The days rolled by like a child roller-skating down the sidewalk and, on this beautiful early spring Saturday, Karen prepared for her first visit to Tammy’s. She opened her wardrobe and chose blue denim pedal pushers and a soft baby-blue cardigan. From her dresser she took a white cotton crew neck shirt with three-quarter length sleeves. She could put these on without help, and she admired herself in the mirror after she dressed. The year was 1964, and Karen had turned thirteen years old the week before.
She knew that, while learning new lessons in life, she was also being given opportunities to share her growing wisdom. She sensed that this visit to Tammy’s would be important both as a learning opportunity for herself and as an opportunity to share this wisdom.
In the kitchen, she toasted bagels for herself and Mama, then read while Mama showered and changed out of her gardening clothes. In a few minutes, Mama walked in wearing a dark blue sleeveless dress with a floral pattern and a white sweater over her shoulders.
In a deep voice, Mama intoned, “We now return control of your garden to you, until next week at the same time, when the roses will take you to Your Outer Limits.”
“Mama, I thought you loved all the flowers around our new home. Besides, you don’t have any limits. You can do anything.”
“I do love them, my Krana Layala, but sometimes I feel like they’re more than I can handle. All the pruning and dead-heading. It’s never ending.”
“Mama, you can do it. They’re beautiful and worth the effort. I’ll start helping you. You can teach me what to do, and maybe I can do it for you.”
“You’re such a good girl. That would be great, ‘cause I am at my limits with the yard work.”
“Why don’t you sit down and relax? Let me put a schmear and some lox on the bagels I toasted. Should I make you a coffee?”
“Coffee would be wonderful.”
As Karen fixed the food and coffee, she said, “Seriously, Mama, do we all have outer limits?” She said the last two words in her deepest voice.
“You should ask Pegasus.”
“I will, but he’s not here. Can you help me understand this?”
Mama sighed. “We do, but a lot of times it’s because we take on more than we can handle. Or we don’t ask for help when we need it. So, it’s kind of something we do to ourselves. Unless there’s a natural disaster or an alien invasion.”
She used her deep voice when she said alien invasion. They both laughed. Karen put her mother’s food and coffee on the table, then brought her own over from the kitchen counter.
Mama sipped the coffee and said, “Just what I need to perk me up. Tammy’s mother is always so stressed. I want to be at my best for your visit.”
After quickly eating and cleaning up, the two hurried out the door to Mama’s well-loved black and salmon 1955 Chevy Bel Air.
Original text ©2022 by Karen Lynn-Chlup. All rights reserved.
