copyrighted to Aria(crune@coqui.net) 1999
	


The Cover of a Magazine
by Aria(crune@coqui.net)


	Carolyn Norton gazed at the cover of one of the glamorous magazines 

while standing beside her mother in the supermarket.  Naturally, the cover 

presented the perfect face of one of the stars du jour.  Beside the star's 

face, scattered around the cover, were the titles of the numerous articles 

within.  Or not, she thought, remembering the time she had gotten a magazine 

declaring to have "tips on how to make any boy like you" and found the 

article missing.  Her mother had a big laugh on her account--she had never 

believed in those magazines.
	
	In fact, Estelle Norton had forbidden Carolyn to buy them when she 

turned thirteen.  She had said they contained too much of what Carolyn 

"wasn't supposed to know".  Of course, Carolyn had pleaded and tried to 

bargain with her mother, but to no avail.  Then again, teenagers are nothing 

if devious and resourceful, and Thomas Norton, the happily ignorant father, 

found himself accosted by his young daughter.  To get her off his tired back,

Thomas agreed to whatever it was that Carolyn wanted.  

	Carolyn, knowing good things never last, and quite possibly being 

aware that her mother would not be happy, went that same day to the market 

near her street and purchased Mademoiselle--the only magazine they sold.  

Feeling very grown up she carried her trophy to her room and read the entire 

thing in an hour.  Afterwards, she hid it under the mattress from the eyes of 

Estelle.  One day she came home to find her mother wearing an angry, 

sourpuss expression.  Estelle proceeded to give Carolyn a hollering of 

Olympic proportions. Carolyn, reckless at thirteen, yelled back, ending up 

with a slap and two-week punishment for her trouble.   She ran crying to her 

room and slammed the door.  

	Thomas came home to find a divided household.  His wife cooked and 

cleaned with a passion while obnoxious music blared from the second floor. 

He asked his wife why his daughter was playing the music so loud. Estelle 

gave him a glare to end all glares. Smart man that he was, Thomas appointed 

himself to serve as mediator for the two angry women. With a sigh, he headed 

upstairs.

	It was definitely not an easy case, especially not, when he found out

 of his involvement in it.  Somehow, he managed to get both wife and daughter

mad at him.  Following the instinct all fathers are born with, he sided with 

Estelle and for Carolyn's "manipulation" (she'd be the first to tell you it 

was all subjective) added an extra week to her punishment.

	Carolyn was extremely furious.  Knowing there was really nothing she 

could do, she behaved like an angel those three weeks.  Unbeknownst to her 

parents and as consolation to her, friends always let her borrow their 

magazines.  Estelle found out eventually, not because she actually caught 

Carolyn, but because of common sense which told her that Carolyn could and

would get the magazines if she wanted them bad enough.

	For her fourteenth birthday Carolyn got subscriptions for Seventeen,

Teen, YM, Glamour, and a stack of others (except Cosmo, Estelle actually 

threatened homicide and then suicide if a child of hers was caught reading 

that magazine, but Carolyn already knew where Estelle kept *her* monthly copy).
	
	Yet, after a year of swimming through pop culture's finest, Carolyn 

found herself sick of it all and would be happy if she never saw another 

glamorous magazine again. She'd heard them all--tips on beauty, relationships

and fashion--and was ashamed to admit that she tried most of them out too.

	While flying back in time, she hadn't noticed that her mother had 

already paid and was in the process of picking up the two grocery bags to 

leave.  She hurried over to take one bag and heard the shrill voice of a girl

ask:

	"Hey Mom can I get that?"
	
	Curious, Carolyn turned to see a girl about twelve or thirteen 

pointing at the glamour magazine she herself, had been looking at.  She 

rolled her eyes and sighed with disgust.  Estelle heard her and remarked,

	"I don't know why you are acting all superior all of a sudden. 

You were worse".

	As if to support her mother's remark, Carolyn blew her a raspberry.

	Estelle smiled, "I knew how to handle you alright".

	Carolyn smiled back, "Whatever you say, Mom". 


The End

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