From Lion To Lamb
Chapter 58 - Waiting For God Knows
August 1, 2014 - Becket, Massachusetts
STAFF ON CALL:
- Bonnie, but who came late due to tire troubles, thus missing most of yet another Magnificent Mother-Daughter Debate. I came downstairs after not a very good night (5 hrs sleep) to find Peg putzing around in her office, ostensibly picking it up but in reality just moving piles about, making new piles, turning one pile into 17 and so on.
I scooted past and on into the kitchen and made a coffee, where I saw that two screens had been removed from the window that faces onto the dog pen, and were now resting on the floor in front of the stove. Went in to find Peg.
"Mother? What are those screens doing on the floor in the kitchen?"
I said this twice. Three times.
"Oh," she said, remembering. "I took them off. We only have them on in the summer."
"This is summer, Mother. It's July."
Well, yes, it was chilly this morning. Maybe that threw her. Anyhow she thought about it for a moment, realized her mistake, then qualified it by saying “you can't see into the dog pen with the screens on!” like everyone's been squinting for the past two months trying to see sweet FA because the dog went back to the breeder's in May. Anyhow I put them back on. And turned down the heat.
She then decided to have another panic about her Convention Scripts. SHE WANTS THEM IN HER ROOM WHERE SHE CAN SEE THEM GOD DAMMIT. I hasten to add that I deliberately put them in the den cupboard because I spent a week sorting them last April and if they go back into her area all my work will be undone within the hour. Even though she has no pressing need to get at any of them. She has got it into her head however that I am hiding them and will be ferreting them away to Oregon, nightly, while she sleeps.
In any event, this “discussion” led to me crouching in front of her chair, taking her hand, and pleading with her to please please stop attacking me all the time for doing nice things for her.
She claimed all I do is attack her.
This led to another discussion. Actually to about 500 discussions about, oh, down-sizing when one should have, tidying one's life, responsibilities to one's children, not to die and leave such a mess for them if you profess to love them so. And so on.
We were just having a friendly chat about "that goddamned lawyer!"—a lovely lady named Virginia who will help me with the will and tying up Odd's estate, what's left of it, and who Peg refuses to "pay one goddamned nickel to!"—when Bonnie arrived and conversation abruptly switched to faulty left rear tires and a reminder of Peg's urology appointment at 12:30.
Which I took her to. Since Bonnie only had three good tires on her car. I then took Mama to Friendly's for a hot dog and milk shake. Then to the safety deposit box where she went through the "jewellery bag" while I searched for her marriage certificate (needed to get Odd's life insurance), twelve hundred other documents, and a slew of bonds, all which look alike and you have to study the serial numbers closely. Is this M11110899 7567683 or—wait, M11110899 7567693? Which won't mature until November—and where is D 3343 4678904 587? Did I just have that? Or was that the 589? And was that the EE bond or the H? Fuck! Have to go through them again! And all the while Peg's oohing and ahhing at forgotten treasures (unfortunately not worth as much as I'd hoped) and finally I had to ask her to keep quiet.
On the way home, after a quick hop into Price Chopper for fish for fish cakes for Saturday—Peg, now full of hot dog and wearing her emerald ring and in an excellent mood, says there's only one thing missing in her life, do I know what that is?
"A dog?"
"Yes."
She then suggested that if I could grow a tail, she'd like me better. We laughed.
________
10:20pm now and no sign of her. She went in for a nap at 3. Still sleeping. I assume. Maybe I should go check. I'll bark if there's a problem.
Woof!
Wow!