THE HOME LIFE... and other stuff (Part 101c)

Elle, I and the kids were trapped by tradition for Thanksgiving. It had been celebrated at my grandparents house since ”forever“, as stated by my father. As far back as I could remember (with the exception of the few years I was training horses) the whole family would gather there for a big, traditional turkey dinner with ALL the fixings. My mother had taken over the cooking chores even before Elle and I had returned. My grandfather preferred to have his main meal in the middle of the day and, up to this year it was served at 1pm (or close to it). However, he had grown quite fond of Jan, the nurse who lived in the house to make sure he had no problems during the night, and wanted her to be included. Because her schedule at the hospital couldn’t be altered meal time had to be changed to 5pm. Reluctantly, he accepted the change. It didn’t please my mother very much either but it sure made Elle and I happy. We didn’t have to show up until 3pm which gave us most of our day back. In prior years we’d spend the morning getting the kids ready and then arrive and sit around waiting until the meal was served. By the time we’d get home it would be dark.

The change actually worked well for my mother. She was able to organize things without rushing about. With the baby taking her afternoon nap Elle was able to help her as well. When my brother showed up my grandfather showed he still had a sense of humor. It had been months since my brother had stopped by to see him and when he went over to my grandfather he looked up and said something along the lines of "Do I know you?" When my brother, not knowing he was having his chain yanked, gave him his name, my grandfather said something along the lines of "That name sounds familiar... are you a neighbor?" I took particular pleasure in hearing it knowing that my grandfather was hurt by the lack of attention my brother showed him.

Jan showed up around 4:30pm. I hadn’t seen her since the closing night at the racetrack. She had a bag with her and as soon as she took off her coat she set in down on the floor and called the kids over. Then she bent over and reached into the bag and as she did my eyes almost popped out of my head (and something else also started to pop). I could readily see the band leg of her panties though her white uniform dress almost as if she didn’t have a slip on. It was only for a few seconds but it sure got my attention, She had a couple of hand knit turkeys for the girls. One of the nurses had made them and she thought the kids would get a kick out of them. She didn’t know it but I got one too.

The meal went well although I felt that Jan was preoccupied. When we finished eating both Jan and Elle helped my mother clean up the left overs and wash the dishes. By the time they were almost through the kids started to get restless. Elle suggested that I start gathering up all the things that went with the baby while she finished up. I had one load of things to go to the car and when I walked through the kitchen to take them to the car I saw my mother with her arms around Jan. I couldn’t see her face but I could see Elle was concerned. I continued on to the car and when I returned I found all of them sitting around the dining room table. My mother told me to go get my father. Jan had obviously been crying although she wasn’t at that time.

Both my father and I sat down with the three women. All the attention was focused on Jan. It took a while before she opened her mouth and when she did we could barely hear her. What she said really shocked both my father and I. She told us that she would be getting married and leaving. I know I didn’t say a word and I don’t think my father did for a while. When he did he asked when she’d be leaving. She hesitated and finally told us the wedding was December 13. I remember thinking who would want to get married on the 13th of any month. My mother interjected that Jan would still be there for a little over two weeks and that she’d be getting married at the church just down a ways on Main Street. That kept the attention off of what we’d have to do to replace her. By then I realized that her husband to be was more than likely Buddah. I vaguely remembered me teasing her about getting married right after they became an ”item“. I also remembered her response was that she wasn’t getting married until he had a ”real job“. As she sat there I’d never seen Jan look so vulnerable. Not that she had ever been assertive in any way but she always seemed to be in quiet control. As I looked at her across the table I saw a frightened young woman. My mother was the one that broke the gathering up by suggesting that it would be best to not say anything to my grandfather until everyone had a chance to ”catch their breath“ and that it could be better addressed in a day or two.

Over the next few days there were many phone calls and it wasn’t until Sunday that a sketchy plan had emerged... subject to change. My parents met with Jan and, together, they told my grandfather. They weren’t sure he fully understood the whole situation. When my mother called to tell me I found out for sure that it was Buddah that Jan was marrying and that they would live with his parents. Their decision to get married locally as opposed to having it in Jan’s hometown was made by her parents. I had some thoughts on that (see the previous post concerning Stasia and her pregnancy) but kept them to myself. The wedding was to be held following the regular Sunday church service and a small reception was to be scheduled at the old hotel on the edge of town. Of course Elle, I, my parents and grandfather were invited. As far as a replacement for Jan was concerned there had been little progress. In reality, having Jan show up when she did was a fluke. In my mind the family had been lucky in finding people to do the ”babysitting“ of my grandfather. I didn’t have a good feeling that anyone could be found to replace Jan especially within the next two weeks.


To be continued...