Tony was not one to pamper her most of the time. He liked to introduce her to new things. Things Morgan would never do on her own. He took her to horror movies, like Magic, Halloween, and Texas Chainsaw Massacre, but he would not hold her when she awoke with nightmares. He thought she was being silly and childish.

He took her to concerts and introduced her to music she had never listened to before. The first concert was Boston, and one of the most memorable was Pink Floyd. Black Sabbath and Nazareth were haunting. Morgan became a real fan of Rock-N-Roll, which her parents had limited when she was growing up. There had been the 45’s left over from her older brothers, but those were not like the music Tony liked.

After they began playing Dungeon & Dragons, there were frequent trips to Lennox Square to pick up accessories for the game. Tony bought figurines for her to paint and hex pads so she could map out her own world. Morgan found the dice he bought interesting because one six-sided seemed to always roll good scores for her characters.

On one trip to Lennox Square, Tony bought the first pair of Nike tennis shoes she ever owned. They were the first brand name sneakers she had. Morgan loved them; not realizing the brand would become a staple in her life for years to come.

When they moved into the tiny one bedroom apartment they had very little furniture, but it was okay because there was not much space to fill. One day they bought a poster of an owl and a frame to hang in the bedroom. It was the single most artistic thing in the place. There was a small Buddha figurine in the bathroom, but it made Morgan queasy because of the admonition against idols in the Bible.

They did not eat at home a lot because Morgan was not a very good cook. She had never learned many culinary skills because sharing the kitchen with her mother was not easy. Tony knew more recipes than she did.

She spent many hours obsessively tidying the apartment or writing poetry while Tony was at work. The bright red Cadillac Coupe De Ville took her where she needed to go. She was thankful her brother had found it for her and her parents had given it to her. It was the best first car she could imagine, even though it was years old and had required a lot of hard work to bring its luster back. Morgan had done all the labor by herself. She loved Katie Scarlett for her bright chrome, shiny red finish, and supple white leather interior.

No one warned her that everything could change in a heartbeat. Time passed with the briskness of a setting sun…

© Jo Ann J. A. Jordan
Saturday, October 26, 2013