My cousin has just become a Gt Granny and with a christening coming up soon is relaying all the ‘family gossip’ she’s gleaning from standing on the sidelines watching and listening to the preparation details.
Even though she’s not involved she’s getting a bit stressed with what she’s hearing so to put a smile back on her face – and reassure her all will go well with their do – I sent her this.
(Something I wrote elsewhere a few years ago about a family celebration )
******
Family Baptism Day
All Mary could think of as she cleaned the kitchen was how upset Aunty Josie had been at the church after the baptism of her youngest daughter’s first child.
By all accounts her cousin had arrived at the airport (no overnight ferry for her) beaming with the babe in her arms but no man there to stand at the font alongside her and the baby. From what she gathered it seems a short explanation was given and there were smiles all round.
They’d all come back to her place for the afternoon tea she’d prepared early that morning.
There’d been so many invited that when her aunt was pointedly heard wondering where was everyone going to sit, and didn’t Mary have such a lovely big house, she hadn’t the heart to say no and had offered her home in lieu of everyone going back to her aunt’s – which of course meant the rooms were now filled with aunties and uncles and cousins galore along with their tribes of little horrors who thankfully stayed outside in the back yard.
Mary wasn’t shy in voicing her feelings to her extended family so she’d told them (the wee ones that was) in no uncertain manner that – to use one of her father’s choice expressions – she’d have their ‘guts for garters’ if she saw them near the chicken run or exploring the vegetable garden
Standing there by the sink, she noticed a silver coin on the bench. One of the family would have put it into the baby’s hand and in the confusion of gathering up all the bits and pieces it been left behind. I’ll take it round to Aunty Josie’s later she thought, as she put it into the pocket of the pinafore that covered her best frock.
Sipping on another mug of tea (no sugar, it’s fattening, she heard her late mother say) and as if to annoy her, Mary added a spoonful before mentally comparing herself to her cousin, the new mother.
Noticeably her hair hung long and loose, there was no fancy beehive hairdo for her – the only beehives in her life were the ones she’d tended all those years ago with Jimmy. Thanks to her mother’s meddling Jimmy was long gone and no one had ever appeared to take his place.
These days, after she’d seen all the little ones on their way and closed the school for the day, her primary aim in life was to be content and at peace with herself. Jimmy always said she needed to be close to nature – not have to deal with the dregs of society like he did.
All evening her mind kept replaying the scene at the church.
She knew in her heart the words she’d heard coming from her aunt’s mouth weren’t really the truth.
But even so….was Uncle Billy really ‘a silly old eejit who after a few drinks wouldn’t think twice about telling the world the real reason why the child’s father wasn’t there that afternoon’?
*******
Monday Musings – a time to think and ponder
Hopefully this doesn’t sound familiar to anyone
(To comment please click on post title and scroll down)
Still Waters 