AT THE MALL

Greetings -

This is fiction but could be true...

AT THE MALL

Warren Langley works as a supervisor at Junction Bus Operations. He is eager to own an event planning business where his entire family can be involved. Belinda, his wife, is a Recruiter in the government. Warren has been striving for years to recruit Belinda to share his dream of business ownership. Warren’s parents, now divorced, are retired entrepreneurs, who operated a catering business.

Belinda has a Master’s degree in economics though nothing in her attitude about personal finances is indicative that she has mastered anything profitable relative to currency accountability. Her most earnest endeavor is to be at the malls.

Warren and Belinda have two children, Jackson, 19 and Kim who is 14.

Warren begins to daydream about their early days of marriage. He remembers the days when he could be assured of respect from Belinda, with quality marital involvement, regular home cooked meals, and a tidy house. He is not sure when Belinda changed. There was a gradual shifting of her priorities. Her job requires her to travel often and she loves her occupation more than her family. Warren has repeatedly asked Brenda to quit her job to help him to form, and operate his dream business. She is not interested.

Warren phones Belinda to invite her out to dinner.

She answers.

“Hi babe, how about we meet at Fleming’s for dinner in about an hour?” Warren asks.

“O honey, I’m on my way to the mall.”

“You stay at the mall, Belinda,” states Warren with a rise in his voice.

“No, I don’t. I’m there a lot but I don’t stay there.”

“You know what I mean,” snaps Warren.

 Belinda demurs, “I won’t be long. I’ll pick us up dinner on my way home.”

“I’ll pass,” says Warren. He hangs up the phone.

“Hello, Hello?” What is the deal with Warren these days? she asks herself. She heads to the mall.

Warren calls Tony, his friend from childhood. “Man, I invited Belinda for dinner tonight. She declined because guess where she’s going?”

 “To the mall,” responds Tony.

“You got it,” bemoans Warren.

Tony senses Warren’s pain and anger. Tony asks, “How about you and I do dinner tonight?”

The friends agree to meet at Fleming’s.

Linda, Belinda’s friend and fellow mall cohort, is already at the mall when Belinda arrives. At least once a week, the two are at one mall or another. If malls issued frequent shopper benefits, their revenue would be off the chart.

Finally, after hours, exhausted, they head home.

Belinda comes in the door laden with bags.

"Hi," says Belinda.

Jackson and Kim look at each other and roll their eyes - mom again in her love affair with the mall.

“Hi mom,” the kids respond.

Kim tells her mother, “Dad called. He said that he was going to dinner with Mr. Tony. He said that you were at the mall, and would bring us dinner.”

Belinda’s eyes widen. “Oops, I forgot. I apologize.”

Kim responds, “You forget us a lot, mom.”

Belinda looks but does not respond to Kim’s statement. “Let’s order pizza,” Belinda suggests.

Jackson says, “Why not cook? We rarely get home cooked meals anymore.”

“Yea, mom, why not cook,” encourages Kim. “I’ll help.”

Belinda shakes her head – “No, I am not cooking. I do not feel like it, kids.”

Jackson sarcastically replies, “You feel like going to that job that Dad asked you to quit – you feel like traveling often away from us, and most of all, you feel like being at the mall – but you don’t feel like cooking for your family?”

“Watch your tone, young man,” Belinda warns.

The brother and sister exchange looks, and go to the basement.

Belinda laments and comments to herself, I don’t understand why Jackson and Kim do not realize how fortunate they are. She dismisses the matter, prepares a microwave meal, and proceeds to the den to shop online.

Warren comes home and finds Belinda shopping on the Internet. He fumes. “Belinda, something has got to give. This addictive shopping cannot continue. I have plans and family goals to advance us. That cannot happen with your irresponsible financial conduct, and the failures in your roles as wife and mother. For years, we have tolerated your decline. What happened to you?!”

