She absolutely has no clue who I am when I arrive but as of late I have been sliding into the “son” role and she doesn’t miss a beat. This allows my story telling to be spontaneous and free flowing. It also allows my secondary audience to more easily follow the thread of a story.
Mama is the ultimate “Mama”. Again I witnessed her display obvious concern for one her peers as staff, or someone else, engage with them. From my perspective, both currently and when I was young, I associate fair play and justice with Mama. She might pad my corners, but not blindly. While she protected me, she held me accountable in her way. After all, it was she that handed me the “Road Less Traveled” before my last flight to Thailand. That simple act might have saved my life. That book was in my lap when I made that fateful call. If you know not what I refer to by “that fateful call”, let me know. I’m happy to write about it.
I chatted with another “son” this week whom I first met as “Santa”. He is providing to me a video of “Santa”, in exchange for a CD of the pictures that Katherine (have you ever heard a more beautiful name? Please excuse my slightly inebriated gushing over my wife.) took that afternoon. I’ll post the video after I have it in my hands. Should be a hoot!
Some of the other inmates now recognize me when I come in and it feels good to engage them. I suspect it is briefly lived in their memories, but I get a kick out of it. đŸ˜‰
This week Mama gravitated from shocked to amused as I told her about …
One summer day Barb and I were likely following up on a story we overheard one of those mean sisters telling about dissecting a frog in science class and decided we might do that ourselves. I remember it as clearly as though it were yesterday. We captured a frog, which was easily done in those days, and proceeded to pour rubbing alcohol down it’s throat. Once we had it incapacitated, we began skinning it. Well, about the time we had it skint, one of our sisters came by, I am going to say it was Sharron but that may only be because I associate her with a picture of her as a little girl in diapers in which Mama always commented, whilst viewing that photo, that Sharron liked putting frogs in her diaper, and exclaimed, “What in the world are you tow up to?!” Quickly it became apparent what it was we were up to and she freaked! As she was running away I can still hear the smacking sound as the frog hit her squarely in her bare back! While I cannot say for sure, I will put that act on Barb, me being just a kid and all. All in all, it was a grand episode in my life and one I will never forget.
Hope this update finds you all hearty and healthy, if not … happy. My heart hangs heavy in my chest when I think of the Smith and French families, and though having to deal with my own loss, cannot imagine how they might deal with … such unexpected loss. (My God! Please hold then close!)
Love
Wint
Martha Dolores Winston Pylant 