John La Feate

I pushed the door open slowly. My mom’s eyes smiled sweetly at me. Oh god. I know those eyes. She is back. I practically floated forward excited to find my mom again. I’d been reaching and reaching and finding a vacant soul. I sat down and couldn’t wait to talk to her again. Trisha took the other seat. We settled in exchanging pleasantries. 

“Oh, I have to tell you the funniest thing,” she threw her head back, laughter overtook her. 

Mom was definitely back. This is the joyous spirit I had been chasing. 

My whole body relaxed. Thank god. I would see my mom again, I had my doubts, she had eluded me, day after day. 

I settled in to hear her funny story; to relish in her. 

“There was this guy…,” she slumped over lost in laughter. 

“He works here? What did he do?” I said excited to find out what this crazy person at Methodist did. 

“No!!! He doesn’t work here. He was the disgrace of the olden days…. John la Feate, he was some kind of warrior.” 

I raised my eye brows and exhaled.  So she wasn’t back. I was so close I could touch her, but she escaped me. 

I looked at Trisha and she raised her eyebrows back. Here we go, a ticket to crazy town. 

“They put rabbits….” hysterical laughter…. 

Trisha laughed and I followed her lead, sitting closer to the end of my chair. 

“They ran to the first man they could find and chased him….” more hysterical laughing erupted from her. 

Trisha joined her sister and laughed hysterically. This is the magic a only sister can provide. I sat in astonishment, “where in the hell has my mom been, why is she laughing about rabbits chasing John La Feate? And more importantly who the hell is John La Feate?

Enough laughter, I cut in, “So John la Feate what chased by rabbits?” Fury overtook my insides. 

Howling with laughter she said, “Yes they scratched his legs and he was chased out of town.” 

“Ok, so he was chased out of town by rabbits?” Bewildered, I wasn’t finding the humor. 

Excited she said, “Yes, this man was the laughing stock of the town for being chased by rabbits!”

Trisha laughed generously and I wanted to punch John La Feate. 

Would this ever end? Does this train ever stop? 

You might wonder how this story ends? With laughter and disgust.

I let John La Feate dance in her mind, and I left. Defeated.