have been a wonderful mother. I would have loved to have been my daughter. Haven’t I done everything humanly possible to see that you have every advantage?”
“Yes, Mother, you have. It’s just that you come with an awful lot of drama, and you are never quiet.”
“Well, I’m sorry if I’m not some dull and boring Sally-sit-by-the-fire. Yes, I talk a lot, but I happen to excel in the art of conversation.”
“It’s not just talking, Mother. It’s just that you always have an opinion.”
“Well, I should hope so.”
“But it’s always such a strong opinion.”
“How can you expect me to have a weak opinion? Would you go into a restaurant and order a weak cup of coffee?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact, I would.”
“You know what I mean, Sookie. Why have an opinion, if it’s nota strong opinion? Oh, I know the Good Book says the meek shall inherit the earth, but I don’t believe it for one minute.”
“But, Mother, surely there is something in between meek and overpowering. Like … just normal.” Sookie knew the minute she said it, she had said the wrong word.
Lenore’s eyes suddenly got very big. “Are you suggesting that I am not normal? Granted, your Uncle Baby and Aunt Lily have their little quirks, but I’m as normal as they come. Really, Sookie, you hurt me to the quick.”
If Lenore thought shooting at the paperboy was just “a little quirk,” then there was no point in expecting her to ever think anything was wrong with her. Lenore had never been normal in her life. She certainly hadn’t been a normal mother or a normal grandmother, either.
One Christmas Eve, when the children had been quite young, she and Earle had left them with Lenore while they ran out and did a little last-minute shopping, and Lenore had served each child several cups of the Simmons eggnog, which was 75 percent rum and 25 percent nog. When they came to pick the children up, all four were stumbling around her living room in a drunken stupor. “I don’t know why you’re so upset, Sookie,” Lenore had said. “My word, a little eggnog never hurt anybody, and if we can’t celebrate the birth of our Lord on Christmas Eve, then I don’t know what the world is coming to.”
That year, they had been the only children in town who had opened their presents on Christmas morning with a hangover. And, of course, no matter what Lenore did, the children just adored her. Especially Dee Dee. Whenever she was punished for doing something at home, she would exclaim, “I’m going to live with Grandmother. She understands me!”
Lenore had been so hard on her own children, but to Sookie’s great surprise, with her grandchildren, she thought whatever they did or said was “Just darling! Just precious!” or “The cutest thing in the world!” She had given them all the candy they wanted, even though Earle, being a dentist, had asked her not to. So, of course, the children loved being with her. Why not?
But then, they hadn’t been raised by a woman who thought that Sookie and Buck were the only two things that had stood between herand winning an Oscar. She had said, “Oh, Sookie, when I saw Barbara Stanwyck in the movie
Stella Dallas,
I just cried my eyes out. I could have played that part to a T. Oh, well,” she sighed. “Barbara Stanwyck had the career I should have, but it’s all water under the bridge now.” Oh, brother.
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN
1938
F RITZI DIDN ’ T LET ON , BUT SHE HAD ACTUALLY BEEN TERRIFIED AS Billy taxied the plane over to the edge of the field. She had never been in an airplane in her life, and when he revved the motor, ready for takeoff, she shut her eyes and held on to her hat for dear life. As the plane started rumbling down the field, her heart was pounding so hard she could hardly breathe, but if this is what it took to impress Billy, she would do it. She had been dazzled by Billy at first sight, the way he had jumped down out of the plane and sauntered through the crowd.
“Yes, Mother, you have. It’s just that you come with an awful lot of drama, and you are never quiet.”
“Well, I’m sorry if I’m not some dull and boring Sally-sit-by-the-fire. Yes, I talk a lot, but I happen to excel in the art of conversation.”
“It’s not just talking, Mother. It’s just that you always have an opinion.”
“Well, I should hope so.”
“But it’s always such a strong opinion.”
“How can you expect me to have a weak opinion? Would you go into a restaurant and order a weak cup of coffee?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact, I would.”
“You know what I mean, Sookie. Why have an opinion, if it’s nota strong opinion? Oh, I know the Good Book says the meek shall inherit the earth, but I don’t believe it for one minute.”
“But, Mother, surely there is something in between meek and overpowering. Like … just normal.” Sookie knew the minute she said it, she had said the wrong word.
Lenore’s eyes suddenly got very big. “Are you suggesting that I am not normal? Granted, your Uncle Baby and Aunt Lily have their little quirks, but I’m as normal as they come. Really, Sookie, you hurt me to the quick.”
If Lenore thought shooting at the paperboy was just “a little quirk,” then there was no point in expecting her to ever think anything was wrong with her. Lenore had never been normal in her life. She certainly hadn’t been a normal mother or a normal grandmother, either.
One Christmas Eve, when the children had been quite young, she and Earle had left them with Lenore while they ran out and did a little last-minute shopping, and Lenore had served each child several cups of the Simmons eggnog, which was 75 percent rum and 25 percent nog. When they came to pick the children up, all four were stumbling around her living room in a drunken stupor. “I don’t know why you’re so upset, Sookie,” Lenore had said. “My word, a little eggnog never hurt anybody, and if we can’t celebrate the birth of our Lord on Christmas Eve, then I don’t know what the world is coming to.”
That year, they had been the only children in town who had opened their presents on Christmas morning with a hangover. And, of course, no matter what Lenore did, the children just adored her. Especially Dee Dee. Whenever she was punished for doing something at home, she would exclaim, “I’m going to live with Grandmother. She understands me!”
Lenore had been so hard on her own children, but to Sookie’s great surprise, with her grandchildren, she thought whatever they did or said was “Just darling! Just precious!” or “The cutest thing in the world!” She had given them all the candy they wanted, even though Earle, being a dentist, had asked her not to. So, of course, the children loved being with her. Why not?
But then, they hadn’t been raised by a woman who thought that Sookie and Buck were the only two things that had stood between herand winning an Oscar. She had said, “Oh, Sookie, when I saw Barbara Stanwyck in the movie
Stella Dallas,
I just cried my eyes out. I could have played that part to a T. Oh, well,” she sighed. “Barbara Stanwyck had the career I should have, but it’s all water under the bridge now.” Oh, brother.
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN
1938
F RITZI DIDN ’ T LET ON , BUT SHE HAD ACTUALLY BEEN TERRIFIED AS Billy taxied the plane over to the edge of the field. She had never been in an airplane in her life, and when he revved the motor, ready for takeoff, she shut her eyes and held on to her hat for dear life. As the plane started rumbling down the field, her heart was pounding so hard she could hardly breathe, but if this is what it took to impress Billy, she would do it. She had been dazzled by Billy at first sight, the way he had jumped down out of the plane and sauntered through the crowd.
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