Whatever Happened to Lindsey?

Harrogate Tennessee. There’s a storm outside. Though it’s early in the morning, it’s dark outside. It’s raining heavily. The window in the dining room is open, the thin white curtains, moving in the wind towards the ceiling. The thunder is rattling the house like it was a toy. Two juice glasses, on the dining room table, are falling, crashing to the floor. Neither Sally nor Timothy seem affected by the sound of the glasses breaking or their surroundings.

They’re sitting on the sofa together for the first time in thirty years, wondering what to do or say to each other. After five minutes of silence, Sally can’t stand another second and she opens her mouth to say whatever, to break the unbearable silence….

Sally: well, he’s gone.
Timothy: yeah, he’s gone.
Silence for another minute.
Timothy reaches in his pocket and retrieves a cigarette. He lights it and sucks on it, blowing smoke in the air.
Sally: the last one.
Timothy: yeah, Scottie, the last one.
Sally: it’s raining outside.
Timothy: it’s storming. Don’t you hear that wind?
Sally: hope he makes it to Knoxville. It ain’t far away but it’s raining.
Timothy: he’ll call when he gets there.
Sally: I don’t know why he needed to leave today. His parents told me school
doesn’t start until next week
Timothy: guess he wanted to get away.
Sally: from us?
Timothy: maybe he wanted to spent time with his parents before school.
Sally: who’d ever think that after raising kids we’d have to raise our grandkids
too?
Timothy: well, he’s gone.
Sally: yeah, the last one.
Silence.
Sally gets up and leaves the room. She goes to the dining room. Ignoring the glass on the floor, she shuts the window. She sits back down. She looks blankly off into space, like her husband.
Silence for another minute.
Timothy: I guess we gotta know each other again.
Sally: yeah, but how do we do that?
Timothy: I don’t know.
Silence.
Sally: Whatever happened to Lindsey?
Timothy: Lindsey who?
Sally: how many Lindseys do you know?
Timothy: only one.
Sally: well, that one. Whatever happened to her?
Timothy: you mean the girl that fell over the balcony, breaking her neck, her
spinal cord, both legs, right arm, and crushing her pelvis?
Sally: yeah, her. What happened to her?
Timothy: Oh, she died.
Sally: oh, sorry to hear that.
Timothy: yeah.
Silence.
Then….
Sally: Lindsey fell over the balcony?
Timothy: that’s the story.
Sally: how old was she?
Timothy: 4 months old.
Sally: 4 months old?
Timothy: Yep.
Sally: Oh my God, that’s sad. How does a 4 month old baby fall over a balcony?
That would imply that she was standing, but 4 month-old babies can’t stand.
Timothy: True.
Sally still looking blankly into space. She looks at her husband.
Sally: well then what really happened?
Timothy: Sssh. I think we have an audience.
Sally: what?
Timothy: I feel eyes looking at us through the peephole at the front door.
Sally: what really happened to Lindsey? Who is she?
Timothy: I’m going to whisper. Lindsey was our only granddaughter.
Sally: and?
Timothy: I came home from work and she was on the floor in her diapers, as
lifeless as a doll. You were on the second floor, looking down, and
screaming and crying.
Sally: why don’t I remember any of this?
Timothy: You went crazy afterwards and had been in an insane asylum for quite a while.
We agreed-you and I agreed to protect you.
Sally: I don’t feel crazy. When did this happen?
Timothy: You’re fine now. That was 30 years ago.
Sally: I feel sick. What really happened?
Timothy: you were high on marijuana when you were holding her above the
balcony at our old house, and you dropped her.
Sally: Oh my God! My grandchild! Was there a funeral?
Timothy: No. There wasn’t even a memorial service.
Sally: why?
Timothy: we told everyone the baby was kidnapped.
Sally: Oh my God, we did?
Timothy: Yes, we did.
Sally: what did we do with her?
Timothy: we put her in a shoe box and buried her underneath the swimming pool
in the backyard.
Sally: Oh my God, really?
Timothy: yeah.
Sally: did her parents ever find her?
Timothy: No, but we did post notices all over town. We even filed a missing
person’s report, even offered a hundred thousand dollar reward for
her safe return.
Sally: and no takers?
Timothy: Not one.
Silence.
Sally: well, he’s gone.
Timothy: yeah, he’s gone.
Sally: I hope Scottie finds a good girl while he’s at school. Someone educated and
from a rich background like us, so we’ll know she’s not after his money.
Timothy: Yep.
Sally: and if they get married, and have kids, if they have a girl, they can name
her Lindsey. I love that name.
Timothy: yeah.
Sally: whatever happened to Lindsey?
Timothy: Lindsey who?
Sally: how many Lindseys do you know?
Timothy: only one.
Sally: well, that one. Whatever happened to her?
Timothy: Sssh. I think we have an audience.
Sally: what?
Timothy: I feel eyes looking at us through the peephole at the front door.
Sally: what really happened to Lindsey? Who is she?
Timothy gets up and tip toes towards the bedroom door. He looks at the peephole.
At first he sees darkness then he sees light. He suddenly opens the
front door. Unbeknownst to the both of them, a hurricane had touched
down,destroying every tree in the area. There are trees lying down on
the front lawn and all the lawns of his neighbors. He doesn’t mention it.
He walks back to the sofa as if he had seen nothing.
Timothy: She’s out back.
Sally: doing what?
Timothy: You know how she likes to swim.
Sally: Oh yeah, that’s right. I should go out there with her.
Timothy: why don’t you take your medication first? You know you’re supposed
to take it every morning.
Sally: I know, but it makes me sleepy. You’re right though. Ok, tell Lindsey I’ll
see her later.
Timothy: Ok, I will.
Sally: Why would she be outside if it’s raining?
Timothy: She’s not wet.
Sally: We’re talking about Scottie’s daughter right?
Timothy: Right
Timothy lights another cigarette and sucks on it until he couldn’t suck on it anymore. He looks at his wife, and realizes he knows all that he needs to know about her.

by alexgeorge

this is a repost... re-edited.