Fortune

My mother rubbed a heart-shaped locket 
between red and wrinkled fingertips.
Inside was a wedding picture taken before 
daddy rubbed cake in her face.
She wore the hinge out from peaking
at her virgin smile.  She rubbed 
the lopsided locket like a magic lantern, 
saying *it could've been a lot worse.*

I just turned 16 and was going to have to marry 
someone.  Larry Wort had money.  Daddy said
he could give a girl everything she ever wanted,  
but the way Mr. Wort looked at me 
while he shook Daddy's hand 
made my stomach sweat 
on the inside.  He winked 
and smiled with only half of his mouth, 
gripped a cigar in his teeth -- 
the kind of man that even men respected. 

He owned a place called the Mambo Club
and wanted me to work there.
If everything worked out, he'd marry me.
I imagined smiling at a hand-kissing 
Cuban waiter.  I would be the hostest
with the mostest, puckered-up 
like a mooovie star.

After telling me how lucky I was, 
my mother paused and said 
*you could do a whole lot worse.*   




copyright 1994 kathy jo kramer