Summer Heat

The pounding in her head would not go away. Teresa tossed on the sofa, trying to ignore the shouts of the children who were playing in the alley. This was why she had never wanted a house with its back to an alley, but Simon had insisted it was perfect for the family. It was just two blocks away from the elementary school where he taught. Now she was forced to endure the jarring sounds of the jackhammer as construction workers prepared the school for the new term.



“Mommy, let’s go outside,” two year old Ashley was tugging her hand.



Teresa struggled to open her eyes. “No baby, it’s too hot outside. It’s time for your nap anyway.” She tried to pull the child onto the sofa.



“No Mommy, no nap!” Ashley wasn’t having any of it. “Ashley wants to play outside!”



Teresa gritted her teeth in self pity. She was having a difficult pregnancy, and needed rest badly. She wasn’t getting much rest with an active two year old who hardly slept during the day time. The sweltering heat wave covering New York City was compounding her misery.





“Come and watch TV with Mommy.” she quickly turned the flat screen on and flipped through channels until she found Sprout. That distracted Ashley who quickly climbed into the sofa and sat staring absorbedly at the screen. Teresa gave herself a mental pat for coming up with a solution. For all of one minute, Ashley danced and sang with Barney.



“Mommy! Read book please!” Teresa was awoken from another fitful nap. Ashley was standing before her with her arms full of books. Sighing, she took one of the books and started reading in a monotone.



“Mummy, run!” Ashley began jumping excitedly. She was not content with hearing words; she wanted her mother to chase her through the house.



“Mommy is tired, baby,” Teresa explained gently, “when Daddy comes home he will read for you and chase you around.”



“Run, Mommy!” Ashley set off giggling around the living room furniture. When she realized her mother was not following, she returned crestfallen. “Mommy, run!”



“No, baby, Mommy can’t run. Your baby sister was due last week and the doctor has put your mommy on bed rest.” Teresa watched her daughter’s lips quivered and her eyes glistened with tears. Hoping to avert a full scale tantrum, she struggled up from the sofa and began waddling.



“See Ashley, Mommy is running.”



Ashley whooped in delight and took off again, looking back every few seconds to see if her mother was still following.



Teresa could not understand why she should be sweating so profusely when the air conditioner was on. It was then she noticed the strange whirring sound coming from the unit.



“Don’t tell me the air conditioner is broken,” she groaned. “It’s ninety degree outside for crying out loud.”



The hammer inside her head picked up stride, and now the beatings were merciless. She needed something to cushion the pain – aspirin, alcohol – but knew none of her choices was a smart idea.



She plopped back onto the sofa, bracing for another protest from Ashley. But the child had found herself some crayons and was busily coloring the hard wood floor. Unable to bear the heat any longer, she came to a sudden decision.



“Come Ashley, let’s go outside.”



She opened her front door to an unpleasant surprise. The neighborhood kids had apparently abandoned their game in the alley, for there they were in her yard, under the sprinklers. She was livid.



“Get out you brats! All of you go home!”



The children barely glanced at her and continued romping.



Teresa was incensed at their bold-faced insolence. I am going to wring their ears, she thought angrily as she grabbed Ashley’s hand and headed down the stairs. She had reached the last one when she stumbled and fell. Pain as she had never felt before, shot through her body and she screamed in terror. She sank gratefully into the darkness that overtook her consciousness.



When she came to, the oldest of the children was peering down at her.



“Don’t worry, Miss,” he reassured her, “we delivered your baby and she is safe. We called an ambulance too.”



She could hear the sirens coming down her street.



word count: 711