Family Time

I took Maddie and her friend to the little park by our house this afternoon. While they played I sat and read. Along came a family - a mom, her three children, and two dogs. The youngest, a boy, played on the equipment while the two girls, pre-teen/young teen-looking, complained about wanting to go home.

I was struck by an oddness about these people. The older daughter, a true dark-haired beauty, walked slowly with her arms slack in front of her, hanging like the branches of a weeping willow. She looked uncomfortable, yet she never walked any other way. The mother was dressed in a very dirty-looking outfit - a graying, Old Navy fourth of July ribbed tank top from years past, her bra visible from the armholes and stained-looking as well; plaid, elastic-waisted capri pants with dirt spots, hiked up past her waist. The too-long, spiky black hair under her arms was visible and made me think of a brush cut. She sat down where I was and told me that the little dog was new - her husband told her that they needed something to make her happy, so he got the puppy for her. They named him Happy. She explained that they couldn't afford the dog, but he had done a side job that day and had cash in his pocket, so he was able to buy it.

Then, after the middle daughter's third or fourth request, they left the park. I watched them go. The older girls arms hung as she walked; they seemed extra long.