Happy Mabel’s Day
By Maria S. Nitsolas
Mabel surveyed the dining room table with a sense of satisfaction. It was perfectly laid with a crisp linen tablecloth, her finest china and a crystal cut vase filled with lilies from her garden.
The only fly in the ointment was the thunderstorm raging outside. It had started to brew yesterday evening under her watchful gaze. Black clouds rolled in this morning and it was not long before the rain started to cascade down, ruining her plans for an alfresco lunch.
Mabel felt her eye twitch as a bolt of lightning flashed across the sky. She marched over to the picture window and deftly drew the curtains in a futile attempt to drown out the low rumble of thunder. The heavy rain was inconveniently drowning out the soft music playing in the background, but she was not going to let this thunderstorm ruin her day.
She had slaved away in the kitchen all morning to prepare the roast lamb and had just popped the apple custard pie in the oven. It was now time to quickly get dressed before her family arrived.
Half an hour later, she was bustling about in her new blue dress, ready to serve her culinary delights.
“Isn’t the aroma positively heavenly?” She commented out loud, but nobody replied.
Mabel couldn’t help but notice her daughter, Emily, had barely touched the lamb, until she suddenly remembered Emily was a devout vegan. Oh well, Mabel shrugged as she scooped an extra serve of dauphinoise potatoes and honey glazed carrots onto her plate. Maybe that would tide her daughter over until dessert.
Her son, Graham, was exceptionally quiet today, but that was not unusual, especially since he had married that girl. His wife, Aiko, was Chinese or Japanese, Mabel could never remember and she could never understand why Graham was so offended. In any case, Aiko was not in attendance today and Mabel was most definitely not missing her absence.
Mabel fixed her gaze on the head of the table and her eyes narrowed at the mere sight of her husband. Perfect Henry. The kids adored him, but how could she blame them? Henry was a perennial fence sitter when it came to family disagreements, always afraid to rock the boat but willing to leave her with the task of stopping their daughter from joining PETA or forbidding their son from dating an Oriental woman. It was no wonder the kids secretly ran to him when they needed advice or consolation. She had to virtually beg them for a phone call or to pay her a visit. Mabel sighed and took solace in the fact that the rain had subsided.
The lunch was almost over, but there was enough time to bring out her cake. She lit the candle and made a wish.
“Happy birthday to me.” Mabel beamed.
And then she carefully picked up the framed photos of her family from their place at the table, packed them away and went into the kitchen to wash the dishes.
Maria S. Nitsolas is from Sydney, Australia. Her stories have been featured on 50 Word Stories, Sledgehammer Lit and Paragraph Planet. To follow her writing journey, visit https://www.mariasnitsolas.com/.
