Nancy was the daughters name, named after her grandmother. She lived a very sheltered life, even now as an adult she wasn't allowed do things that most women her age wouldn't even have to ask to do. She worked at the local grocery store and after her shift she would come home and eat Mamma's dinner that she would only just about tolerate, then go for a short walk around the town and back to the house where her and her mother would enjoy some television before bedtime.
Mrs. Johnson didn't like her engaging too much with people outside of their home but reminded her that if contact is made then it's important to pass yourself in a friendly manner so they won't talk, something Nancy obeyed all her life. The hierarchy in this household was clear and never challenged.
When it came to Nancy dating, this was a total no-go subject, as boys, as Mrs. Johnson referred to them as, were bad news and would leave her daughter heartbroken and messed up. For the most part Nancy did stick to this rule of thumb, she had a crush on numerous guys growing up but nothing Mrs. Johnson couldn't quickly squash.
As Nancy's 34th birthday was coming up, she asked her mom of it was ok to ask a boy around for a couple of hours, someone she worked with. Mrs. Johnson agreed only on the terms that they were just as friends and they had to be around her all the time, Nancy nodded her head smiling "Thanks Mamma". This sudden change of attitude was something Nancy was surprised with but ultimately happy about, her first ever guy was allowed to call over, a big day in the life of Nancy Johnson.
The door bell rang and Nancy came to answer it, she stood there nervous as hell with makeup splashed allover her face like a porcelain doll from the 1920's, with a polkadot dress to match. Behind her stood her mom with a face as happy as a drunks at closing time. "Come in dear, don't be shy" she said in a forged happy manner that only her daughter could pick up on, this was the same way she spoke to the kids on the street. In stepped the skinny, lanky "boy" before being ushered to take a seat.
Mrs.Johnson sat directly in between them both. Nancy tried as much as she could to communicate to the man but her mom would always interrupt and change the subject to something totally different, whatever to keep this dirty bastard away from my girl she was thinking. "I like your dress Nancy" stuttered the nervous man, but before Nancy could say thanks, Mrs. Johnson again chimed in with "I think you look silly and foolish, I mean who are you trying to impress". Nancy bowed her head down but didn't say anything, the hierarchy once again respected.
After a few minutes awkwardly passed Mrs.Johnson suggested that Nancy go out the back yard, pick some lemons from the lemon tree and offer this "Lovely boy" some fresh lemonade. As Nancy obliged and made her way out, Mrs. Johnson asked the boy to wait there a moment as she had to go grab something upstairs.
"Close your eyes" said Mrs. Johnson while walking slowly down the wooden stairs. Nancy's friend went along with it, as hesitant as he was, he put his hands over both his eyes and waited until Mrs. Johnson told him to open them. "5...4.....3…...2........1.....open!!!!" Slowly he took his hands away, left then right one, before jumping back with a large gasp of air inwards. "What are you doing, what is this" he asked while rising to his feet in preparation to run out the door.
"You think you can buy my little girl...do ya??" Mrs. Johnson said while approaching the man with her see through white top pulled over her head as if she was headless and hatchet in her right hand. The man tried to escape the house but every door he tried was locked. Around the back of the house was an opening he saw that he might just fit through, so he raced towards that. He got his head and boulders though but that was all before he felt pain like never before.
Right down on his spine came the hatchet, not only once but over and over again. An abrupt sound of pain came out of him but no one heard, the hatchet coming down on his spine had completely paralysed his speech and facial actions, if he wasn't bent over he would be folded over like a box. His last few seconds alive he could see Nancy skipping in with a basket full of lemons, ready to see her secret date again.
As Nancy got to the back door, her mom let her in but told her to sit down, that something had happened. "I'm sorry baby but he just left, right as you went out to get the lemons he stood up and just walked out the door", Nancy sobbed in Mrs Johnson's arms for some time after this. It was then that Mrs. Johnson told her that " 34 years ago today, your daddy disappeared on us, right as I had you the scoundrel ran away, this is why boys cannot be trusted baby, look what they did to us". Nancy listened and understood as her mom stroked her hair, grinning out of sight.
The following year Nancy had been talking to a new friend at work alot and they really got on. She asked him to call over this Friday to which he agreed to. She pleaded with her mom to allows him to call over. She suggested doing all the household chores for a month with no walks in between if he could come over for an hour, besides they were just good friends. On Thursday morning before Nancy went to work, she gave into Nancy's wish, totally out of the blue.
Friday arrived and it was the same as the last time, awakward and weird, but Nancy didn't notice this, she thought it was going great. Mrs. Johnson quizzed the man a lot, then ridiculed Nancy for the way she looked once more. This brought the awkward feeling to a whole new level, it was then she leaned back and said calmly "Nancy would you mind going to the lemon tree and picking some lemons to make this boy some fresh lemonade".
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