THE MORNING THE KLEENEX BOX WAS RELOCATED
Johnny and Sue had been dating for nearly two years and were planning on a wedding to take place within the year. It was 1968. Both families were excited at getting to know each other, but the two families were quite different. Johnny had but one younger brother and his parents, while Sue was number four of seven children with many nieces and nephews who were always around. Johnny lived on a small farm and their household was on the quiet side. There was never a quiet moment and one was never alone in the city where Sue’s family lived. With no reason to be suspect, neither family was in the habit of locking their doors. The farm family welcomed an occasional visitor for coffee and rolls and there were always goodies to be served. Johnny’s mom even raised baby chicks. They were adorable when they were just a few weeks old, cheeping and pecking. Later, the same chicks would lay eggs, which was Johnny’s mom’s income since she did the chores. The water and feed had to be carried from one out building on the farm to another. Johnny’s mom didn’t seem to mind the work, knowing that the end result was her Sunday suit, fashionable hat, and jewel money. The part she was less fond of was the ringing of the necks and defrocking of the birds. This job was long and arduous, but she had maintained loyal customers for years for both her eggs and chickens. It seemed to have a Machiavellian theme. In the small city, caring for seven children was no easy task. Laundry in the old wringer washer started the Monday monotony. Tuesday, of course, was ironing day. Mending, repairing of seams, hems, and stitching buttons was a constant; as was the cooking. With a houseful of hungry tummies, the task was ongoing and shared by all. The table was always set and everyone was expected to be in the kitchen on time. Heaven help you if you were late! There were seldom leftovers and everyone was expected to eat what was on the table. Being a persnickety eater was one’s own demise. Food was always placed in serving bowls and passed around to share. If one needed a second glass of water or milk, he/she knew the source of more and got it. Dessert was common, but the meal had to be eaten first. On both fronts, the yards were large. The farmyard had a milk house, a barn for the cattle, hogs, and hay, and a chicken house. The yard in the city was a double-lot which had a basketball hoop in the back and was always occupied with the neighborhood kids. The dry clay would not grow grass and the lawn never had a chance with so many tromping feet. During one particular hot game of H-O-R-S-E, one of the neighborhood boys named Leonard couldn’t bring himself to give in to his sister when she fell off her bike and cut her knee. He pretended not to notice since he was clearly the shooter to challenge. Sue had just arrived home from work and noticed the tearful child. Sue brought her in the house and cleaned the wound. The child was okay, but loved the extra attention so the tears continued to flow a little longer than necessary. Sue said, “I will get you a Kleenex.” The offer reflected the gentle, mothering nature of Sue. But the child said, “Oh, that’s okay. I know where the tissue is.” With little wonder, Sue responded, “You do?” Adding with a little cockiness, the child said, “The Kleenex is on the dresser, inside the door, of that bedroom.” “Help yourself. Let’s get you a drink of water before you go back outside.” The cool drink, the tissue, and the extra attention were just enough to get the child back on her bike until the next obstacle presented itself. Sue’s watchful eye was drawn to the kitchen and the need to help in preparing dinner for the family. A cake was being taken out of the oven by Sue’s mom. “Would you like to make a chocolate frosting for this cake?” “Mm-mm. That sounds good. Is the margarine on the counter what you want me to use?” “Yes, I took it out when I mixed the batter. It should be perfectly softened.” Sue’s mom added as she was mashing the potatoes. “Darrin and Lisa and the children are coming for dessert.” “Great!” Family and visitors was one of the most important events of their lives. There was no money to take a family of nine to the movies, or out anywhere. The popular McDonald’s was definitely out of the question. Having people over to play cards and enjoy dessert was casually uplifting. Soon dinner was over, the younger kids got up and cleared the table, scraping and stacking the dishes. Sue’s mom put any leftovers away. Sue began washing dishes—the glasses first, as was dictated by her mother’s kitchen rules. The method’s reasoning was because the glasses were least dirty, unless the children’s greasy fingers made their mark. Glasses needed special care, hot water, and a good rinse. Soon the pile of dishes grew to a mound and were draining, waiting for someone else to dry them and put them away. When the last pans were being washed Darrin, Lisa and their three children came in. “I bet it’s chocolate cake and homemade fudge frosting,” chided Darrin who was obviously making a verbal wager with his son. “Oh, I don’t care; I’ll eat anything!” They giggled and Darrin was already tickling his mother’s ribs with a jibe. She was a great cook and the family appreciated how she could put a meal on the table for pennies, and then