My mother died when she was 80. At the time she was living with my sister, Dorothy. Dorothy has since joined Mother on the other side, but prior to that Mother lived in a small 1 bedroom apartment on 15th Circle near my sister Donna. Lordie! that was a long time ago. I managed to travel from Pueblo to Huchinson 3 or 4 times a year. I would spend a few days and then back to Colorado.
Now let me elaborate on the title of this missive. I am not sure exactly how Aunt Helen was my Aunt and not even sure she was. I do know that Aunt Helen and Uncle Skinny had been in my life when I was in first or second grade in Nickerson. They were very rich. Aunt Helen gave me my first and only store bought dress. It was gray/green over glaze cotton with a white collar and a string tie around the neck with 2 daisies on the ends of the tie. I wore it until I could no longer get it on. They also gave me a brownie uniform and paid my dues for one year. That was a waste of money, because I sure did not fit in with those girls and I only attended one or 2 meetings. Mother gave the uniform to some one who gave it to someone who would wear it and attend meetings. The gray/green dress ended up in a rag rug. But I digress.
When I would go to visit mother it was a big deal that my Aunt Helen looked forward to with anticipation. Uncle Skinny had died by then and Aunt Helen was now alone since they had never had children. They did have a niece named Paralee who was a school teacher. She was married and had a daughter and maybe other kids. To the best of my knowledge Paralee was my cousin. Or mother's cousin. Or some shirttail relation anyway.
Back to Aunt Helen. She visited mother several times a year. She did not like to drive the "damn big boat of a Cadillac", and for the most part, did not need to leave home. Ah, but a visit to Christine was something she would drive for. And when she arrived she would produce from her enormous purse, a bag of Werther Original Caramels. No other kind would do! It was those or nothing and be hell and damned that she would arrive for a visit empty handed. Hell and High water would not stop her from bringing those every time she came. And she would not leave until every one of them had been eaten.
On one of my later visits, she was late arriving. Where could she be? Mother thought she might have became confused and sent Donna ( I think it was Donna) and I out to the parking area in front of the condominiums to see if she had gotten "confused". It just was not like her to be late and she was now over 90 years old and had been known to get a little confused when in a strange area. She was not in front of the area mother had been designated as hers. We started up the street and were soon rewarded with the sight of the big green and cream Cadillac coming out of one of the parking areas up the street. As we watched, it got back on the street and proceeded to turn into another parking lot, or at least attempt to turn in. She was trying to turn left between the entrance and the exit. Sadly the curb was in the way. As she backed up to make another charge at it, she seen us and immediately turned the car in our direction. Donna and I, fearing for our lives, made a run into mothers parking lot, with her hot on our tail and the Cadillac roared toward us. I am not sure, but I think Donna was making the sign of the cross on her head and chest. Hell! We are not even Catholics!
By her second run at the curb, I had managed to get the door open and leapt in the car. She smiled at me, her innocent smile of the patron Aunt. "Oh, dear! Why do the make these parking lots so hard to get into? I got confused and tried to go into the wrong one. My God! They all look alike! How are you dear?"
I talked her into getting out of the car and standing with Donna while I drove into the parking lot through the driveway. Driveways sure make life easier. Then we went inside and ate the carmels. All of them!
I do not remember how long, but the next time I went, Aunt Helen was no longer driving. I loaded mother up and we went to Aunt Helen's house. Her little dog had been run over and she showed me the pictures of his dead body. Then we set in the parlor to visit and in front of us was a bowl or Werther's Original Caramels. We ate them all!
That was the last time I saw Aunt Helen before her death. I still have only the fondest memories of those days. Paralee died young. In my family we either die young or live forever. I am afraid I will fall in the latter category, but I will never live long enough to not think of my dear Aunt Helen when someone offers me a caramel. I never buy them. I should, because it would be my favorite comfort food. I will never eat one without the memories of the comradery around the kitchen table on 15th Circle in Hutchinson, Kansas all those long years ago.
Some memories never leave us and they come me at the damndest times. There are only the two of us left. I will try to get down to see Donna some time this winter. There just does not seem to be enough time to do any thing any more, but I do think I will make time for that visit. We just never know when we will get up in the morning and not make it to our bed at night, so we should try to make all our words kind, all our actions meaningful and all our thoughts good ones.
