The Gift

The heat was oppressive. Sun beat relentlessly upon the small mobile home where Shayla lived with her mom and brother. Mom wasn't taking the heat so well, but on a budget that ran short of payday every week a new air conditioner was out of reach.

Shayla struggled to her feet feeling clammy and moist from head to toe, despite the tank top and cut offs. She pushed hair clinging to her cheeks away with a distracted motion.

Going to the kitchen, she poured water from the cold water tap. It was far from cold. She shut the faucet off. It dripped in a steady, relentless "ping, ping" into the worn basin, the water stain in a rorsach shape was growing like an embolism on the once white porcelain.

Pulling a plastic ice cube tray from the little freezer, she dropped several cubes into the two glasses. They began dissolving immediately.

Walking into the family room crammed with used furniture in various stages of decay she approached her Mom sitting with eyes closed near an open window. Not a puff of air filtered in to ease the sweltering heat and humidity. Shayla looked down at the once stunning woman and tapped her arm, when her eyes opened she offered the water to her. Her Mom's fingers grasped the chilled glass filled with condescension already and she brought it to her lips with a small sigh. Her eyes smiled up at her daughter.

"Are you OK, Mom?"

The woman nodded once and after drinking half of the glass closed her eyes once more.

Sweat beaded her furrowed brow. Shayla said lightly, "I'm going to the store with Matt. I have a few bucks left from my birthday money. I won't be long."

Her Mom opened her eyes to smile and said, "Get something nice for yourself, dear."

The door opened when Matt entered the darkened family room door. "Ready?" He asked.

She nodded and left her Mom rest.

"Thanks for coming," she stated, "I'm really worried about Mom. Let's go to Walker's Family Department Store."

The place was all but deserted but for a scrawny cashier named Pete who greeted them as they walked in and glanced at his oversized watch.

Shayla walked through the isles of cheap merchandise looking for the clearance isle. It was picked through, as usual.

On the last isle she spotted the little fan with a $20 price tag. She lifted the prize up and brushed off a season's worth of dust from the base. It would work.

Cashing out, she was short the taxes. Matt pulled change from his worn jean's pocket. They thanked Pete and headed back to the hot box mobile home.

Shayla pushed through the outside junk waiting for garbage day and walked to her Mom's chair. She rooted for an electrical outlet and plugged her little fan in. Pointing it at her Mom the breeze began pushing her Mom's hair lazily and her Mom woke with a startled expression.

Shayla giggled and her Mom sat up, "Shayla, your birthday money!?"

Shayla leaned in to kiss her Mom's cheek. "Mom, your the reason I'm here. I love you and want to have you around a lot longer. This is my present to me."

Her Mom just stared at the child, her child all grown up and marveled once again how lucky she was then wordlessly pulled the girl close for a long, tight hug.

"Happy Birthday, Baby girl," she whispered, and leaned back into the fan's breeze.

SRC

*This freewrite exceeds the 5 minute counter, but lately I'm verbose and the stories are falling from my fingers, so I write to see where the prompt leads. Freewriting is cathartic and I'm enjoying this outlet as I temporarily vacate my current headspace and walk through my character's world. I am glad that freewriting with the community allows such freedom.

Thanks for coming along and providing your feedback.

This is a freewrite from @mariannewest using today's prompt fan
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