I do not own American Horror Story: Freak Show.
And I can't really call this a horror story or a freak show anymore. It's just a story now :)
Jimmy, Not Moses
A Little of Everything
Life ambled on nicely and quietly. This and that and nothing much of repute.
Which suited the Walker family just fine.
Because they were happy, you see.
Little surprises here and there, but nothing compared with what was to come.
Walking hand in hook, in the cool evening air, down the street, they saw it for the first time.
There, in the big front window of Al's Electronics.
Gunsmoke. In full color.
"Well, would you look at that!"
"Wow, that's some red hair Miss Kitty has."
"Bet the carpet doesn't match the drapes."
"Jimmy!"
"What? I'm just saying, nobody's hair is that red without a bottle."
He thought he would be reprimanded to sleeping on the couch for the night.
He wasn't.
As the world was turning, Miss Elsa Mars and her charismatic personality were definitely taking Hollywood by storm.
Jimmy and his darlings found themselves among the few that remained relatively unimpressed.
Though it was fun conversational fodder now and again.
"So, would you lovely ladies like the new Miss Elsa Mars Christmas record this year?"
Bette and Dot shuddered in unison.
"Oh goodness no, Jimmy! After everything she did to us?!"
And what we did to her.
Hush up, sister.
"We never want to hear her voice again!"
Their charmer teased his dimples adoringly at them.
"Fair enough. Still, saying we know an Emmy winner would be something to tell."
"Darling, there aren't enough words in the English language to say what we would want to tell."
And they're all bad too.
Well, mostly. We did end with Jimmy here . . .
So it's quite wonderful then.
Perhaps we should write her a thank you letter and send some flowers.
Well, I wouldn't that far, sister.
Mmmhh, that's what I thought.
Oh hush.
"So what would you like for Christmas?"
"Oh, did you hear? The territory of Alaska has been made a state!"
Cool February sun shone down on their faces as they hung the wash out to dry. Jimmy looked over from his light repair of the aging fence.
"Really? How many does that make now?"
"Forty-nine, I think."
"Where is it?"
"Up north near Canada. Very cold up there."
"Oh." Visions of Wisconsin's nearly neverending winter snowflaked through his mind. "Well, that's nice for them."
And tilted his head back to enjoy the much milder southern winter.
The dogs, oh good grief, the dogs!
They didn't frequently follow the great Elsa Mars and her glamourous Hollywood jetsetter lifestyle.
But occasionally they caught snippets here and there on the evening news, magazines, and commercial news.
Which always gave them such a surreal feeling they wondered if they had simply dreamed it all.
What? I think they're cute.
Well, you think she'd at least name them something decent.
We should just be glad she hasn't eaten them for supper yet.
Sister!
And that husband, so much younger!
Jimmy's younger than us.
By a mere six years, dear sister. We're talking decades here.
Well, at least she never went after our Jimmy . . . did she?
"Uh, Jimmy, my darling . . ."
The following question shocked him and they could swear he started turning green.
"What?! No!"
Oh blessed relief.
Oh yes, absolutely.
One day, dear sister, we are going to get one of those clothes dryers so we don't have to do this.
Yes, Bette, we are.
And an air conditioner!
Now you're talking high cotton!
Yes, yes, I am.
They were grateful for the Florida sunshine that dried their garments on the backyard line.
They were not always grateful for the heat that dried them out along with it.
Lucy, believing it one of her missions in life to keep the children in her library informed of all the latest appropriate news, just couldn't resist bringing it home on the weekends.
Sometimes even to the laundry line.
"Hawaii is our fiftieth state now! Can you believe it? Fiftieth! Way out in the warm, breezy Pacific Ocean."
She sighed dreamily into the humid Floridian swelter of August. But warm island living didn't seem as appealing to her currently melting friends as it might have otherwise.
"Well, I guess we'll see Elvis and his pelvis there soon," Bette quipped.
"I know I'm looking forward to it," Jimmy commented suggestively.
Compelling the women playfully throw wet, rolled up socks at him.
Which of course he dodged with a good-natured grin.
"In other news, reoccurring sit-ins at local diners and subsequent police involvement in the Greensboro area have upset the community balance, much to the dismay of many white patrons. As one was quoted saying, 'They need to stick with their own kind. And somebody better tell these jumped up nig-'"
Anger clenching his features, the fuming Jimmy reached over switched the radio station over.
"Stupid people! Everybody needs to eat, don't they? Who cares where they go? Jeez, what a loada bulk!"
Bette and Dot wordlessly set down a steaming cup in front of him and seated themselves at the eating table as well.
An overbright tune floated out into the air, clashing terribly with the suddenly dark aura of the room.
'You can dance, go and carry on till the night is gone and it's time to go . . .'
"The world's not as good-hearted as you, Jimmy . . ."
"Though it should be."
He moped into his morning joe.
"You two sound like my mother."
Bette and Dot smiled gently.
"We'll take that as a compliment."
'So darlin', save the last dance for me . . .'
They ate in companionable silence for the remainder of the song, Bette and Dot allowing their riled up husband to relax and gather his thoughts.
Until the radio announcer, tinny and overenthusiastic, broke through their reveries.
" . . . so pick up your Campfire Gold Instant Coffee today! It's Elsa Mars approved!"
This seemed to enliven a more mischievous Jimmy just a little as he drew a deep, strengthening breath.
"Hey, wanna buy some?"
Dot glowered threateningly as Bette rolled her eyes.
"If you bring that garbage into our house, we'll throw it into the yard and make you sleep out there with it!"
Miming surrender, Jimmy waved his work hooks humbly.
"Okay, okay."
A beat of silence.
"Still, sounds awful good. I bet Miss Mars pooped it out herself just this morning."
He comes out of his gloominess quicker and quicker now.
Yes, thankfully. But I still may smack him if he doesn't watch it.
"Jimmy my darling, would you please just bring home some good old fashioned Folgers?"
He nodded obediently, a spark of a twinkle in his eye.
"Yes ma'am."
And winked at Bette.
Who giggled.
Hello, all! Hope everyone's doin' well. Just carryin' on like our good people here. :)
This is the homestretch of our tale and you probably know what the main focus of it is going to be.
So let's jump in and I hope you enjoy!
Oh, also, confession time. Gunsmoke started in 1955 but wasn't in color until 1966. But I just couldn't let go of the joke. Plus, Jimmy just can't be a Stepford husband, right? He's got to be just a little 'off color' sometimes. Oops, I punned it. *smirks
Thanks to Dinah Ray, midnightrebellion87, brigid1318, haily94, The Cry-Wank Kid, and autumnrose2010 for wonderful reviews a while back.
Thanks also to Bumblebee93 and LuciaDiAngelo for adding your support here as well.
