Mary Had a Little Lamb

Mary Van Gorden sighed to herself as she poured the ingredients into the salad tosser. With a push of a button from her smartly manicured finger the machine buzzed to life, throwing the mishmash of ingredients around inside it's belly. The house was quiet. Mary rarely listened to music at home, it was relegated to background noise during the morning and evening commute. Most of her life had become background noise for that matter. Her job in middle management overseeing a team of adjusters for Allstate was involving, but it wasn't exactly what anyone would call exciting.

Pouring the salad into the cherrywood serving bowl, Mary carried it over to the table and set it next to the unlit, silver table candelabra that formed the centerpiece for the four-person dining room table. She checked the carved wood wall clock, 5:56. Jenny was almost a half-hour late. She'd gone shopping that afternoon after school with her friends, Heather and Dawn, determined to burn through her birthday money. It wasn't easy realizing her daughter was eighteen already. Where had the time gone? It seemed just yesterday that Mary was clenching Jenny's hand in the hospital when David didn't make it through surgery, but that was five years ago.

Mary leaned against the kitchen counter behind her, running one hand through dirty blonde hair, her hand turning to a fist as she fought back a tear at the memory. Jenny would be home any minute, and Mary didn't want to ruin her daughter's birthday enthusiasm with her own dark emotions. That could wait until tonight, when she was alone, when her thoughts couldn't cloud her child's. The thirty-nine year old mother of one sighed deeply. The sacrifices, emotionally, psychologically and financially, she'd made to raise her daughter and keep her family afloat weighed heavily on her shoulders. Even though they were happy to help, borrowing from her in-laws to keep everything running smoothly so Jenny would never notice a hiccup still bothered her. The inheritance she'd received from her own parent's passing was still locked away in an account she swore she wouldn't touch, meant to make sure Jenny would want for nothing when she went away to college. That day was approaching soon, she knew. The house would be empty, and Mary would be all alone. Truly alone.

The front door flew open to an excited voice. How did Mary miss her pulling into the driveway? The question was irrelevant, as she pulled herself together, put on a smile for her daughter and checked on the lasagna in the oven. The freshly eighteen-year-old tromped up the stairs, the sounds of shopping bags of plastic and paper bouncing into each other as she took the steps two at a time, headed for the sanctity of her room. "HURRY DOWN FOR DINNER!" Mary called after her as she pulled the oven open to retrieve the main course. Jenny barely heard her, talking to Dawn on her cell phone.

Safe inside, Jenny set the bags down, thankful that her mother didn't try to greet her at the door. Despite her best efforts to hide a few special purchases, she knew some casual perusal of her shopping would reveal some things best not seen by one's parents. Biting her plump, ruby-red lower lip, Jenny pulled the black bag emblazoned with the Doll House logo in white across its front from inside the Forever21 bag. Grandma and Grandpa Van Gorden were especially generous this year, sending the girl over a thousand in cash, and an equal amount in gift cards. That she'd blown through half of it already didn't seem to phase the teen, it had all been worth it.

She opened the bag up, gazing excitedly at the toys contained within...