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Monday, November 14, 2011

Icing on the Sibling Cake



The phone rang...she knew before answering who it would be.
“Your brother’s here, do you want to see him?” queried the aging voice on the other end of the phone.
“Sure...be down shortly.” The phone went dead before she could say goodbye.
It was a pattern that would not be broken, at least not in this lifetime. Oh, she’d asked and even cajoled the old woman into trying to end a phone call with goodbye...maybe - and this she was learning as time went by - saying goodbye was not in the old woman’s vocabulary.
“Why say goodbye, when I see you again anyway,” was the retort, time and time again, so, she gave up fighting ‘the closing salutation’ fight and hung up the phone.

A wee bit of preening later and down she went to what was affectionately called "the hovel” - a cosy and very inviting space inhabited by her determined mother. She smiled and wondered if she would be as spunky at eighty.

Of the four siblings, he was the icing on the cake...because he cared enough to stay neutral - hard to do she was sure of that, but he aced it and for that she was grateful.

The visit was soul nourishing and smile activating; batteries were being recharged and a sense of family restored; it felt good.

There were extra hugs to be had when the time came for him to head out for his drive home; a mountainous drive that often took its toll on, and the occasional life of, those that braved it throughout the winter months.

She hugged a little tighter and breathed in a little deeper - a memory was being set - it needed to last a lifetime, just in case.


Do you find yourself taking a moment to imprint the ‘now’, into the deep recess of your mind, knowing it might be all there ever is?

Jenny

12 comments:

  1. Very good.
    People might not always be who we want them to be, but if we care about them we accept them for who they are.

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  2. You gotta grab those "now" moments when they come by. Those moments that were just okay at the moment but perfect in retrospect.

    Have you noticed? People on teevee talk on the phone like that but real people rarely do.

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  3. This was great. And yes I just recently had that imprint in mine. I looked at my mother as I was saying goodbye wondering when and if I'll see her again because of her age and the distance. It's a great memory though.

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  4. Nice work Jenny! I've got a collection of memories....just don't ask me what I did yesterday cause I don't remember! ha ha!

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  5. Wonderful piece of writing again today Jenny. I like it that you have gone back to this format, as it really showcases your writing really well. I think, especially in families, we all have to make allowances for a certain someone.

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  6. And, when all is said and done, the lack of a "goodbye" ain't so much.

    Took me a little while to read this. Hey, how was I to know that licking the screen wouldn't get me some of the white icing creamy goodness of the cake?
    Damn.
    Now I have to go get that can of monitor cleaner.

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  7. Excellent writing as always Jenny. Thanks so much for the kind comment and the follow too, it means a lot!

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  8. Very nice! :)

    Yes, I do try to imprint certain moments in my mind. I call it "making a memory," and I have a treasure trove of them. Mostly simple things, usually involving laughter. Those are my favorites.

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  9. Yes, I've "imprinted" memories for fear that they might be the last ones. It's really an amazing thing to go back and visit them--to feel and taste the past.

    Great post.

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  10. Anonymous6:23 pm

    I really enjoy your writing. As a young person finding her place in life, I'm beginning to understand what you mean as far as trying to keep certain memories alive because I know I'll never have the opportunity to experience the same thing twice. When my grandmother died, I started writing down all of my best memories of us together because I was (and am) terrified of losing them.

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  11. all the time every minute of the day

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Thanks for sharing your thoughts.