Leila's Story

“Mommy, slow down!” Leila wailed, her short legs stumbling as her mother pulled her across the parking lot in front of JcPenneys.

Leila’s mother covered the mouthpiece of her cell phone and said, “Leila, I told you not to bother me when I’m on the phone.” She took her hand off her phone and said, “I’m so sorry, Gary, now what were you saying?”

Leila pushed her bangs off her sweaty face as the sun beat down on the back of her neck. She glanced up at the sun, and its brightness blinded her for a moment. She wrenched her hand from her mother’s and blinked furiously while rubbing her eyes, tears forming against her eyelids. When her vision cleared, the first thing she saw was a shiny penny glittering beside her. As if by instinct, Leila squatted down and scooped the penny up, admiring the way the sun glinted off its shiny surface.

She looked up to see her mother glaring at her, phone still in hand.

“Leila Ashley Moore, what in the world are you doing?”

“I found a lucky penny,” Leila whispered as her mother sighed an impatient sigh.

“Leila, you are seven and much too old to believe in superstitions like lucky pennies,” her mother said while pursing her lipstick-heavy lips. She grabbed Leila’s hand and continued the trek across the parking lot. Then the phone went back on her ear, and she said, “Gary, I’m telling you, it’s just impossible to get anything done when you have a daugh—oh, you’ll call me back later? But we’re still on for tonight, right? Alright, darling. Bye. Yes. Bye.”

Leila clutched her penny and looked up fearfully at her mother while still trying to keep up.

“Leila,” her mother said, shaking her head slowly as they finally reached their car. “Leila, Gary is coming over today for dinner.”

Leila groaned.

“And I don’t want that attitude, young lady,” warned her mother as she got into the car. “Now while Gary is over, I want you to be perfectly quiet during dinner. And then afterwards, you can stay in your room and watch a movie.”

         "Mommy, I don't want to watch a movie tonight all by myself. I hate watching movies by myself. You promised you would take me to see a movie in the big people theater but you haven't," Leila whined.

         "That is quite enough," snapped her mother, fumbling for her phone again. "Now, I need to call your good-for-nothing father so please be quiet for a few moments. And put on your seat belt," she added, glancing at Leila from the rearview mirror.


         Leila sighed and reached for the seatbelt and fastened it around her waist.


         "Dave? Is that you? I've had Leila for over a month now. We agreed that - yes...I know...Colorado? What in the world? No...What? Dave, you are just too much. Business trips? We didn't - Yes. No. Fine. Next week, then." Her mother snapped her phone shut and tossed it into the cupholder, sighing loudly.

         "What did Daddy say?" Leila asked, studying the surface of the penny. She brought it close to her face, smelling its metallic underside, and traced her finger over the bumpy outer ridges.

         "None of your business, Leila. It's rude to pry," her mother said, and began to fiddle with the radio. It blared on. Leila winced and her mother cursed under her breath and changed the station.

         The rest of the ride home was uneventful albeit the fact her mother almost ran a traffic light and completely ignored all the stop signs in the neighborhood. But Leila had learned not to point those mistakes out any longer.

         They had a second level condo in their complex that had a lovely view of the busy roads below. Leila would go to sleep listening to the rush of cars zooming by even very late at night. She missed her old house which had a front yard, big, leafy trees on either side of the driveway, and a swing set in the backyard. But now that her parents were - what was the word? - divorced, none of that was possible. They had sold the house and she was supposed to go back and forth between her parents, although she hadn't seen her father for over a month, now.

To be continued...