Delta40
02-01-2012, 06:58 AM
Mary had always wanted a mannequin. She told friends if she had one, she would be in seventh heaven. When the chance to purchase a dummy off eBay arose, Mary went for it and snapped her purchase up for the princely sum of $270.00.
When he arrived, Mary’s heart fluttered. He sat like some thoughtful Greek statue on the sofa, looking blankly outward. His square, fibreglass jaw gave him a studious edge despite his lack of features. Mary enjoyed the sensation of his smooth surface from top to bottom.
‘I think I will call you Mark,’ she decided after her welcoming inspection and kissed the top of his smooth pate.
Before her children arrived home, Mary dressed Mark in silk boxers and singlet. The task proved to be rather physical and Mary was in stitches rolling on the lounge floor working the tight elastic and not so workable limbs. She was damp and sweaty by the time she was done. Mark looked decent enough and as a final touch, she snatched her sunglasses from the table and balanced them on the hard edge of his nose.
‘Whew! You look great. The kids will just love you.’
Young Josh was the first to burst in from school. ‘Mum I’m home, what’s for din…’
He stopped in his tracks, eyeing the odd figure on the couch. Mark was unmoved and merely sat, leaning slightly forward, a hand supporting his chin. Josh dropped his bag and blinked. Mary came in drying her hands.
‘Pretty cool huh? I figured it was about time we had a man around the house but I couldn’t find one good enough for you kids, so what do you reckon?’
Mary hoped a smile would cross her son’s face. Instead, he looked hurt. Josh picked up his bag, shook his head and went to his room. ‘We don’t need a father!’ echoed down the hallway a few seconds later.
Adele arrived shortly after. She screamed in fright. Mary tried to explain Mark’s new role in the McCarthy household but Adele was too creeped out to listen.
‘He’ll give me nightmares, Mum. Get rid of him!’
Mary was disappointed. She was hoping Mark would be a hit with the kids as he was with her. Her ex-partner Danny took off two years ago for Queensland with the ‘new love of his life.’ Mary didn’t know he'd had time to find one. He lived for football and worked a 50 hour week. She had taken the split in her stride but the kids had paid a higher price. Danny had not so much as written or phoned Josh and Adele. Josh was torn inside over the loss of his father. Footy was their shared interest and Adele had been his little princess. Mary couldn’t reconcile how Danny turned his back on the kids.
Sitting next to Mark, Mary told him how she was a good mother and she didn’t date.
‘My kids need me, you see. Josh’s world has gone belly-up. He used to be a carefree kid, you know. Adele just tiptoes around as if she’s terrified of the future. It wasn’t always like that, Mark.’
Mary started dinner, feeling a little better for speaking aloud. Not something she usually did.
Dinner was a strained affair. Mary placed Mark at the head of the table. She served up pasta bake with Turkish bread and cheese. Josh knew his mum was trying to cheer him up. He felt like he was the freak in a circus. To him, the dummy seemed to fit in better than he did. His cheeks flamed as he tore the bread into angry chunks.
‘Why can’t we be a normal family?’ he blurted.
‘You’ve got it wrong son. We are normal.’ Mary ruffled Josh’s hair playfully. Josh winced. Mary was determined to keep things light. She twittered about her day, asked about theirs. The kids were unchanged. Mary pretended not to notice.
Later that night, Josh heard Mary go to bed. He waited another 15 minutes before creeping out into the lounge. The eerie moonlight streamed in and Josh saw the silhouetted figure reposing. With no idea of what he intended to do, Josh angrily confronted the dummy, his heart pounding in his ears. He clenched and unclenched his fists and then, out of curiosity and fear, Josh touched the smooth hand, afraid of what may happen. Mark remained still, calm. Josh knelt before the studious figure and continued to hold the hand. Mark was silent in the night. A lump rose in Josh’s chest.
‘I miss my Dad,’ he croaked. Josh squeezed the hand hard as this confession was whispered aloud and Josh let his tears fall to the carpet for several minutes. The young boy then fled back to his room.
The next morning, Mary decided Mark might have been a bad idea after all. The kids were gone and she was left with a mountainful of dishes for company. It was true she was impulsive at times and Mark had been one of those moments. She just wanted to ease the burden of guilt she felt without getting involved. The cat wove itself in and out of his cold, still legs. Mary absently hummed ‘A Spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.’
