"Jellyland" Part 1 of 4

I grew up in the 70's. People wore very colorful clothes and long bushy hair. The men wore wide ties, and shoes as high as the women's. Although I remember having very little, I know my Momma worked very hard for it. She worked for The Jelly's and they were rich. I mean they had everything. Momma still made sure me and my brother knew we just worked there though. I think I was about thirteen when we first moved in, and “Binky”, my brother was only six. His name was really Thomas, after Daddy, but we called him Binky cause he held on to his pacifier so much when he was a baby.
 

Before we moved into the Jelly's mansion, we were living in Compton. Momma worked as a waitress during the day and at Lucky's grocery store all night, three nights a week. We lived in a very small one bedroom apartment above someone's house, and Momma would always say, “We may be poor, but we'll always eat.” She would bring food home from one of her jobs regularly. I looked over at Momma one night. To me she was so pretty, but she always complained about her tired eyes. Her eyes did look tired. That night she was cooking pork chops, she made the best ones in the world. Only my Daddy would complain cause she baked them instead of frying them.

“Momma, where's Daddy?” I knew I only saw Daddy maybe three or four times a month, but it seemed it had been longer this time.

Momma looked over at me with those tired eyes and said, “He came by last week baby, and he was high again.” She paused, “And this time I told him he was only welcome here if he was going to get clean and stay clean.”

Now I was only twelve at the time, but living where I lived I knew Daddy wasn't right. My heart still hurt when she said that though. I think I knew Daddy would never get clean. He got violent with Momma when he was high on drugs, but she seemed so sad when he was gone. Though she smiled for us kids all the time, it didn't seem like a happy smile. It was an empty smile, with tired eyes.

I decided that day to remember Daddy the way he was before he got on drugs. He would work all day then come home and lay on the floor in front of the TV and watch football or basketball games. He'd ask me to walk on his back, and I did. I was tiny and his back was so big, I'd dance up there.

“Does that hurt Daddy?”
 

“Nope, that feels good....It's cold in here baby, tell Momma to turn on the heater.”
 

Momma yelled over from the kitchen, “It's broken.”
 

He got up and went over to her, “Open the oven and turn it on.”
 

“The pilot is out and that's so dangerous.”
 

He said, “Light it, it's cold.”
 

“You know I don't like doing that Thomas, I'm always scared it's gonna blow up.”


They laughed and Daddy got down on the floor with a twisted paper towel that he lit on fire on the stove and reached to the back of the broiler lighting the pilot, “You see this little girl? This how you light the pilot.”

“Don't tell her that Thomas, she might try it.”
 

He hugged Momma and kissed her cheek, “The girl gotta learn how to survive.”
 

We were so happy, Momma's smile wasn't empty then and I'll never know why Daddy didn't come back. Maybe drugs made him happier.
 

CHAP 2

I still remember the day we met Mr. Jelly. Momma, Binky, and I were in the grocery store, and it seemed he was following us.
 

I pulled at Momma's hand, “I think that man is following us Momma.”
 

“What man baby?”

I pointed indiscreetly and whispered, “That man over by the bread with the big red tie and blue suit.”

I think at the time Momma was used to men making passes at her and she threw a polite grin his way, then pushed our cart up another isle. As we were picking out soups we looked over and there he was again. “Momma I think he likes you.” I said.
 

He approached, “Excuse me Mam?”
 

My Momma answered, “Uh, that would be Ms.”
 

“Oh my apologies Ms. I was just noticing how clean and well behaved your children are and was wondering if you were interested in working for me in my home?”
 

Momma was offended, “Excuse me? What exactly do you mean? Do you think because we live here that my children should be unruly and dirty?”
 

“No. No. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean it that way at all. It's just my wife can get very ill and at times she could use help, but we haven't been able to find a reliable house keeper.”
 

Momma calmed down, “House keeping huh? Well I've never really cleaned up after anyones family but my own. How much we talkin?”
 

“Five hundred a week plus you and your children will have your own quarters in my home, rent free.”

He smiled at me and pinched Binky's cheek.

Momma asked, “How many children do you have....Mis-ter...?”

“Oh how rude of me.” he took Momma's hand, kissed it then bowed his head, “Jelly, Mr. Jelly....But please call me Benjamin.”
 

Binky and I giggled. Momma wasn't impressed. She shook his hand, “Nice to meet you Mr. Jelly, I'm Ms. Davis. Kelly Davis. How many children? For five hundred a week you must have at least four or five.”
 

Mr. Jelly answered, “Uh, well there are no children. Just me and my wife Eleece.”
 

“Have a good day Mr. Jelly, it was nice to meet you.” Momma started to walk away.
 

“Please Kelly.”
 

“That's Ms. Davis. You don't know me like that.”
 

“Please Ms. Davis. I know it sounds strange, but my wife she's sick and we have a large home it just gets so hard for her, or us to handle with our work. I promise you I'm an honest, Christian man. At least come and see where we live and if you decide you want to pass after that then fine.” He pulled a wallet from inside his jacket and jotted down his address on the back of a business card. Then handed it to Momma.

