‘The Help’ by Mary Robison

The Help by Mary Robison, 1981

The magic trick:

Creating a world and tone akin to a 1980s sitcom

This is a very strange story. Strange in that it may not strike you as being particularly good?

At least its merits didn’t shine immediately for me.

It emphasizes a kind of cheesy dated kind of 80s sitcom humor. Not a ton happens, so it’s definitely not plot-forward.

And the story kind of just ends with a fizzle. No big conclusions. No reveals.

So where’s the magic?

Well, it’s a funny thing. Having not particularly enjoyed anything about the story, I was surprised to find myself going back through the story in my mind for several days afterward. Something about these characters really stuck with me.

They’re big – yes, very sitcom-y – but memorably so. The story successfully creates a world that I wanted to return to, even if I didn’t realize that at the time.

And that’s quite a trick on Robison’s part.

The selection:

After twenty minutes, she left the cart and went to hunt for him. She finally spotted him in men’s sportswear. He was posing in front of a triptych of mirrors, in a white jump suit.

“Where have you been? I was about to report a lost child,” Lola said.

“Right here,” Howdy said. “Ray? This is Lola.” He gestured toward a chunky salesman, who was standing beside him. “This is… Ray?” he said, and the salesman nodded.

“Don’t you love this coverall?” Ray said.

“What are all the zippers for?” she said.

“Whatever,” Ray said.

“I can see his underpants through that material.” Lola said.

“I have complete movement,” Howdy said. He did a knee bend.

“I think it’s for girls,” Lola said. “Can we please go?”

As always, join the conversation in the comments section below, on SSMT Facebook or on Twitter @ShortStoryMT.

Subscribe to the Short Story Magic Tricks Monthly Newsletter to get the latest short story news, contests and fun.