Tim had to talk to someone, and, thank God, his mother was available. She was there in the Serenity Rest Home on Maple Avenue, and sometimes she was her old self. He might just drop in and talk to Ma this afternoon.

She was sitting on the patio, looking at the geese on the shore of the lake, and Tim tiptoed behind her and put his hands across her eyes, the way he did when he was a kid.

"Guess who?," he whispered, his heart beating a little faster as he hoped she would guess like she always did in the old days.

"Well, now let's see," she said, "Could that be Della?" Tim relaxed, a smile on his face, and he replied in a falsetto, "Noooo-- it's not Della."

"Oh, then it must be Anna, for only Anna would drop in on an afternoon like this."

"Guess again," Tim said, lowering his voice to a deep baritone.

"Why, it's my Tim! I'd know that deep voice anywhere!"

And he dropped his hands and swung round to give her a kiss. Immediately, Ma knew. By the look on his face, Ma knew something was wrong between Tim and Edna. Tim admitted that was why he'd come to talk to Ma. He was almost in tears as he told Ma he feared he wasn't -- well, romantic enough for Edna.

"Well, I told you," she said, and Tim stiffened. What had Ma told him -- that he wasn't romantic?

"I told you to take a honeymoon," Ma said, "but you insisted on repairing the corn crib."

"Maybe it's not too late," Tim said, "We could take a trip to California, see the country, even buy a new car."

Before the words were out, Tim knew what Ma would say next.

"Never had such a good time as when your Pa took me to Hawaii," she said. "We saw the beach at Waikiki. We saw the pineapple fields and the sugar cane. We saw hula dancers. We went to a luau. Your Pa even wore flowers around his neck. Oh, it was wonderful."

"And the radio show. You forgot the radio show with Hilo Hattie."

Ma thought a moment, -- "Hilo Hattie?" Then she remembered, gave a slight laugh and said,

"_ _    _ _ , _ _ _   _ _!"

(2 letters, 2 letters, 3 letters, 2 letters)

Copyright 1997 J.J. Schnebel
All rights reserved
 

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