By Adrienne Hill
Wanda sits across from her husband, John, 15 years her junior and stares at his food caked goatee with utter disgust at the breakfast table. Married for three years now, their marriage is on the rocks. For various reasons, they’ve been arguing but they don’t understand why. Maybe, it’s because of his hard time coping with his father’s sudden move to Colorado or her inability to understand his frustrations or maybe the differences between the two is just too vast to overcome.
Wanda is a 50 year-old black democrat, but looks like she’s about 35-40 years old. Without the presence of gray hair or wrinkles, it is her tired, worn-out eyes that give her age away. They are the eyes of a woman who has experienced much of her life. They are the eyes of a mother and grandmother.
John is a 35 year-old white republican, but with his premature gray hair and semi-thick, oval glasses; he could pass for a man of a least forty. He has two arms, one only being fully functional. He was born with a birth defect, where one arm did not fully-develop. The arm dangles at his chest resembling the limbs of a praying mantis.
It’s another hot day in Sacramento. The city is in a midst of a weeklong heat wave. It’s so hot children will not step outside to play. It is so hot that heat itself is actually visible. It’s miserable, but Wanda and John need to get out of the house or else they’ll go crazy. Together, they decide that lunch and a movie will not only give them something to do, but will also keep them cool and their lungs free of smoggy air.
Throughout the short trip, riding in a new burgundy Dodge Stratus, the only sounds present is the vibrating rhythm of smooth jazz, Wanda’s favorite. She drives, she always drives, while John stares out of the window into a world all his own. The music does not speak to him. He’d much rather be listening to the rock bands of the 80s.
Five minutes later, they arrive at Wendy’s. She orders a number three, the bacon cheeseburger combination and he orders the spicy chicken sandwich meal, complete with extra mayonnaise. Wanda hates when he eats anything with mayonnaise. With his deformed left arm, he never feels the need to wipe the excess mayo from the corner of his mouth. Like a mother, she hands him a napkin. When John did not take the hint, she hands him another then laughs silently out of pure repugnance. Finally getting the hint John sets down his sandwich long enough to briefly wipe his mouth leaving remnants of mayo and crumbs on his bushy chestnut goatee. “I hate it when she acts like my mother. I am a man, and I don’t like being treated like a child. If I wanted to be treated like a child, I would have moved in with my parents,” says John. Throughout lunch, not much is said. There conversation is mostly idle chitchat like, “what time should we get to the movie theater?” and “man, I don’t want to go back out into the heat.” With lunch being a thing of the past, they empty their trays and head out into the hell on earth silently, but anxiously awaiting to watch Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Both Wanda and John don’t like waiting in movie lines, so they bought the tickets before lunch. Inside the large domed theater, Wanda immediately walks over to concessions to get snacks for the flick, while John separates from her and checks out the arcade.
The movie begins, and they are both enthralled with the special effects. As it fades, so does Wanda. Her eyelids droop and then she closes her eyes. Wanting to give the movie a chance, she tries everything in her power to stay awake. She shifts in her seat from right to left. She eats the remaining two licorice ropes and takes a drink of Mr. Pibb, but nothing works. Ten minutes later, bored with the movie and tired of fighting sleep, she dozes off.
John, on the other hand, is enjoying the movie. This movie takes him back to an age where life was simple, when he did not have any responsibilities, when he was a child. John laughs aloud, subsequently causing Wanda to jerk awake. She looks around at the occupants in the theater and notices a few familiar bored expressions on the faces of others, and immediately wants to leave. She nudges John and says, “This movie is kind of boring.” This is her way in telling him that she’s ready to leave without coming right out and telling him. He ignores her and continues to enjoy the movie.
The drive home is no different. Wanda is driving, listening to smooth jazz; John is starring out of the window into the unknown. Close to home, John suggests they stop of at Blockbuster Video to pick up a few movies. This is acceptable to Wanda. “The more entertainment we have, the less we have to communicate and deal with our marriage troubles,” says Wanda.
Again artificial conversation ensues. “What do you want for dinner,” says John. “Chinese food sounds good to me. What do you think?” responds Wanda. “Yeah, we can go to Panda Express on the way home,” continues John. Then silence again prevails.
At home, John thinks about his father who moved to Colorado about a year ago so he decides to give him a call. It’s obvious to Wanda that he misses his father because many times he has suggested to her that they should relocate to Colorado to live closer to his father and the rest of his family. But Wanda’s family all live in California, therefore, she will not leave.
John desperately wants to move closer to his family, but he also wants his marriage to work. “I’m kind of a traditionalist in the sense that I want my first marriage to be my last,” says John while reclining in his lazyboy chair flipping through the cable channels.
However, being older and previously married, Wanda is not too optimistic this marriage will withstand the test of time.