Where Do I Begin? Madeleine's Graduation Party and Much More

A Short Story--No--a Novel :Length Story

Friday the 13th, the night of a full moon............

.......should have given me a clue as to what the evening would bring...but then...I'm not superstitious.....

I arrived at Karen and Mark's at 4:00--I wanted to help get the last minute things done.  Good thing--chaos reigned!

Maddie wanted an "all outside party"--the temperature was hovering around 62 degrees, with a west breeze of around 50 mph, putting the wind chill at near 35!!! <only kidding, but it was cold>

 Instead of having the food inside (as they normally do), it was out on the deck.  Her "board" and all her neat awards, were out on the deck--flying around in the wind and landing, who knows where.  IT WAS SO DANG WINDY/COLD UP THERE!!!

Ever the subtle (?) Gramma, I took Maddie aside and said, "Honey, it is blowing so hard out there on the deck, it is going to blow out the canned heat under the food trays and all the food will be cold.  I think it might be better to have the food inside and people can eat outside." (I sort of lied because I don't think the canned heat thingies would blow out....but)

"I think that's a good idea, Gramma."

Just then the other grandparents arrived and I enlisted the help of Grandpa Rivard to carry the food servers back into the kitchen and set them up on the island.  The worthless Grandma Rivard (oh, yeah, there's another story in there), stood and watched while sipping on her ever present glass of wine.

"Elaine, could you help me carry in the plates and napkins...and stuff?"

"Sure.  Where is it?"

"Outside on the deck."

"Oh...I don't know.  It's so cold and windy and I didn't bring a sweater.  I don't know if I could take it.  I just can't believe how cold it is and....."

"Well, the sun is out, it isn't raining or snowing.  It's Maddie's graduation party, so...let's thank God for that and enjoy ourselves."

I scurry out to the deck...back and forth--got it all set up like I remember the other kids parties and VOILA--problem solved.

I cut up my Mississippi Mud Brownies and put them on a nice, round crystal platter I had--on top of three lace doilies.  Oh BTW--the brownies (always a hit) were all gone within the first hour.

I helped Karen stir the Alfredo and Red spaghetti sauce, made sure the bread sticks weren't burning, ran down to the basement kitchen to bring up the salad fixings, along with oldest Grand daughter Helene who had flown in from LA for the party.

Grandma Rivard sat at the kitchen table, sipping on her second glass of wine..."It's June!  I just can't believe how cold it is.  I wish I'd brought a sweater."

Karen: "I'll get you one of mine, Mom."
<grinds my goat that she calls her Mom>

I look at Karen who just, rolls her eyes as she walks toward her bedroom.

"Well, it isn't going to get any warmer by talking about it "Let's get some pictures of the Grandparents with Maddie, before everyone gets here," says I.  Trying to divert this woman's mind-set...which isn't easy.  I smiled when I remembered the comment my ex made the first time he met her.  "Boy--that woman is drifter than a cumulus cloud!"

<I have seriously wanted to slap that woman, on numerous occasions, in the last 33 years>
============================

Then Maddie got her head band on

you can see how hard the wind was blowing

Everything was ready at "Four Fifty-Eight" as Karen noted and people started coming in.  I retreated to the deck and was going down the stairs to go sit on the front porch, protected from the wind where I could see all the arrivals and whom should I meet coming up the stairs?  The Love of my Young Life...the ex.

"Gary, how are you doing?" I asked with a big smile.

"Well right now, I'm trying to figure out how to get up all these steps!" he laughed.

I took another step down and hugged him.

"By the way...Happy Birthday last month.  We're getting old, aren't we?"

"Yep.  Happy Birthday next week.  We ARE getting old."

"Yeah, but one good thing--you will ALWAYS be thirteen months older than me!"

"Not too many years left," he said.  "I guess the secret is...trying to figure out to live the rest of those years."

"You're right.  You will be living them on the golf course and I will be living them with my cats."

We hugged again and I proceeded to walk to the porch--I won't deny, a tear was trying to escape.

I had a great vantage point, as every guest came passed me to enter the house.  My ex sister-in-law and hubbies (I love these people) hugs and kisses all around.  My Pammie and Mark, sister Susan and Chuck, her son and his family.  

Lo and behold, my step sisters and their families (and they acted glad to see me, but then again, they have always been fake people. This whole problem with Jen started when my 2nd cousin read what I had posted on my blog, called the step brother-in-law and told him to read it--which he did--then told Jen to read it.)

I glanced down at the tent where people were eating and I saw Pammie and.....sitting across from her was....Andrew?  Jennifer's oldest.  Did he ride with Pam?  No.  I hadn't seen him come in.

Who are they looking at?

There's Alex and.........it's Jennifer, putting a head band on Elise, who is holding....Evan!

OHMYGOSH!!

What do I do now?  Run and hide?  Sneak through the house, out to my car and leave?  No--sneakily take a picture and stay on the porch.

