She was the kind of chick no one would want to go down on… greasy hair, dirty teeth, a crotch that smelled like a can of kipper snacks. Her girl friend was a little rough mouthed mechanic whose fingernails were chewed down to the quick and yet still retained their black grease stain.
Some guy either donated his sperm to the couple or some really handsome drunk with poor judgement decided to get lucky with the two women. The result was a beautiful girl child who gracefully danced through life like a fairy. Lithe in body with chestnut brown hair and big blue eyes, Princess was left to raise herself.
One mom was working and the other mom was likely incarcerated at the county jail. Drugs, it was always drugs on The River. Not just marijuana. Hell, everyone smoked that. Even the principal of the school was known to take a blast off the pipe every evening after school hours. It was meth, speed, pain pills, and heroin… not to mention alcohol, which even though it was legal, did more damage than the other drugs combined.
Plagued by head lice, Princess spent hours in the nurse’s office getting checked or re-checked. “Is anybody home with you?” the nurse asked. Usually Princess had to spend all day sitting on the bench in the office doing her work by herself instead of with her group. She missed the classroom which was always filled with interesting enrichments, like art and history and math and science projects.
“Yes… well, my mom works,” the shy half-lie answer was given.
The nurse didn’t hesitate. She got a bottle of Rid and a spray to treat the beds and sofa, and instructed the small girl how to proceed. She read the directions out loud twice and asked Princess to repeat them. Princess was a smart little thing, even if her attendance was marked by frequent episodes of exclusion due to recurring head lice infections.
The nurse drove her home and gave Princess her private phone number in case she needed to call for any reason. She did not want to report anything to the authorities and take the risk of having her removed from the home. As lackluster as it was, Princess was nine years old and could stay by herself for a few hours. It was better than foster care, the nurse figured. Hopefully one of her moms would be home soon, preferably sober.
Princess washed and vacuumed everything as she was directed. She didn’t mind work, in fact, she liked it. It took her mind off of everything. Even at nine she was quite independent. After the cleaning and washing, she took a shower and applied the chemical to her scalp according to the directions. She had to let it sit for quite some time. Nothing else to do, but let the product work its magic. She really wanted to get rid of these bugs.
When her moms got home, she checked their hair. Neither one of them seemed to have them, but she washed their bedding and put it in the dryer on hot. She had made dinner too, such as it was: instant macaroni and cheese with hot dogs cut up into pieces and dipped in ketchup. She thought they should have a salad or vegetable too like she had learned in health class. She made a little salad out of canned green beans, some onion, and a splash of vinegar. She wished she had some fresh tomatoes or olives to add to it.
When her moms went into their bedroom and closed the door with their jug of wine and their pipe, she made up the couch with fresh sheets and blankets, and a clean pillow case. She had sprayed and washed everything. She combed all the nits out of her long hair three times. She hoped she had gotten them all. She really liked school and didn’t want to miss out on even one day. She was dreaming of a bigger life….
(First published 9/10/12)
