Memories Monday -- Your Father, My Father, and That Woman

When Missy and Janet became friends again, I thought we were going to be an even bigger happy family.  Ed was not particularly pleased.

He said that his mother and Missy had been Leftist-Hippy Lucy and Ethel in their day, getting together and carrying on and dragging him and Allison and Missy’s kids to protest marches and peace vigils.  “It’s a miracle we didn’t get lung cancer from all the secondhand pot smoke.  And the music!  Dear God, the music!  How many roads can a man walk down before they call him a man?  Solidarity forever!  I caught my mother singing that to Betsey when she was a baby.  I made her switch to “Jesus Loves Me”.  We’d come home from school and all there would be in the house was about three M & M’s.   We had to eat apples for snacks!”  Ed was on a roll.

I had to admit I didn’t have those problems, since my grandmother was always bringing cookies over to my house because I was a poor little thing with whose mother didn’t bake and my mother played special children’s classical music for me.

I thought Allison would be delighted, since she wanted everyone to be “healed”.  So I was surprised, to say the least, when I got a call from her. 

Without even saying hello, she said, “Well, I hope you’re happy.”

I didn’t know what she was referring to.  “I’m usually happy, yes.”

“Well, it’s good someone is because my father’s heart is broken.  Though I suppose your father and that woman are delirious.”

“What woman?”

“Your husband’s and my stepmother.  She’ll probably be your stepmother soon, until she gets tired of your father.”

It seemed as if Allison had forgotten everyone’s name.  But as far as I could make out, Missy had left Doug for my father.

“I suppose my mother and Pastor Parker were in on it, too.”

I guess she couldn’t think of a designation for Kate.  “Janet and Mother Parker had nothing to do with it.  People fall in love.  And as a matter of fact” (I knew this wasn’t nice, but it was true.) "what started this whole thing off was your suggesting we invite your father to the wedding.”

“Well, I wouldn’t have if I’d known what your father was capable of.”

“Do you want to talk to Ed?”  Ed had disappeared, but Cilla was sitting on the sofa, being very quiet so she wouldn’t miss anything.  She has a sixth sense when it comes to finding drama.

“You know he’s useless with this stuff.” 

Well, at least we could agree about that.                     

I haven’t heard from my father.  I don’t know if he’s waiting for me to call him.  I’m not up to it right now.

I just hope that Missy won’t mind staying with the kids on Christmas Eve.