They started up the hill toward the house. Jennifer looked great.  She must have lost 50#. 

I could hear the theme song from Chariots of Fire playing in the background.

My heart was pounding so loud it made my hands shake.  

Elise ran up on the porch to give me a hug, Alex came shyly along, Evan looked at me like he had no clue and Jen?

"Hi Mom.  Evan, say Hi to Mimi. You remember, Mimi?"

<well of course not.  He hasn't seen me in a year>

She handed him off to Elise.  I stood up and she gave me a hug and one of her "air" kisses.

"You look great, Mom."

"So do you!  You have lost a lot of weight!"

"Yeah.  No matter what I did--Nutri-system, fives miles a day on the treadmill..I just couldn't lose.  So I went to the doctor.  He did some tests and put me on Thyroid pills and....the weight just started falling off."

"I'll bet you feel better too."

"It has really helped.  I'm not as tired and emotional as I used to be.    We're going in and get some food.  Are you coming too?"

"No.  I'm not hungry right now.  I'm going to wait until the crowd thins out a bit."
<I couldn't have eaten even if I had wanted too>

"Okay.  See you later."

Just then I saw Pammie walking out to her car--she looked over and waved to me like, "follow me", so I did.

We hid out and had a cigarette.

(don't judge--I needed one!)

Back into the house where Elise came up for a hug and I had to take her picture.  She is ten and getting very tall.

She was headed out to the back yard to swing, so I followed along.  Down the big  hill.  No photos...because I was too busy and, didn't really think.  Wish I had now.

Alex (7) was kicking his soccer ball all around, so I stopped and asked him if he was playing and where.  Then saw Andrew up on the hill, playing Lacrosse with a bunch of older kids--he is 12 and nearly as tall as I am.  He saw me and came over for a hug and we chatted.  Then...I saw Evan (2 1/2), with Pam, picking up sticks to put in the fire pit.  I walked over.  

"Whatcah doing, Evan?"

"I cleaning up mulch.  I get stick off dat tree and put dem in the fire pit for Aunt Karwen."

"Can Mimi help you?"

"Yath." he says as he toddles back toward the mulch.

I could see he was picking up the small little branches that had fallen on the mulch from the trees overhead.  He was very intent on his job.  Back and forth we walked.

"Good job, Mimi," he says at one point.

I reached down and picked up a couple of pieces of large sized mulch--big 3 inch hunks of wood, and started walking back toward the fire pit.

"NO.  MIMI.  We don't put dat mulch in dah pit...just the widdle bwanches off dah twees!"

"Oh.  Sorry.  I didn't realize it was mulch."

"Yath.  See--it is differwant."

Back and forth--back and forth.

Then I needed a rest, and spotted some small pieces of wood strips that Mark had thrown in the fire pit.  I picked up a long one, laid it over my thigh and broke it in two.  Well--that was noticed.

"Evan...do you think you are strong enough to break these?"

...and he leaned into the pit, while I held the seat of his pants, came up with a really long one, nearly put my eye out when he brought it out....put it over his thigh and snapped it in half.

"ALL RIGHT!  GIVE ME FIVE!"

Which he did--really hard--taking me almost to my knees because he hit my arthritic right hand.

He commenced to keep breaking the thin strip of wood...

"Mimi has to go up to the house.  Okay?  See ya later. Can I have a hug?"

I bent down and he reached up and-------Heaven!

"Bye, bye, Mimi.  See wu waiter."

==========================

Then I spied this going on at one of the tables under the tent.  My son talking earnestly to his Dad and my ex brother-in-law.  It must have been funny as they were laughing---while I surreptitiously took their picture.

I'm sorry I didn't get a picture of my ex's wife, but...didn't want to scare you.  She is not even 70 as yet and her skin looks like an alligator's.  Her face has crevices and wrinkles that would rival the Grand Canyon.  All that golfing and sun bathing in the warm climes of Florida every winter.  HAH  

<You're a mean one, Judith Miller--you're critical, crass and vengeful>

Back in the house and saw Jen stirring a big pot of spaghetti at the stove, so I went over.

"Is Eric coming over?"

"Yes.  He had to work and then take the car in.  He said he'd be here around seven-thirty."

I glanced at the clock on the stove--6:45.

"Okay...well I am going to head home."

"Don't worry about it, Mom."

"No.  I don't want to make it uncomfortable for Eric.  Besides, I'm getting tired.  It was wonderful to see you."

"You too, Mom."  and, when she reached over to hug me, I whispered in her ear, "I love you Sweetie." and she gave me an extra hard hug.

I went through the house, out onto the deck and lawn to hug and kiss kids and grand kids and friends goodbye, gathered my stuff and out to the car, realizing at the time that I hadn't eaten a thing!  Too distracted I guess.  

I drove home, smiling and repeating over and over....

THANK YOU, GOD.  THANK YOU, GOD.  THANK YOU, GOD!

The End

or maybe not?

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