Christmas cards…I send few
out now. My handwriting is illegible,
and my hands grow very tired quickly.
One of the cards I always send is to my old friend Frankie. That card came back yesterday.
After leaving my first husband,
I ended up downtown babysitting an old Victorian owned by SOHO…Save Our
Heritage Organization. Yes, I was mad as a Hatter, and I drank way too much. I also really
appreciated having a home and a job at the same time. Since I didn’t have a bed, I slept on my old
white sofa in what was originally the dining room. Out that dining room window was the back
porch of a tiny shotgun Victorian. A
young man lived there, and we would wave at each other. Come summer, when all the windows were open
to the breeze, we began talking.
His name was Frankie, and
he became my support system. We played and
partied together, we shared lives, and when the kids came back, he became
Grandmama. I asked too much of him over
the years, and after watching the kids grow up and my life become whole, he moved
to Hemet then Boulevard far, far inland.
We stayed in touch…lightly. He
never missed my birthday with a card. He
always sent a card for Christmas.
I hope I get a card this
Christmas perhaps with a new address.
When people pass on (if he has) survivors should be considerate and pass on the news. Now, I know that he may have been alone, but we have had more than one case where no one has let us know.
ReplyDeleteHope your friend has moved, several of mine have recently. I worry that no one will let me know. I suppose I should make a list for my kids. Ugh.
ReplyDeleteI hope you find your friend.
ReplyDeleteI have entered that time in my life where many of my few friends are entering their last decade. It leaves me a bit lost and while not afraid, a bit hesitant about how to spend my days.
ReplyDeleteI hop you hear from your friend soon.
ReplyDeleteYou are such a delight. I am not writing Christmas cards either, Wrist still in brace after my fall in SD. Can't ask david to do anymore. He doen't like it. Cheers to you. Thanks for showing me the old house and sharing the story of your time there. Im into Pagan mythology after the Krampus video from you and M.
ReplyDeleteI will sit down and write a few cards, but the custom has really died out, pretty much.
ReplyDeleteI hope you hear from your friend soon too. I haven't even gotten around to doing my yearly newsletters. Unfortunately, I've had that sort of thing happen to us too. It's sad.
ReplyDeleteI love your rose, by the way.
ReplyDeletewow, Mage. You really know how to tell a story. Very thought provoking. Bittersweet. Poignant. xoxoc
ReplyDelete