Her Sunflower Apron
by Gail Ghai
When Ginny Reuben’s kitten, Tickle, got stuck in our giant elm tree, the neighbors flooded our front yard as if free food samples were being offered. The kids jumped, screamed, and cried, trying to coax the frightened creature back down to safe earth.
It was a sunny Saturday morning, so most neighbor men were home. They huddled in tight circles, smoking their Rothmans, surveying the scene.
Get a ladder, Mr. Preshing said, but he didn’t move. Just took another drag.
Call the fire department, Mr. Tulloch added, not moving either.
The other men nodded but did nothing as the kids waved and wailed.
Suddenly, our front door flew open. And wearing tight yellow shorts, yellow top, and her sunflower apron, our mother ran down the stairs, kicked off her sandals, and shimmied up the elm. She lifted the shaking kitten, set it in her apron pocket, and scurried back down just as quickly as she had ascended.
The women cheered and clapped.
Good show, Anne, our British neighbor stated.
My mother handed the kitten to Ginny. She was crying so hard, she couldn’t talk. Instead, she hugged my mother as hard as she could.
One of the kids chirped, Mrs. Anderson, you’re my hero.
I turned to the cluster of silent males. No words. No congratulations.
Even at eight, I understood their embarrassment. No ladder. No fire department was used. These men had been out-actioned, out-climbed, and out-couraged by a slender, aproned mother of four. They turned, red-faced, slumped, and walked out of our yard in their tight, he-man circle.
When I turned to our mother, a small, serene smile had settled on her freckled face.
GAIL GHAI is a poet, teacher, workshop leader, Pushcart Prize nominee and author of three chapbooks of poetry as well as an art/writing poster entitled “Painted Words.” She has served as Poet-in-Residence for the Pittsburgh Cancer Caring Center, North Allegheny School District, and the International Poetry forum. Her poems, vignettes, and translations have appeared in Poet Lore, Hektoen International Journal, JAMA, Visions International, Descant, and Burning Wood Journal. She is the moderator of the Ringling Poets in Sarasota, FL