Her friend Carol dropped by. She thought Mark was a hoot.
‘You and men Mary. I tell you – you’re definitely doing something wrong. You must be barking mad to have him here.’
Mary kissed her dummy’s cheek protectively.
‘Not at all! I’m very happy to have him here. He’ll never cheat on me that’s for sure and when I argue with him, he doesn’t answer back.’
‘Well sweetie, my husband has sat in the same chair for twenty years and doesn’t do either of those things. C’mon! Your Mark friend can’t possibly be of any use. Dump him and get yourself a real man. You know, if you try Mary, you can look quite dishy. There’s still time.’
They laughed and drank coffee.
As the days wore on, Mary realised she had opened a can of worms. She found herself confiding in him as if he were real. When she would normally watch Dr Phil or Oprah, looking for magical self-help answers to her troubles, she spilt her guts to Mark about Danny instead. She let rip on dark stuff, which she had locked inside. Mary spouted to friends sure, but the real stuff got shared with Mark. Mary’s confidences were at a much deeper level. Always Mark allowed her the space and freedom to express her true feelings. He really didn’t get in the way with dialogue. His presence was a guide. Talk shows became obsolete.
It suddenly occurred to Mary that perhaps Mark should leave for this very reason. Mary was vulnerable and exposing too much of her inner feelings. She had to stay in control.
When she crept down the hallway the following morning, she saw, to her surprise, Adele whispering something in Mark's moulded ear. Adele put a hand over her mouth in affected shock, then whispered something else. She giggled with the delight of a child her age. There was a sparkling mischief in her eyes, which Mary had not seen in a long time. She watched her daughter spring off to school.
‘We need to talk Mark. I was thinking of telling you this anyway. You should probably go.’
There, Mary had said it but the statement didn’t have quite the effect she thought it would. No tantrum, protest or tactics to frustrate her attempt to be in control. The reality being she already was. Mark had allowed her to be the whole time. Not like Danny.
‘You see, since you arrived in the house people have been talking you know and I’ve heard Josh late at night. I can tell he isn’t sleeping. God knows he needs peace.’
Mary recalled the times Josh and Danny spent playing footy together. Now all Josh did was bounce the ball off his bedroom wall.
‘His life is football and it got taken away.’ Mary had not thought how angry Josh might be at her.
‘Mark, do you think I should talk to him about it?’ As usual, Mark’s reply spoke volumes. ‘You’ve been a really good friend, you know that?’
On that note, Mary dealt with her dirty laundry. As she sorted through the bundles, Mary realized her kids feelings were a topic she had been avoiding for a while. Instead, she had used humour and comfort to cover the unpleasantness. Josh was angry. Adele was nervous, twirling her pigtails like there was no tomorrow. Everyone doing their own thing under the one roof. Mary was going to change all that.
That evening, over spaghetti bolognaise, Josh’s head shot up. ‘Where’s Mark?’ He’d been looping the strands of pasta aimlessly when he suddenly realized the dummy's lack of presence. Adele stopped chewing and put her fork down.
‘I thought perhaps you’re right about me being a little wacky son. Mark is a dumb idea. I’m sorry. I should have been more sensitive about the way you have been feeling but I haven’t.’ Mary squirmed, brushing her locks to one side.
‘What I mean is, I know its tough without Dad and I guess you miss him.’ She paused and then said to both the children, ‘I miss him.’
The kitchen was still cooling from the oven. Mary felt the sweat trickle between her breasts as two sets of eyes slowly blinked. Still they said nothing.
‘I was thinking Josh, perhaps we could go and kick the footy for a while after tea?’
Josh looked at Adele who gave an ‘I dunno’ shrug reply.
‘Alright,’ he said finally ‘but you have to be the Eagles.’
Mary smiled. Josh hated the Eagles. She assumed after a few rounds she would move up the ladder.
‘Great. How about if Adele here is goalie?’
Adele leaped up and dramatically gave a signal. Everyone laughed. They wolfed down their meal in anticipation of the great Dockers Eagles match.
