GBVE: Jana DeLeon

ATTENTION: Before Reading, get information about the Great Blog Voice Experiment here.
The topic: “A young woman confronts her parents after discovering she has inherited telekinetic powers.”
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Christina Robicheaux had been in trouble before but was willing to bet that this time her thirteen-year-old hiney wouldn’t recover in time for church on Sunday. She’d thought about how to explain the situation to her parents the entire afternoon – after IT had happened.

Since dark approached and being late for dinner would only add to her problems, she headed out across the marsh to her family’s cabin on the bayou. As she walked in the kitchen, her mom sat rolls on the table and smiled. “Perfect timing.”

Christina nodded. “Is Dad here?”

Her mom gave her an odd look, but then it was sort of an odd question. At this time on a Friday evening, her dad was always in his recliner. “He’s in the living room. Why?”

Before she could change her mind, Christina blurted out, “There’s something I need to tell you both.”

Her mom looked a bit worried but set her potholder on the counter and smoothed her apron. “Well, might as well be now.” She gestured to the door and Christina walked through, already cringing from what would most certainly be her dad’s wrath.

WWF was to her dad’s liking at the moment, so at least the timing was as good as it could get. He looked up from the television as they entered the room and frowned. “Isn’t it time to eat?”

Her mom nodded. “Yes, but Christina wanted to tell us something.”

Her dad grunted. “Well, go ahead, girl. Food’s getting cold.”

Christina took in a giant breath, letting it out with the words she’d been dreading. “It finally happened.”

“You made the football team?” her dad asked.

“A boy asked you out?” her mom followed.

“A boy better not ask her out!” her dad boomed.

“Wait!” Christina put up one hand to stop the barrage. “I mean IT finally happened.”

They both stared for a moment, confused expressions on their faces, then slowly they changed – her mom’s into a broad smile, her dad’s into a scowl.

“Well, hell,” her dad complained. “This is what I get for marrying a voodoo queen.”

Her mom grabbed her in a hug and kissed her check. “That’s great darling. What can you do? I’m sure it’s something wonderful.”

Her dad gave them a derisive look. “Your son belches blue daisies. I hardly call that wonderful.”

Her mom frowned. “Rob is very artistic – and he’s your son too.”

“If he was my son, he’d belch black and red number 3’s,” her dad mumbled.

“So what can you do?” her mom asked, completely ignoring her dad and his lack of “artistic” appreciation.

Christina sighed. “I can shoot lightening out of my hands.”

There was dead silence for a moment and Christina was certain that no one breathed. Two pairs of wide eyes stared at her, waiting for the punch line that wasn’t going to come.

Finally, their expressions reversed, her mom’s into a frown and her dad’s into a huge grin. “Well, hell that is wonderful,” he said. “How did it happen? Not at school, right?”

“No,” Christina rushed to reassure them. “After school. I got my new t-shirt caught on a piece of metal and it ripped. I got angry and when I stared at the metal, a bolt of lightening came out of my hand and blew it to bits.”

Her mother sucked in a breath. “I don’t know about this. It’s a great ability, but it seems so dangerous. Maybe there’s something I can do to tone it down a bit.”

Her dad bolted up from his chair and threw one arm around Christina. “The hell you will. Deer season starts tomorrow. Do you have any idea how handy this will be?” Her dad beamed at her and squeezed her shoulders tightly and for the first time in her life, Christina had her dad’s approval.

It shouldn’t have mattered. Her dad had always been distant, more a minor participant in his children’s lives than a parent. But the overwhelming happiness she felt from finally pleasing him made her proud and giddy all at the same time. She couldn’t help but relax against her dad’s embrace and enjoy the moment. Maybe tomorrow she’d tell him that piece of metal she’d destroyed was his brand new bass boat.

After she lit up Bambi.

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To read more of Jana DeLeon’s hilarious southern fiction, visit http://janadeleon.com, and watch for RUMBLE ON THE BAYOU, available October, 2006.