She took it and glared at him suspiciously, “I'll consider it. Thank you.”
 

“Please do.”
 

Momma slipped the card into her apron pocket without reading it, and went back to looking at the soup. As Mr. Jelly walked away, I saw some sort of gold dust blow from beneath his black shiny loafers. I pulled Momma's hand, “Look!” and pointed.
 

“What?” she said, but just like that it disappeared.
 

CHAP 3
 

A week went by and I thought about Mr. Jelly every night, trying to convince myself that what I saw was really nothing. I asked Momma if she'd called him and she would say no so quickly that I could tell she wasn't gonna talk about it. But I knew he had an honest smile and even though he said he was married, he had lonely eyes. I think Momma knew there had to be more to his story than he was offering up in the grocery store and that's why she hadn't called. Momma came home from work very tired that night. I was on the couch studying spelling words when she plopped down next to me. I kissed her cheek.
 

“Oh man my feet hurt. That restaurant was so busy today.”
 

“Did you make a lot of tips?”
 

“Barely ten bucks. Whew, I don't know how long I can do this. I'm getting to old for all this running around and for this little bit of money.”

“I know how we can make more money.”

“How Summer? You gone get a job?”

“Momma, call that man.”

Momma rubbed her feet, “What man baby?”

“Mr. Jelly, from the grocery store.”

Momma stood up and headed for the kitchen, she kissed Binky and popped him up in the chair. “Look Summer, far as I know that mans a nut. Who pays that much for house keeping with no kids?”

I walked over to her and said, “Mom I don't think he's a nut. Just call him and go see the house or we'll never know. Please.”

“Maybe baby. We'll see. You go on and get washed up for dinner.”

That night in bed, I thought about how hard Momma worked. How tired she seemed and I couldn't in my child mind grasp why she wouldn't take Mr. Jelly up on his offer. I also remember thinking that Mr. Jelly was cute, but I couldn't tell my Momma that. Something about his ora was calming and when he smiled at me my heart lept.

The next morning Momma left bright and early for the restaurant. I saw one of her aprons tossed over the kitchen chair. I looked to see if Mr. Jelly's card was still in the pocket, it was. I slid it into my pant pocket, then called out, “Come on Binky it's time to go.” I walked him to school, then to mine. My friend Tasha walked with me and I asked her, “Tasha, do you think it's a such thing as magic?”
 

Tasha answered, “What?”

I said, “You know, magic. Like Peter Pan, or Santa Claus.”

Tasha laughed, “Girl no. As broke as we all are around here, if it was some magic to be found my Daddy woulda found it. He's always bringing home something and telling my Momma it's gonna earn him a bunch of money. Momma said we always end up more broke.... And Santa? Girl please.”
 

“But maybe it's cause we don't believe. You know they say you have to believe, just like God.”
 

Tasha gave me a strange look and stopped walking, “Why you asking anyway, it's not Christmas it's almost summer time.”
 

I told her all about Mr. Jelly and his offer. I pulled out his card, “See this the card he gave my Momma.”
 

Tasha snatched it, “Dang girl, let me see. For all that money, if your Momma won't do it mine will.”
 

She read the card, “This address is way up in Valencia, there ain't nothing up there. Why he live up there?”
 

“I don't know. I didn't even look at the card. What's it say on the other side.”
 

Tasha read it, then questioned me as though I were lying, “You sure you didn't read it?”
 

“No, I just took it out my Momma's apron and put it in my pocket. What's it say?”
 

Tasha read, “It says 'JUST BELIEVE' in all capitol letters.”
 

I snatched it back, “Shut up!”
 

“It does, look. If your Momma don't call, you should.”
 

“I don't know maybe.” I thought about the gold dust and his black shiny shoes, and I was a little freaked out.
 

When I got home that afternoon, I saw a police car in front of our house. I felt panicked and started to run towards the stairs. The old lady in the house beneath mine, Mrs. Joan we called her, grabbed me and shouted, “No baby. You come on in the house with me. Let your Momma finish with the police man okay.”
 

I yelled, “What! What happened? Is my Momma okay?”
 

“Just wait baby, wait in here with me. Your little brother is already here. I'm sure your Momma's fine.”
 

Neighbor's started to gather and whisper and I was afraid. I heard somebody say my daddy's name and my heart collapsed in my chest. “Oh no.” I thought. “Did my Daddy do somethin?” I asked Mrs. Joan. I heard sirens and saw an ambulance pull up. I kept trying to get a better look through the window.
 

I went into Mrs. Joan's bathroom and climbed up on the side of the bath tub, looking through that window. Just then I saw a police man walking my daddy to the car, and push him into the back seat. I tore through her house and ran out of the front door yelling, “Daddy!” My daddy's eyes caught mine, and he was crying. I felt dead. Mrs. Joan ran out after me but I was too quick and got up the stairs. There was my Momma on the floor her head was surrounded in blood and I fell to the floor. I think I fainted because I don't know how I got in the hospital bed I woke up in.

END OF PART ONE