Kokomo Kootsie

6/17/2002

Nibbles- Bits & Pieces

The Pineapple
Auntie used to make the best Pineapple Upside Down cakes; at least every one sure did brag of them. However, I didn’t, and don’t, care for them. Fruit and sweets are not compatible with my taste buds; hate sweet and sour combinations.

Whenever she had guest, she most always made Pineapple Upside Down cake, or Devil’s Food cake with the greatest caramel frosting.

One day I was playing around in the basement, and I came upon one can of pineapple rings on the can goods shelf. Temptation hit me so strongly, my mouth began to water. I wanted that can of pineapple; the big whole can all to myself!

I began to justify why I should have it. Every one else in the family got a share of pineapple, when they ate the cake; I don’t eat the upside down cake, therefore was cheated out of my share of the pineapple! I took the pineapple!

I slipped out of the basement, and went in the back bedroom and locked the door, opened the can and pulled out a ring of the fruit and ate it.

I kept pushing to the back of my mind, I was doing wrong, that I should have asked. If there’d been more than one can, wouldn’t have been so bad. What if Auntie decided to make a Pineapple Upside Down cake? After all, we lived in the country, no stores nearer than about five miles; she couldn’t just pop over to the store and get another can!

I ate another ring of pineapple.

I didn’t
eat all of it at one time; it was too too delicious-I strung the delight out all day-going back and forth to the bedroom, eating a slice, and leaving the rest to think about for a while.

Seems like such a trivial thing today! A can of pineapple! I have a dozen at anyone time in my pantry-always.

But then it was a big deal. For as luck would have it, Auntie had a call, a friend was coming out for a lunch!

So Auntie made a cake and had it all ready for her pineapple rings! She went to the basement, and the hoarded can of pineapple was gone!

I heard her as she came up the stairs from the basement! The day of reckoning was at hand, and I steeled myself for the onslaught of a torrent of recriminations, and hysterics and loud scolding I was in for.

But it was not enough for her alone to carry the burden of facing off with me. When she saw I just sat there and said, "I’m sorry. I didn’t know you’d need it, I wanted pineapple." So she turned away, and began to call Walter, her husband, and had to go out of the house to find him.

I left the house also via the high window in my room! I crossed the road, and hid in the very tall grasses and Queen Anne’s lace on the other side of the old abandoned interurban tracks. There was a large pressed down grassy place in the center with tracks on one side and a fence on the other, and was a great hiding place, we kids used a lot in play. I wasn’t about to face Walter’s wrath! He would always try to lock me in the small closet, but he never succeeded in doing it, as I’d brace myself against him and the wall and he couldn’t budge me, and was lucky he could even breathe!

This day, I was in no mood for a tussle with him. So I hid out.

Lucky it was early spring-and not hot yet, as there was no shade in my nest!

Believe me, when I say I stayed there all day long until after dark! Without food or water-just a stomach full of pineapple!!

I watched our house, through the grass. I saw the company come and go. I saw all the family get in the car at dusk, and leave for somewhere!

Then I came back across the road and tried to climb in a window. All were locked tight, as were, of course, the doors.

I was afraid, because suddenly with the dark, everything took on a different look, the whole atmosphere was changed, and my house, my home became spooky!

I finally went to my bedroom window, which was high off the ground, as that room had been, and was to be, a future bathroom. There was a huge, beautiful Lilac bush in front of the window, and I pushed my way under it and scrambled up to the window and it was as I left it-open! They couldn’t get in my room, as the door was locked, so didn’t know my window was open. Lucky for me!

I went to bed, after I got something to eat from the kitchen.

I heard the family come in; someone tried my door, and grandma called me, and I said, "I’m asleep."

All’s well, that ends well!

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