make a leftover of stew or something with the undevoured portions. “Susie, Susie, Susie…John—ny’s here! Johnny’s here.” Secretly, Johnny loved the announcement of his arrival. He loved the children. He would smile and try to make conversation with them, but he wasn’t really very good at it. With no small children in his family, his conversations were with the elderly aunts and uncles of his mother. More than anything, he was thankful that he made it in time for dessert. Lisa brought a little ice cream to be scooped onto the cake. More clean-up, more dishes, but enough women in the kitchen to excuse the men to the living room where they discussed the new colored TVs made by RCA. One of Lisa’s children had a fit of sneezes and ran to the bedroom to grab a tissue. Sue thought to herself…guess everyone knows where the Kleenex is. After catching up with everyone’s busy schedule and visiting, the house cleared out and became relatively quiet. Before saying “Goodnight,” Johnny and Sue made plans to see the new John Wayne movie on the weekend. Lights went out and everyone settled in for rest before another work day. Johnny was working on the farm, but had a part-time welding job and Sue worked in an office. She was really good at taking dictation. Her boss didn’t even mind the occasional errors in typing because he never had to repeat his dictation and the facts were always meticulous. Sue worried that she went through scores of typing eraser paper. The work week came to an end, for some. Johnny worked on the farm evenings and on weekends. He was almost finished with a job in the pig lot and wanted to finish it. When he went into the house he called Sue to tell her he was running a little late. Wanting to be with him, no matter what the time, she was ready when he arrived, didn’t keep him waiting, and made of mention of his tardy habit. “We will probably miss the first ten minutes of The Green Berets,” Johnny said trying to figure out if Sue was upset with him. With an ulterior motive behind her being agreeable, Sue shrugged it off. Johnny hadn’t had time to eat so he bought popcorn to share and a drink for each of them. Johnny was generally pretty conservative in the movie theater so that was a treat. They stopped for ice cream at their favorite shop on the way home. Johnny ordered a banana split and Sue ordered a hot fudge Sunday. Timing seemed right to mention that Sue had been invited to a friend’s wedding and a guest was included on the invitation. Johnny explained that he was not able to go so their discussion got a little heated. It hadn’t lighten up by the time they got to Sue’s. Her argument was that he didn’t make much effort to go to her friends’ wedding, but she felt that if it were someone that Johnny knew well, he would make a more concerted attempt. The two stayed in the car for a more conversation that was going nowhere and Johnny walked her to the door. Sue was surprised that no one turned the porch light on which was her mother’s signal that it was time to get in so the neighbors didn’t have gossip to spread. Sue remembered that the light came on before when she was kissing her date good night. Her thoughts almost made her giggle to remember that scene, but she was trying to make an impression and didn’t want to laugh. The tears were a good parting message. Sue went in the house and quietly hoped her mother was in the kitchen so she could be consoled about the disagreement. She thought to herself that she needed to be understanding and get over it. Sue flicked the light switch on in the dining room and gave a gentle tap on the door her parents’ bedroom. With a gentle light streaming over the bed, she popped a tissue from the box on top of the dresser. Sue heard a gasp from her mother and looked toward the bed where she saw the entire backside of her father. Sue managed to control her own gasp as she realized that her father didn’t have his regular, striped pajamas on. Assuming they weren’t sleeping, Sue quickly and quietly closed the door and went upstairs. She lay awake because she didn’t know how she would handle any conversation the next day with her parents. When Sue came down in the morning, she wasn’t sure whether she wanted to make eye contact with her parents or pretend like nothing happened. Her parents made it pretty easy on her as they didn’t say anything or do anything very unusual. After having her cereal, Sue went into the bathroom and discovered that her parents had found a new place for the box of Kleenex, right atop the toilet’s tank. Written by Pamela Lottinville October 19, 2010 I love Christmas and all that the holiday entails. The bustle of shopping combined with the proper spirit is an immeasurable glee. Making a wrong purchase that needs to be returned bothers me; therefore, I don’t “shop ‘til I drop.” I actually bring the kids with me for something they need or let them pick it out. Now that is for the things they need and aren’t too costly. Then I love to top it off with a small surprise, but that is much harder to do. Knowing a person and being willing to look around in stores might just create a spark that says, “I think they will like it.” The secret to enjoying this is to begin shopping early. Be prepared for crowds with the best attitude you can muster. It seems that I usually dash for a last minute item too.
