Nadia Arioli
Grendel's Mother Considers Convalescing
in a sanatorium or a jail cell. It doesn't much matter which. But,
for now, she’ll settle for a Greyhound. The grosser the better. So, Grendel's mother packs
her horrible suitcase with her horrible clothes after purchasing a
ticket online (everything is so convenient these days), taxies to the station
and gets on. The bus is stinky the way a hotel room is just-cleaned-with-too-many-chemicals
stinky, so you know it must have been nast. There is something soothing,
something soporific about that smell, Grendel's mother muses, and she is glad of it.
for now, she’ll settle for a Greyhound. The grosser the better. So, Grendel's mother packs
her horrible suitcase with her horrible clothes after purchasing a
ticket online (everything is so convenient these days), taxies to the station
and gets on. The bus is stinky the way a hotel room is just-cleaned-with-too-many-chemicals
stinky, so you know it must have been nast. There is something soothing,
something soporific about that smell, Grendel's mother muses, and she is glad of it.
Grendel's mother considers convalescing but takes the bus instead. It's the best
she can do. She buys all the candy she has coins for at the vending machine at the terminal
and no one can stop her. On the bus, she sits near the back, a bad kid for life,
and hunkers down to watch the other passengers board. None look particularly
tasty, which is a good thing because Grendel's mother does not wish to make
a whole scene, and she has her candy anyways, sour patch kids, off-brand grandma candy too,
those strawberry ones that taste like cough-drops in the red and green wrappers.
she can do. She buys all the candy she has coins for at the vending machine at the terminal
and no one can stop her. On the bus, she sits near the back, a bad kid for life,
and hunkers down to watch the other passengers board. None look particularly
tasty, which is a good thing because Grendel's mother does not wish to make
a whole scene, and she has her candy anyways, sour patch kids, off-brand grandma candy too,
those strawberry ones that taste like cough-drops in the red and green wrappers.
Grendel's mother considers convalescing, which none of the other passengers have considered.
They're going about their business, vaguely unaware that one is not human. They are
all the huddled masses, they are all the unwashed. Bus people. Grendel’s mother
can consider herself better or worse than them but knows the truth—
it's all bus people on the bus. Grendel's mother looks out the winder and sees
trash from bus people, fast-food places for bus people, every intersection is the same
in America, and she sees a lot of it. She eats her candy. She considers
They're going about their business, vaguely unaware that one is not human. They are
all the huddled masses, they are all the unwashed. Bus people. Grendel’s mother
can consider herself better or worse than them but knows the truth—
it's all bus people on the bus. Grendel's mother looks out the winder and sees
trash from bus people, fast-food places for bus people, every intersection is the same
in America, and she sees a lot of it. She eats her candy. She considers
convalescing. This is her convalescing because being a mom is really, really hard.
She puts her feet up on her suitcase in front of her, and hums. Only one passenger
this whole trip has spoken to her, after a whole day together. A loud chewer
in a cowboy hat. Where're ya headed? he jaws. Grendel's mother looks out
right into the sun, sliding down, normally about the time she wakes up.
She answers slowly, quietly, careful not to show her teeth. West, baby,
says Grendel’s mother, I'm headed west.
She puts her feet up on her suitcase in front of her, and hums. Only one passenger
this whole trip has spoken to her, after a whole day together. A loud chewer
in a cowboy hat. Where're ya headed? he jaws. Grendel's mother looks out
right into the sun, sliding down, normally about the time she wakes up.
She answers slowly, quietly, careful not to show her teeth. West, baby,
says Grendel’s mother, I'm headed west.
