Mother's Day

Wow! Round the city in two hours. I've been from having a most wonderful lunch in my most elegant apartment to the Battered Woman's Center in the Fox Point area to the green grass of the Brown University Campus. It started out with a craving for candy after that great lunch. I always want something sweet after a big meal. I was hot on a mainliner, no diluted stuff like gum drops, sugar-coated when I spotted my sister's wagon. That sister (like in black language) was heading for Fox Point, a Battered Women's Shelter where she will put on her five-star dinner for ten. What have I done now? Or more to the point, what great thing has the High Roller done for me lately that I have this desire to be part of this mission? She pulls the wagon up to the Shelter and out of the woodwork come three ladies in white, not ordinary white but paper white. They come out of this wagon like a Charlie Chaplin movie in high speed. I'm drawn into this film and once inside, quickly take my place by the sink. Safe. You're always safe by the sink. It gets you more attention than those Sisters of Mercy's old outfits. Channel Six is on the scene to talk to the mothers. I have now taken off my navy blue jacket and tied it around my waist. The rest of me is in grey sweat pants and a white top that has seen it's day. I recognize this guy that's doing the interviewing from 20 years ago. I say, "Hello, I'm Ruth from the Mall." He looks like I'm talking about another world. Well, I went on with my job. I was taken off sink duties and put on cake decorating. The ladies in white were still going at top speed and the dining room was showing the fruits of their labor: paper white table clothes, china and silver from San Francisco, fresh flowers, french bread in baskets, and a dessert table in the background that looked like the cover of Martha Stewart. Ten house clients all dressed and looking just fine took their seats at the table. Now the children, 18 of them from ages 6 months to 10 years, all go in the opposite direction, to the yard. And you guessed it, I am promoted to House Mother. It started off fine with three of the little dears in high chairs. The others were sitting patiently waiting for their turn to eat. McDonald's was running late so my gang was getting restless. One little devil, no higher than my knee, was keeping me busy with his karate stunts on whomever he could reach. I decided that I had better come up with something. I did. We played that we were flowers, some were ivy and some were roses. My little group climbed up the swings and the hanging tires on the big tree pretending that they were flowers. I had them budding and blossoming and when they were sick of that, I played the gardener and hosed them all down. The Big Macs arrived in their colorful boxes, and I seized this opportunity to leave. My sister gave me a big kiss... I never did get that candy. Oh yes, I forgot to mention. As the t.v. guy was taking the picture of the five star table, they said they needed some action. So I obliged them by standing in. P.P.S. Special delivery: heather and plum-colored roses from Sean, and a bunch of violets from Kim. The High Roller wasted no time. The writing and editing session is filled with the sweet smells of Elizabeth cake, like a French bakery. Elizabeth keeps her focus on her stories exhibiting a lot of energy.

Copyright; Ruth Mahoney 8-May-88