Marie

I met my mom at Marie's house last Sunday. I hadn't seen her in a long time and had been asking for months when we could get together. I was so happy we finally got it to work out. I see Marie every now and then but I hadn't been to her house since I was probably a teenager, maybe even before that. But somehow as soon as I turned down her road I totally remembered. I remembered spending the night with her and Bubba all of the time as a little girl. While I was visiting she reminded me how I used to sit behind Bubba and pick his hair. He was a real sport about it! Ha! She also said that I would lay on the ground coloring and when I was done I would tell her "Ok, I'm ready for bed now". (Yeah I was a really good kid who always appreciated sleep.) She also brought out a stuffed rabbit that she'd talk to me through. I didn't remember the rabbit but I still loved hearing the stories of my reactions as a little girl. We talked about how she would pick me up a couple times a week and she and my grandma would watch me while my mom was at work. I loved to help her clean. She told me I always asked for a rag and would scrub along side of her. She also taught me how to fold socks, and laundry in general. One time I pushed the laundry basket from one end of the house to the other and put away all of my grandparent's clothes for her. How I did it, we'll never know but helping her was always second nature to me. She's the one who taught me how to make scrambled eggs in the microwave. Still to this day it's my favorite way to cook eggs and the only way I cook them at home. I remember watching soap operas with her on her lunch break as I got older. We'd discuss what the Newman's and Abbott's were up to on Young and the Restless while we both enjoyed sandwiches. She always listened. She always cared about what was going on in my life. She always told it straight. She started working for my grandparents when my mom was a baby. My mom is now 62. She was so much more than a nanny or housekeeper or even friend. Marie has always and will always be a second grandmother to me and all of my cousins, and a second mother to my mom and my aunt and uncle. She's special. She's family. I do not see her enough and I plan to make that a priority from here on out.