Belinda whirls around, “Who are you calling a failure?! How dare you insult and disrespect me like that! What do you mean what happened to me?!”

“I love you, Belinda. That does not mean that I will not call a spade a spade. You have an addiction to shopping, we have a severe intimate disconnection, you travel too often away from us, you cease to keep a tidy house, and you rarely cook. Those define failures to me. You have a Master’s degree in economics. I can’t tell! In sum, you are consumed by selfishness.”

Belinda does not want to own the truth spoken by her husband. She gives him a defiant look and strides out of the room.

Warren does not pursue. He is not sure what to do about this dismal family condition.

Jackson, a college athlete, has a baseball game today. He had invited his family to attend.

Belinda informed that she would be on business travel.

Warren, Kim, and Robert, Jackson’s grandfather, are in attendance at the game.

The action is exciting.

Jackson is impressive.

Out of nowhere, it seems, lightning strikes accompanied by a booming thunderous sound.

People begin to scatter for cover.

The players seek refuge.

Jackson is on the ground. He has been struck by lightning!
 
His family rushes to the field.

The ambulance comes and delivers Jackson to Harmony Hospital.

Warren phones Belinda.

Her phone is off. While on business travel, she is, where else - at the mall. After hours of shopping, a twinge of guilt hits her. She phones to ask how Jackson is doing at the game. She observes that she has a voice mail message. She listens in horror as her husband informs her that Jackson is in ICU after being struck by lightning.

Belinda cries out, “O God, please don’t let my baby die!” I will do whatever You tell me just don’t let my baby die!” She breaks down in gut wrenching sobs.

Passersby gaze at her but only one, Emily, stops to help.

Belinda tells her about Jackson in ICU.

Emily offers to pray for Jackson – Belinda accepts.

They walk together to Belinda’s rental car where Emily prays a fervent prayer. Then, Emily, in encouragement, squeezes Belinda’s hand, and departs.

Belinda’s flight home seems endless.

At Harmony Hospital, the family anxiously awaits word on Jackson.

The doctor informs that it is touch and go. He says, “Jackson is young. He has that in his favor. You can go in to see him now, please, no more than two family members at a time.”

Warren and Robert go in the room first.

Jackson is unconscious and they do not know if he knows that they are there.

Next Kim goes to his bedside.

Jackson remains unresponsive.

Hours go by – other family members join those already there. They rotate going in to Jackson.

He does not stir at all.

Near midnight, a despondent Belinda runs in and locates her family.

They tell her that, since his arrival, Jackson has not responded to anyone’s presence.

Belinda, with her husband, enters Jackson’s room. Together they pray at his bedside.

“Dear Lord, Belinda begins, please save our son. Forgive me for my failures and for how I have neglected my family. Please God, don’t let our baby die!”

Warren cries, “Lord, please let him live!”

Jackson stirs. Slowly, he opens his eyes – he first sees his mother.

“Hi mom, I thought you were out of town.”

She cries out in relief. “I came back for you. It is abundantly clear to me now that my family is more important than a job, trips, or being at the malls. This is my wake up call. I am done with the misplaced priorities. She looks over at her husband who is overcome with emotion. “Will you both forgive me?” she pleads. I promise to prove that I mean what I have said.”

Jackson assures her, “Of course, mom – we love you.”

Warren says nothing. He grabs his wife and embraces her in a passionate hug.

Epilogue:

Jackson fully recovered.

Belinda conquered her shopping addiction, got her finances in order, quit her job, and became a better wife than she was in the earlier days of matrimony with Warren. She also became a quality and attentive mother.

Warren reached his goal of business ownership. He and Belinda opened their event planning business called, “Heightened Awareness.” The added value is that his parents work there part time. The business is consistently in the black, thanks in part, to Belinda’s Master’s degree in economics.

One event fulfilled by “Heightened Awareness” has particular significance – that is the reception for Warren’s remarried parents.

 © Copyright Sunday January 31, 2010 – Revised August 3, 2010