The muffled excitement taking place down the corridor penetrated through the laminate doors of Mary’s walk-in robe. Staring upward with infinite patience, ready to listen whenever he was needed lay the dismembered body of Mark, a Dummy Father and friend.
When he arrived, Mary’s heart fluttered. He sat like some thoughtful Greek statue on the sofa, looking blankly outward. His square, fibreglass jaw gave him a studious edge despite his lack of features. Mary enjoyed the sensation of his smooth surface from top to bottom.
‘I think I will call you Mark,’ she decided after her welcoming inspection and kissed the top of his smooth pate.
Before her children arrived home, Mary dressed Mark in silk boxers and singlet. The task proved to be rather physical and Mary was in stitches rolling on the lounge floor working the tight elastic and not so workable limbs. She was damp and sweaty by the time she was done. Mark looked decent enough and as a final touch, she snatched her sunglasses from the table and balanced them on the hard edge of his nose.
‘Whew! You look great. The kids will just love you.’
Young Josh was the first to burst in from school. ‘Mum I’m home, what’s for din…’
He stopped in his tracks, eyeing the odd figure on the couch. Mark was unmoved and merely sat, leaning slightly forward, a hand supporting his chin. Josh dropped his bag and blinked. Mary came in drying her hands.
‘Pretty cool huh? I figured it was about time we had a man around the house but I couldn’t find one good enough for you kids, so what do you reckon?’
Mary hoped a smile would cross her son’s face. Instead, he looked hurt. Josh picked up his bag, shook his head and went to his room. ‘We don’t need a father!’ echoed down the hallway a few seconds later.
Adele arrived shortly after. She screamed in fright. Mary tried to explain Mark’s new role in the McCarthy household but Adele was too creeped out to listen.
‘He’ll give me nightmares, Mum. Get rid of him!’
Mary was disappointed. She was hoping Mark would be a hit with the kids as he was with her. Her ex-partner Danny took off two years ago for Queensland with the ‘new love of his life.’ Mary didn’t know he'd had time to find one. He lived for football and worked a 50 hour week. She had taken the split in her stride but the kids had paid a higher price. Danny had not so much as written or phoned Josh and Adele. Josh was torn inside over the loss of his father. Footy was their shared interest and Adele had been his little princess. Mary couldn’t reconcile how Danny turned his back on the kids.
Sitting next to Mark, Mary told him how she was a good mother and she didn’t date.
‘My kids need me, you see. Josh’s world has gone belly-up. He used to be a carefree kid, you know. Adele just tiptoes around as if she’s terrified of the future. It wasn’t always like that, Mark.’
Mary started dinner, feeling a little better for speaking aloud. Not something she usually did.
Dinner was a strained affair. Mary placed Mark at the head of the table. She served up pasta bake with Turkish bread and cheese. Josh knew his mum was trying to cheer him up. He felt like he was the freak in a circus. To him, the dummy seemed to fit in better than he did. His cheeks flamed as he tore the bread into angry chunks.
‘Why can’t we be a normal family?’ he blurted.
‘You’ve got it wrong son. We are normal.’ Mary ruffled Josh’s hair playfully. Josh winced. Mary was determined to keep things light. She twittered about her day, asked about theirs. The kids were unchanged. Mary pretended not to notice.
Later that night, Josh heard Mary go to bed. He waited another 15 minutes before creeping out into the lounge. The eerie moonlight streamed in and Josh saw the silhouetted figure reposing. With no idea of what he intended to do, Josh angrily confronted the dummy, his heart pounding in his ears. He clenched and unclenched his fists and then, out of curiosity and fear, Josh touched the smooth hand, afraid of what may happen. Mark remained still, calm. Josh knelt before the studious figure and continued to hold the hand. Mark was silent in the night. A lump rose in Josh’s chest.
‘I miss my Dad,’ he croaked. Josh squeezed the hand hard as this confession was whispered aloud and Josh let his tears fall to the carpet for several minutes. The young boy then fled back to his room.
The next morning, Mary decided Mark might have been a bad idea after all. The kids were gone and she was left with a mountainful of dishes for company. It was true she was impulsive at times and Mark had been one of those moments. She just wanted to ease the burden of guilt she felt without getting involved. The cat wove itself in and out of his cold, still legs. Mary absently hummed ‘A Spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.’
