Village Squire, 1977-01, Page 16Medicine for Xavier
By Alvena A. Beder
Actually I think I've been quite patient. For the past six
months my life has been a turmoil. You see, Alice - she's my
oldest pister is getting married next Saturday and they've
been preparing for the great day. By they I mean Mom, my
aunts, cousins, Alice, her friends - in other words I've been
surrounded by females. When you're a boy nine going on ten
they're pretty hard to take - all that kissing, and head petting.
Let me tell you I've been counting the days till our family
consists of just Mom, Dad and me.
Then that telegram came. As Dad said it was the straw that
broke the camel's back. (I guess he's been suffering too.)
It read, "Arriving Tuesday evening STOP. Meet train.
STOP. Staying four months STOP. Aunt Mary.
Aunt Mary's Mom's aunt. Last summer on our vacation we
visited her for a few days. Wow, what a terror she was. She
criticized the clothes Dad wears, ,made him give up snv oking
and put him on a strict diet. When she had him well on the
way to a nervous breakdown she turned her sneaky eyes on
me. Mom says people don't have sneaky eyes but 1 think it
describes hers perfectly. She said I ask too many questions
and that I had atrocious table manners - whatever that means.
In short she made our visit one that both Dad and I would like
to forget.
She didn't pick on Mom. She's always been her pet.
After the telegram arrived Dad and Mom had an argument.
Dad said she couldn't stay that long if she was old and rich.
Mom argued that she wasn't that bad and that we should feel
sorry for the poor lonely old lady. At this point I left. I spent
the next six hours in my tree house debating whether to run
away immediately or to wait until I had my dinner. Dinner
14, Village Squire/Januaryy 1977
Aunt Mary came to visit...for four months.