from the couch and blew out the match. Then he grabbed the pack of matches.
Mom came running out of the kitchen and took the matches from Tommy. She took Annie gently by the hand and said, “Do you know what these are?”
“Matches.” Annie said, “You use them for the stove.”
“And why did you grab the matches.”
“To cook for Peggy.”
Mom looked in the doll house. “Your stove doesn’t need matches.” She paused and reached in the doll house and pressed on the side of the bureau. “Press here and the stove is on. Okay?”
“Okay!” Ann said.
“Now I want you to promise me that you will never play with matches. Do you?”
“What’s a promise?”
“It means you will never do it again.”
“Okay. I promise.”
Mom went into the kitchen and climbed up on the chair. She placed the matches on top of the cabinet instead of inside the cabinet. She knew she had to find a better hiding place for the matches but this would do for now.
After Jerry went home, Tommy approached his mom. “Mom, I’m having a problem with my health course.”
“What’s the problem?”
“Every time I read the book, I feel sick. What do I do?”
“Make believe it isn’t about the human body. Make believe it is about a transparent plastic body. Try that. It worked for me when I was in school.”
“Okay.” Tommy went into the living room and picked up the text book. He began reading without thinking about human tissue and organs. At length he yelled, “Thanks mom. It works!”
Tommy was excited. Now he could study with Jerry! He phoned Jerry. “Hi.”
“Hi Tom.”
“Remember you asked about studying together?”
“Yeah.”
“What time?”
“How about tomorrow evening?”
“Cool! I’ll be over at seven.”
“Cool!”
Mom was washing the dishes. “It looks like we have one more thing to be thankful for.” She said to herself as she glanced at Ann.
