Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-11-06
FEATURE Rcz
jim BISHOP:
REPORTER
Return to Home Aqoin

Home. =.
It looks the same. The back
gate is still unhinged. The dead
bulb in the upstairs bath room
has not been replaced. Hair
pins are on the dresser. Elinor's
watch has run down. Rocky
gives a casual flick Of the tail,
then realizes that he has not
seen me in a long time and
leaps to knock me down with
wet kisses.
The children look at me when
they think that I am not look
ing. Gayle is quiet. Too quiet
for a youngster Of IA. Chimney. a
married woman at 20. is a dis
tressed little girl. Her husband,
Charles Frechette, at 81, is a
man. He took care of every
thing; made all the arrange
ments. He stands a little bit
away, tall. solid, red-headed,
silent.
The Shrewsbury runs past
the backyard on the same i'm
mutable tides. A basketball
blackboard hangs over the ga
rage door. Beyond the front
wall, the Atlantic Ocean crashes
against rocks and throws
handsful Of white confetti to
the sky.
There is nothing to say. Sud-
denly, the girls fall into my
arms and Rocky sits on his
launches and yawns at the
sight of tears. In a minute, il
is over and the children move
from tears to inordinate laugh
ter and back to tears again
Conversation become babble;
everyone wants to do every
thing for mommy. Or, as NOM
my would want everything
done.
Score Of Memories
The children remember q
score of things that Mommy
did and they echo all Of her
favorite expressions. Talking
about her is a pseudo-con-
fession and they feel better
afterward. They were always
good kids, and affection around
this house was as common as
crumbs. We were a kissing
family. Nobody ever got to
bed, even angry. without being
kissed by everybody else.
Now the girls are trying to
make it UP to the old man by
loving him twice as much. In
Gayle'S case, I'm the only one
she has left. Nanny lived with
us and she slept away in July.
Grandma Bishop was here and
she went in August. Mommy
made the deep adieu in Octo-
Der. Three in four months. It
rocks the child so that she
does not weep as she should.
She affects a callous air
Someone suggests that Gayle
take a few more days of from
school, and she says no. She
wants to get back to class.
After school, she asks permits
sion to go next door and play
with Jack Keeler. She sets
the alarm at night. washes
brushes her teeth, and kneels
at the foot of her bed to pray,
Then to bed, to what tortured
memories I do not know.
In the morning, she insists
on getting up alone and making
her own breakfast. This il
new. The children of her elias;
sent flowers to her and she
nodded a brief thanks" She
will crack soon and I must be
here when it happens.
Under Control
Ginny is under control until
there is no work to do. Then
she sits. The beautiful face
stares at a piece of rug. The
tears come in silence and, as
quickly. they are gone. She
gets up to dump the ash trays
she dumped an hour ago. She
is the sentimentalist in the
family-the saver of old photos
the sender Of kisses at the
bottom of a letter, the highest
in glee, the deepest in gloom
the one who tried hardest To
win mothers approval.
Charlie is more Elinor's son
than her son-in-law and she
depended upon him. He did
! =. I1- ill.,