My husband and I are relatively difficult to buy for because if we need something, we go buy it when we need it. To help the kids make purchases, I make a list of reasonable items and let them choose. They need to confer with each other so that they do not duplicate. It seems to work. I have to admit that if I didn’t get any presents, it would be ok because Rich hates to shop and he has conditioned me to brace for any disappointment. If I have my children with me and my grandchildren, then all’s right with the world. Gifts...necessary—no; fun—yes! Why do we buy gifts? I hope it is for the love of sharing, to watch someone open an item that you purchased or made especially for them. That is the love of the holiday. A gift given to honor and to show gratitude to someone is the idea behind the gifts of the three wise men. It is very important to me to share at Christmas—food, gifts, the spirit of love. Baking cookies and cakes, planning meals, and trying to make everyone happy is all part of the plan. My grandsons say that I “spoil” them. Yeah, I think I do with love in every measure and a smile with every creation. I am fortunate that I love to be in the kitchen and my family enjoys the results. Most of all, I hope that they remember the fun in the kitchen and they continue the process as adults with their own families. My favorite Christmas decoration is something that took many hours to make and it is not Christmas until it is placed where it belongs. Many years ago, my sister and I spent a lot of time purchasing plaster craft items, painting them, giving them away or decorating with them. In the late 1970s, I bought the pieces for a Nativity Scene. There were more than twenty pieces which included: Joseph, Mary, Jesus, the wise men, sheep, a camel, a cow, an ox, and a goat. Even though I didn’t have time to paint them because I was studying, I kept them and moved them to the attic of our new home in 1980. As the family kept growing, there was no time for painting plaster craft. When the girls were in high school, I dug the pieces out of the attic, we painted them, and Rich built a stable out of old barn siding. It measures about 18 inches deep x 50 inches wide and 15 inches high. One end has eaves that are very weathered, nearly destroyed…which makes it perfect for the stable. An angel hangs in the background and the entire scene is lighted with miniature lights. The entire stable exemplifies the REASON FOR THE SEASON. The Christ child with his parents in their humble origin is the setting. My family all took part in the painting. I remember being chastised by my girls for putting Mary in pink. She is usually draped in blue, but the rebel in me chose pink. The stable is important to me. What is your favorite decoration?—is it big or little; inside or outside; handmade or purchased. Have you considered why it is important to you? Christmas is the time for reflection. Here is my simple advice to warm the heart. Make certain that you are not so busy or overworked that you cannot keep the true spirit alive within you. If the spirit is within you, it can’t help but show to the people around you. They will feel it and it will grow. Mend fences with family and friends—life is too short for conflicts of any sort. Spend time visiting with loved ones and sharing memories and making new ones. Share the food of life in moderation and exercise both the mind and body as much as possible. CHRISTMAS IS LOVE. Written by Pamela Lottinville December 24, 2010 I used facebook to ask what people’s favorite decoration is…responses: JZ—it was an ornament from her Sunday school teacher when she was a child of five and played Mary in a play. JP—it was her parent’s nativity set that she and her sister took turns putting up. EDS—Grandma Nelda made a felt Advent calendar. The kids loved to pick out the ornament of the day and put it in the correct pocket. SB—a table top fiber optic Christmas tree her mom had in her nursing home room which lighted up the room 24/7. PO—I have several favs…they are homemade and on the tree. JE— a stuffed three foot snow family consisting of mom, dad and son. They sing Christmas carols and they stand on the upper staircase surrounded by candles. LWP—A small crèche made completely of hand-painted lead pieces. She has had it for over 25 years. A—My favorite decoration is a little stocking made by CD for me after a house fire destroyed everything years ago. She crocheted it a put my name on it…I hang it on the tree every year and it reminds me of the thoughtfulness and kindness of others. After all, isn’t that what Christmas is all about? So thanks to CD, I have a real example of “Christmas” to tell my grandkids about when we decorate my tree every year. And what’s best, it CD will always be a special part of my Christmas and she probably doesn’t even know it. First a memory, then a prayer, and finally a “blessing!” What fun…thanks guys! |
ArchivesCategories |