Her friend Carol dropped by. She thought Mark was a hoot.
‘You and men Mary. I tell you – you’re definitely doing something wrong. You must be barking mad to have him here.’
Mary kissed her dummy’s cheek protectively.
‘Not at all! I’m very happy to have him here. He’ll never cheat on me that’s for sure and when I argue with him, he doesn’t answer back.’
‘Well sweetie, my husband has sat in the same chair for twenty years and doesn’t do either of those things. C’mon! Your Mark friend can’t possibly be of any use. Dump him and get yourself a real man. You know, if you try Mary, you can look quite dishy. There’s still time.’
They laughed and drank coffee.
As the days wore on, Mary realised she had opened a can of worms. She found herself confiding in him as if he were real. When she would normally watch Dr Phil or Oprah, looking for magical self-help answers to her troubles, she spilt her guts to Mark about Danny instead. She let rip on dark stuff, which she had locked inside. Mary spouted to friends sure, but the real stuff got shared with Mark. Mary’s confidences were at a much deeper level. Always Mark allowed her the space and freedom to express her true feelings. He really didn’t get in the way with dialogue. His presence was a guide. Talk shows became obsolete.
It suddenly occurred to Mary that perhaps Mark should leave for this very reason. Mary was vulnerable and exposing too much of her inner feelings. She had to stay in control.
When she crept down the hallway the following morning, she saw, to her surprise, Adele whispering something in Mark's moulded ear. Adele put a hand over her mouth in affected shock, then whispered something else. She giggled with the delight of a child her age. There was a sparkling mischief in her eyes, which Mary had not seen in a long time. She watched her daughter spring off to school.
‘We need to talk Mark. I was thinking of telling you this anyway. You should probably go.’
There, Mary had said it but the statement didn’t have quite the effect she thought it would. No tantrum, protest or tactics to frustrate her attempt to be in control. The reality being she already was. Mark had allowed her to be the whole time. Not like Danny.
‘You see, since you arrived in the house people have been talking you know and I’ve heard Josh late at night. I can tell he isn’t sleeping. God knows he needs peace.’
Mary recalled the times Josh and Danny spent playing footy together. Now all Josh did was bounce the ball off his bedroom wall.
‘His life is football and it got taken away.’ Mary had not thought how angry Josh might be at her.
‘Mark, do you think I should talk to him about it?’ As usual, Mark’s reply spoke volumes. ‘You’ve been a really good friend, you know that?’
On that note, Mary dealt with her dirty laundry. As she sorted through the bundles, Mary realized her kids feelings were a topic she had been avoiding for a while. Instead, she had used humour and comfort to cover the unpleasantness. Josh was angry. Adele was nervous, twirling her pigtails like there was no tomorrow. Everyone doing their own thing under the one roof. Mary was going to change all that.
That evening, over spaghetti bolognaise, Josh’s head shot up. ‘Where’s Mark?’ He’d been looping the strands of pasta aimlessly when he suddenly realized the dummy's lack of presence. Adele stopped chewing and put her fork down.
‘I thought perhaps you’re right about me being a little wacky son. Mark is a dumb idea. I’m sorry. I should have been more sensitive about the way you have been feeling but I haven’t.’ Mary squirmed, brushing her locks to one side.
‘What I mean is, I know its tough without Dad and I guess you miss him.’ She paused and then said to both the children, ‘I miss him.’
The kitchen was still cooling from the oven. Mary felt the sweat trickle between her breasts as two sets of eyes slowly blinked. Still they said nothing.
‘I was thinking Josh, perhaps we could go and kick the footy for a while after tea?’
Josh looked at Adele who gave an ‘I dunno’ shrug reply.
‘Alright,’ he said finally ‘but you have to be the Eagles.’
Mary smiled. Josh hated the Eagles. She assumed after a few rounds she would move up the ladder.
‘Great. How about if Adele here is goalie?’
Adele leaped up and dramatically gave a signal. Everyone laughed. They wolfed down their meal in anticipation of the great Dockers Eagles match.
The muffled excitement taking place down the corridor penetrated through the laminate doors of Mary’s walk-in robe. Staring upward with infinite patience, ready to listen whenever he was needed lay the dismembered body of Mark, a Dummy Father and friend.