Dolly Landau
GET UP Tweeze and shape eyebrows. Put on false eyelashes. Apply red lipstick. Put on blonde wig. Pencil beauty mark on right cheek. Dolly Landau finds a gray hair. Another beckoning sign of old age rears its ugly head. “I was Miss Corn Queen, for crying out loud!” she shouts at the mirror. Dolly puts down the hairbrush and takes a step back. “Actually, it’s not too bad for an old bag. Not too bad at all.” GO TO WORK As Dolly pulls into the Red Dog Diner, a man approaches her car. “Hey, girlfriend. How ’bout a little kiss?” “Maybe later, honey. Gotta go to work now.” On her break, she looks out the window and sees a truck caravan pulling into the parking lot. “Here we go,” she whispers to no one. GO HOME Remove wig. Pin up natural hair. Take off makeup. Climb into bubble bath. Wear fuzzy slippers. Drink wine. EAT DINNER Bake chicken. Eat leftover potato salad and pickles. Drink wine. Eat a bag of chocolate chip cookies. Smoke cigarettes. Watch television in flannels. |
Dolly thinks about her high school prom date. “Manfred was crazy about me,” she states matter-of-factly. “He stared at me all night at the dance and kept saying how beautiful I was. He treated me like a queen. I wonder whatever happened to him …” GO TO BED Dolly stares at the ceiling. The dreaded nightly thoughts creep into her mind. “Who am I without my looks? What will people think of me if I’m not pretty anymore?” She turns on her side and tries to clear her mind, but the thoughts creep back in. “What do I have to give to anyone?” Dolly’s friends no longer see her soft, happy, gentle smile. These days, her expressions are forced, like the face of someone posing for a picture they don’t want taken. This is a hard time for Dolly. Her mother died, her favorite aunt died, and her best friend died—all in one year. She thinks about her life, her loneliness, and her own death. Tossing and turning, she tries to stop these thoughts and get some sleep. GET UP Dolly Landau finds another gray hair … She is not, as they say, aging gracefully. From Carpet Creatures: Tales from the Deep Pile To join the Carpet Creatures project, please visit our TAE Gallery website. |
