The Legend of the Cherry Shake

The Legend of the Cherry Shake

         Darla was excited for the meeting to be over. Although she loved being included in the Young Women’s Program, she couldn’t wait for the special treat that awaited her on her way home. Since turning 12 in March, she was finally able to go with her older sisters Janice and Carolyn to the church every week. She was one of the “older” girls. But tonight’s meeting seemed to drag on. It must be over soon because her usually long lasting bubble gum was starting to lose its flavor and was getting hard.
         
         At the final “Amen”, Darla jumped from her seat. “Time to go!” But Janice and Carolyn were busy talking to their friends and getting all the latest town gossip.
         
         “Come oooonnnn. Let’s go!” Darla said, yanking on Janice’s sleeve for emphasis.
         
         “Oh, alright,” Janice said “Come on, Carolyn. Darla’s going to pass out if we don’t go soon.” Carolyn rolled her eyes and said good-bye to Sister Kapp and her friends. Darla ran out ahead of them as they made their way to the car. The minute the doors closed, Darla shouted, “What flavor are you guys getting? I want cherry.”
         
         “Big surprise.” Carolyn said as she turned to look at Darla in the back seat. “You always get cherry.”
         
         “Well,” she pouted “It's Dad’s favorite too.” Darla wanted to save a little of her ice cream shake for her dad. He worked hard in the fields all day, not to mention having to milk those smelly cows. He was usually exhausted when he came in, and was often found in front of the TV when they got home. Sports were a staple in their house, and the night chatter was often underscored by the soundtrack of crowds cheering in the background. She didn’t get to see him much since he worked all day, and those nights she could share with him were her favorite. Her dad had a gruff exterior, but underneath was a great sense of humor that he rarely showed.
         
         She made sure to get another straw for her father before leaving the ice cream shop. Her dad was very particular about sharing germs. When her sister wasn’t going to eat her carrots at dinner one night, Darla reached her fork to Janice’s plate to retrieve them.

         “What are you doing?” her dad's voice boomed as he swatted her hand away. His voice filled the room, and Darla jumped at the sound.
         
         “I was just getting the carrots that Janice isn’t going to eat!” she said lowering her head.
         
         “Not with your dirty fork you’re not. Get the serving spoon and use that.” Darla never made that mistake again.
         
         Her cherry shake was so sweet and flavorful compared to her hard gum. But, it was a 15 minute drive home, and by the time they turned up the gravel drive of 6th Avenue West, it had melted into a sticky goo. She jumped out of the car, and took the stone steps 2 at a time. She always loved coming back home after a night out. The air held the pungent scent of cow manure from the milking barn, and above that there was the sweet scent of the ripening hay and corn in the fields.
         
         The TV was blaring as always when she came in. Her dad was again watching a game, and from the doorway all Darla could see were her dad's sagging socks hanging halfway off his feet as if trying to escape from the smell. She giggled, and rushed past her mother in the kitchen. Janice and Carolyn were eager to tell their mother all the news from town. But Darla was eager to give her dad his treat.
         
         Her dad was sitting in his recliner with her little sister Sharon playing with her dolls on the floor next to him. Sharon saw Darla and scrambled up to her sweetly. “Can I have some?”
         
         “NO.” She said, pulling her cup out of Sharon’s reach. “This is for Dad. Maybe Janice and Carolyn have some left. Go ask them.”
         
         As Sharon bounded off toward the kitchen she walked over to her Dad’s chair. “Hey Dad. I saved you some of my shake. It’s Cherry. You’re favorite. It melted a little bit though.”
         
         “Thanks Darla. That’ll hit the spot. It was sure a hot one today.” Her dad wasn’t much of a complainer, but she noticed the tale-tell hint of a sunburn on his neck. As she handed him what was left of her gooey shake, she suddenly remembered she had left his straw in the car.
         
         “Be right back.” She yelled over her shoulder as she ran out of the room. She had left his straw on the back seat of the car and wanted to retrieve it fast. She again took the steps two at a time, huffing as she dashed back in.
         
         When she held out her had to give him his straw, she stopped short. There he was, sipping greedily through HER straw. A huge grin spread across her face. Her heart welled with pride as she realized that he somehow didn’t mind her germs. Take that, Sharon! she thought. Her baby sister always seemed to get her dad's attention. It was her turn now. She grinned to herself and turned toward the kitchen to talk to her mother.
         
         “Mom,” she said, ambling casually into the kitchen “Sister Kapp is soooo nice. We talked about good works today, and she said we all need to do something kind for someone this week. So guess what I did? I saved some of my shake for dad, and he was soooo happy.” Mom just smiled and let her speak. Darla liked to talk and always had something to say. It seemed that in a family with four girls, competing for attention was a constant struggle.
         
         “And, she said her cat had kittens. They brought them in the house until they get older.” She looked at her mother pleadingly.
         
         “Oh, Darla. That’s ridiculous. My word, I don’t know why anyone would want animals in their house.” Her mother thought animals belonged outside. After all they did live on a farm.
         
         “Can we go see them?  Pllleeease. They’re so cute and furry before their eyes open. Oh, and Doris’s dog killed another chicken and got feathers all over the place. Her mom said….”


         “My hell! What is this! I’ve been chewing on this damn thing for half an hour and thought it was a cherry!” Her dad's deep voice bellowed from the other room, and seemed to shake the house and bounce off the walls.

The blood drained from Darla’s face as she recognized her hardened gum pinched between her dad's fingers. How could she have forgotten? She always spit her gum out in her shake. She must have just done it without thinking. She froze in her place. Her dad's face was so red she didn’t know what to do. Her sisters and even her Mom were no help. They all seemed to have their hands over their mouths trying not to snicker. That would be a huge mistake when her dad was like this. Laughing at Dad was not an option. Everyone else seemed to melt into the walls, and there Darla was, standing with a light shining on her face.

         "I…I..I’m ssooorrry. I don’t know how…I…uh…” Darla stammered. Her dad just threw the hardened lump to the floor with a grunt and turned back to his game grumbling under his breath. She had no idea what he was saying, but it couldn’t be good. Her face red, and her back hunched, she slowly backed out of the room.

         As she passed her sisters in the kitchen, they couldn’t meet her gaze, and suddenly found themselves fascinated with the pictures on the wall and the strange pattern of the kitchen table. But her mother just winked at her as she passed and yelled to the other room.

         “What’s the score, Roy?” Her dad began complaining about his team, letting his anger move in another direction as her mother knew it would. She could always diffuse a tense situation.

         That night, as they lay in bed, her sisters just had to re-live her humiliation, and let out the snickers they had held back. While Darla still felt a little stupid to have made that mistake, she found herself giggling along with them. She just hoped her dad wouldn’t stay mad for long.

         The room settled down, and Darla began to drift off to sleep. In her foggy stupor she could swear she heard the sound of whispered laughter coming from her parent’s room. A deep chuckle followed it, and Darla’s heart lifted. Her father got angry very quickly, but there was no denying where they all got their sense of humor.

1519 Words

This is a story is based on a true incident related to me by my mother Darla. She grew up in Vale, Oregon. It is a small farming community which I visited often as a child.