went. She knew exactly where Shelley and I went, what we were wearing, how long we were there.“
“Good Lord! You’ve stopped her, I hope.“
“Ted took her on. He balances her checking account and saw a check endorsed by a detective agency a couple of months ago. He thought she was investigating the adoption of their girls. He knew she’d fail to find any flaw in the paperwork, so he forgot about it until I met him in secret and told him about the forged addendum to my former husband’s will.“
“Worse and worse! Is she legally demented? Can’t she be put away somewhere? What did she forge?“
“An addendum typed on an old typewriter I gave her—the print looked like handwriting script. It said if I remarried, the whole will was null and void. And she tried to fake his signature. Badly. Ted was already furious with her because she’d said in front of his children that they were `Chinks.’“
Mel was so dumbfounded by this whole story that he couldn’t even reply for a minute or two. “Janey, please don’t issue an invitation to either wedding to her. She’s the kind of nut case who would ruin anyone’s life just with a word or two.“
“There is that. But more important, Ted, Dixie, and the little girls wouldn’t come to the real wedding if Thelma were coming. I want them there. I’ll have to have another secret meeting with Ted so he won’t tell her where and when it’s taking place. And warn him to keep the fake wedding a secret as well. I can’t help feeling that ‘all those trips she took Todd on were for nothing. She really treated one of my children well. But I hope to never be in the same room with her again. I’ll have to explain to Todd why she’s not invited, though.“
“May I come over this evening to see how the new room is coming along?“ Mel asked.
“I’d love it if you did. It’s almost a real room. Mr. Beckman is really moving it along as fast as he can.“
Saturday morning Todd came down expecting his mother to have made him a good breakfast. But he found her sitting at the kitchen table reading a mystery novel.
“No breakfast?“ Todd asked.
“Not here. I have a craving for one of those Sonic breakfast meals. Greasy, salty, with two orders of tater-tots for both of us and big cherry limeades.“
She knew this would appeal to him. And she also knew if he was at his computer he wouldn’t really listen to her.
They took their orders and drove to a little park near the fast-food place. When they were both so full that they needed naps, Jane said, “Todd, there’s something I need to tell you about your grandmother Jeffry.“
“She died?“ he asked.
“No, not yet. But she’s become quite dotty and mean.“
“You’re telling me!“ he exclaimed. “I was afraid to say it.“
“How did you know?“ Jane was surprised that he was so perceptive about his grandmother. She’d treated him well, she thought. All those nice summer vacations she’d taken him along on had been fun for him.
“That last trip, remember? To Mexico?“
“Yes. Two years ago.“
“It was horrible,“ Todd said, taking a noisy last slurp of his cherry limeade.
He went on, “She always took me to places where there was kid stuff. Playgrounds, swimming pools, and other stuff. I liked that and she’d always take me to a zoo or a neat movie. But when we got to Mexico, she went wonky.“
“In what way?“
“Lotsa ways. She wouldn’t let me swim in the hotel pool for one thing. She said the staff people got to use it sometimes and the water would be dirty and maybe carry diseases. She was rude to the waiters. She thought most of them didn’t understand English and would say right in front of them how lazy they were. She’d always have bottled water in her big purse to wash off the silverware before we could eat.“
“Go on,“ Jane said.
“Well, Mom, I finally got fed up and was so embarrassed at being with her that I told her not to be so rude and mean and
“Good Lord! You’ve stopped her, I hope.“
“Ted took her on. He balances her checking account and saw a check endorsed by a detective agency a couple of months ago. He thought she was investigating the adoption of their girls. He knew she’d fail to find any flaw in the paperwork, so he forgot about it until I met him in secret and told him about the forged addendum to my former husband’s will.“
“Worse and worse! Is she legally demented? Can’t she be put away somewhere? What did she forge?“
“An addendum typed on an old typewriter I gave her—the print looked like handwriting script. It said if I remarried, the whole will was null and void. And she tried to fake his signature. Badly. Ted was already furious with her because she’d said in front of his children that they were `Chinks.’“
Mel was so dumbfounded by this whole story that he couldn’t even reply for a minute or two. “Janey, please don’t issue an invitation to either wedding to her. She’s the kind of nut case who would ruin anyone’s life just with a word or two.“
“There is that. But more important, Ted, Dixie, and the little girls wouldn’t come to the real wedding if Thelma were coming. I want them there. I’ll have to have another secret meeting with Ted so he won’t tell her where and when it’s taking place. And warn him to keep the fake wedding a secret as well. I can’t help feeling that ‘all those trips she took Todd on were for nothing. She really treated one of my children well. But I hope to never be in the same room with her again. I’ll have to explain to Todd why she’s not invited, though.“
“May I come over this evening to see how the new room is coming along?“ Mel asked.
“I’d love it if you did. It’s almost a real room. Mr. Beckman is really moving it along as fast as he can.“
Saturday morning Todd came down expecting his mother to have made him a good breakfast. But he found her sitting at the kitchen table reading a mystery novel.
“No breakfast?“ Todd asked.
“Not here. I have a craving for one of those Sonic breakfast meals. Greasy, salty, with two orders of tater-tots for both of us and big cherry limeades.“
She knew this would appeal to him. And she also knew if he was at his computer he wouldn’t really listen to her.
They took their orders and drove to a little park near the fast-food place. When they were both so full that they needed naps, Jane said, “Todd, there’s something I need to tell you about your grandmother Jeffry.“
“She died?“ he asked.
“No, not yet. But she’s become quite dotty and mean.“
“You’re telling me!“ he exclaimed. “I was afraid to say it.“
“How did you know?“ Jane was surprised that he was so perceptive about his grandmother. She’d treated him well, she thought. All those nice summer vacations she’d taken him along on had been fun for him.
“That last trip, remember? To Mexico?“
“Yes. Two years ago.“
“It was horrible,“ Todd said, taking a noisy last slurp of his cherry limeade.
He went on, “She always took me to places where there was kid stuff. Playgrounds, swimming pools, and other stuff. I liked that and she’d always take me to a zoo or a neat movie. But when we got to Mexico, she went wonky.“
“In what way?“
“Lotsa ways. She wouldn’t let me swim in the hotel pool for one thing. She said the staff people got to use it sometimes and the water would be dirty and maybe carry diseases. She was rude to the waiters. She thought most of them didn’t understand English and would say right in front of them how lazy they were. She’d always have bottled water in her big purse to wash off the silverware before we could eat.“
“Go on,“ Jane said.
“Well, Mom, I finally got fed up and was so embarrassed at being with her that I told her not to be so rude and mean and
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