Life is far to short.
Now let me elaborate on the title of this missive. I am not sure exactly how Aunt Helen was my Aunt and not even sure she was. I do know that Aunt Helen and Uncle Skinny had been in my life when I was in first or second grade in Nickerson. They were very rich. Aunt Helen gave me my first and only store bought dress. It was gray/green over glaze cotton with a white collar and a string tie around the neck with 2 daisies on the ends of the tie. I wore it until I could no longer get it on. They also gave me a brownie uniform and paid my dues for one year. That was a waste of money, because I sure did not fit in with those girls and I only attended one or 2 meetings. Mother gave the uniform to some one who gave it to someone who would wear it and attend meetings. The gray/green dress ended up in a rag rug. But I digress.
When I would go to visit mother it was a big deal that my Aunt Helen looked forward to with anticipation. Uncle Skinny had died by then and Aunt Helen was now alone since they had never had children. They did have a niece named Paralee who was a school teacher. She was married and had a daughter and maybe other kids. To the best of my knowledge Paralee was my cousin. Or mother's cousin. Or some shirttail relation anyway.
Back to Aunt Helen. She visited mother several times a year. She did not like to drive the "damn big boat of a Cadillac", and for the most part, did not need to leave home. Ah, but a visit to Christine was something she would drive for. And when she arrived she would produce from her enormous purse, a bag of Werther Original Caramels. No other kind would do! It was those or nothing and be hell and damned that she would arrive for a visit empty handed. Hell and High water would not stop her from bringing those every time she came. And she would not leave until every one of them had been eaten.
On one of my later visits, she was late arriving. Where could she be? Mother thought she might have became confused and sent Donna ( I think it was Donna) and I out to the parking area in front of the condominiums to see if she had gotten "confused". It just was not like her to be late and she was now over 90 years old and had been known to get a little confused when in a strange area. She was not in front of the area mother had been designated as hers. We started up the street and were soon rewarded with the sight of the big green and cream Cadillac coming out of one of the parking areas up the street. As we watched, it got back on the street and proceeded to turn into another parking lot, or at least attempt to turn in. She was trying to turn left between the entrance and the exit. Sadly the curb was in the way. As she backed up to make another charge at it, she seen us and immediately turned the car in our direction. Donna and I, fearing for our lives, made a run into mothers parking lot, with her hot on our tail and the Cadillac roared toward us. I am not sure, but I think Donna was making the sign of the cross on her head and chest. Hell! We are not even Catholics!
By her second run at the curb, I had managed to get the door open and leapt in the car. She smiled at me, her innocent smile of the patron Aunt. "Oh, dear! Why do the make these parking lots so hard to get into? I got confused and tried to go into the wrong one. My God! They all look alike! How are you dear?"
I talked her into getting out of the car and standing with Donna while I drove into the parking lot through the driveway. Driveways sure make life easier. Then we went inside and ate the carmels. All of them!
I do not remember how long, but the next time I went, Aunt Helen was no longer driving. I loaded mother up and we went to Aunt Helen's house. Her little dog had been run over and she showed me the pictures of his dead body. Then we set in the parlor to visit and in front of us was a bowl or Werther's Original Caramels. We ate them all!
That was the last time I saw Aunt Helen before her death. I still have only the fondest memories of those days. Paralee died young. In my family we either die young or live forever. I am afraid I will fall in the latter category, but I will never live long enough to not think of my dear Aunt Helen when someone offers me a caramel. I never buy them. I should, because it would be my favorite comfort food. I will never eat one without the memories of the comradery around the kitchen table on 15th Circle in Hutchinson, Kansas all those long years ago.
Some memories never leave us and they come me at the damndest times. There are only the two of us left. I will try to get down to see Donna some time this winter. There just does not seem to be enough time to do any thing any more, but I do think I will make time for that visit. We just never know when we will get up in the morning and not make it to our bed at night, so we should try to make all our words kind, all our actions meaningful and all our thoughts good ones.
Life is far to short.
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