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PARASOL PUBS

A Challenge to Be Cheerful

I hear my mother’s voice

Katharine Valentino
The Narrative Arc
Published in
5 min readNov 24, 2023

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Yellow flower, the very color of cheer
Cheerful,” by Mary Kreul on Flickr (license CC BY-SA 2.0 DEED, commercial use allowed)

There are 48 states on the United States map Mama gave me. But only four of them — Georgia, Tennessee, Missouri, and Kansas — are between Florida and Colorado. So, Denver, where Mama will be in Colorado, isn’t very far away. And it’s OK, anyway, that Mama will be gone for a while because I’m going to get to live with my Gramma in a garage apartment while Daddy and my little brother stay in the house.

It’s good my little brother is staying in the house. He’s digging a hole to China in the backyard. I know he won’t reach China soon, but he’s two years younger than I am, so he doesn’t know, and he wants to finish.

Moving will be fun. Our dishes will be put in boxes and carried to the garage apartment. Even Gramma’s mahogany dining room table will be in the apartment. I’ll sleep on the green wicker couch in the living room, but I’ll have my dresser and especially my blue flower bedspread. While Mama’s gone, I’ll have everything I need.

I was eight years old when Mama found out that Daddy was cheating on her, left him, and went to live in Denver. I was so well taken care of that the only thing I worried about was whether I would have my favorite bedspread.

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The Narrative Arc
The Narrative Arc

Published in The Narrative Arc

Medium’s best creative nonfiction — memoirs and personal essays. Welcoming writers from every walk of life.

Katharine Valentino
Katharine Valentino

Written by Katharine Valentino

Still trying for the words to help us do & feel good things. Owner of Reviews for Medium Featured Books. I write life stories & about politics / social issues.

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