Do the Demise (Part 3 of a STRICTLY scheduled serial) by Nicholas Gitomer

Pt. 3 of 4

Marky’s mother was unsure what to do. It was not like deciding whether a note in some piece of Brahms should be played forte or mezzo-forte, the decision did not require that kind of precision.

In any event, she knew what she had–and that was a blubbering baby boy, her own, collapsed and sobbing on her knee. She pat him on the back a few times and carried him back up to his room, laying the now-sleeping child into its bed. Elizabeth felt a little slimy doing this–she imagined there were more caring actions–but she had work to do. She needed to focus on her art!

As a single parent there were often times she had to negotiate between what was right for her child and what was right for her art and career. She always hoped that she chose the right path, while at the same time knowing that it was a constant negotiation between two poles.

One time she had the opportunity to go on a three-week chamber tour, but she knew the only way she could do it would be to leave Marky with her aunt. Elizabeth kind of despised her aunt, all along knowing that for her to care for Marky was the only option if she wanted to go on tour. So she let her son go with aunt Anne even though she knew it meant Marky would be without his beloved television and candy for three weeks.

When Elizabeth returned from that tour, Marky was resigned and bitter. Elizabeth made the meatloaf that Marky loved and everything returned to normal. And so it went that anytime Marky became destitute, Elizabeth would do one or two motherly things and Marky would be, more or less, back to normal. Never the same as he was, but at least stable.

Marky awakes sluggishly in his room, 5:30 p.m. His growling stomach informs that dinner has not been eaten. Before he was dancing, now he his sluggishly shifting his weight around. He hates what is hapening to him. It was a new drug that he could not understand. No one at his school had ever been on it so he did not know how to act with it streaming in his veins, he feels as though something is growing in him that he can not understand or identify.

TUNE IN TWO WEEKS FROM NOW FOR THE EXCITING CONCLUSION!