Nothing reflects the strength of society like the continuity and caring of one generation for the next.
In our fast-paced western civilization, with highly mobile populations, this closeness is maintained by the rare letter, occasional phone call, or perhaps a Sunday visit to Granny’s house.
Recently, Chickie (Puddin’ Pye’s youngest home from college with her beau) paid such a visit on Granny DesTarte, Puddin’s mother-in-law. Granny has never quite forgiven Puddin’ for eloping with her daughter, Cupcake, so close family visits are a bit of a rarity.
“Oh, Chickie, darling, it’s so good to see you,” gushed Granny as she lovingly smothered Chickie in her ample bosom.
“And who’s this? Your young man? Why I had no idea. Come in, come in,” continued Granny, non-stop, as she ushered them into her bric-a-brac encrusted home.
“What’s this? A dog? Chickie, you have a dog? As you know, I’m partial to cats. He doesn’t bite does he?” queried Granny as she suspiciously surveyed the canine guest with considerably less enthusiasm than she had shown Chickie.
“He’s not yours? He belongs to your young man? Well, I suppose it’s okay if you keep him under control. His name is ‘Midnight’ you say?” said Granny warily.
“Midnight,” hearing his name, charged up to Granny to receive a tentative pat. He interpreted this as a sure sign of affection and set his tail into full wag, cleaning two china figurines off the corner table and snaring a sewing basket on the return swing.
“Oh goodness, oh goodness. Get him under control,” gasped Granny as she teetered back in her chair. The young man, grabbing Midnight by the collar, dragged him into obedience at his feet while Chickie collected the shattered figurines and restuffed the knitting back into the sewing kit.
Granny excused herself to take a dose of her “medicine” for a headache she felt coming on.
“It’s nothing, really dear. Those were just some trinkets we received for our 50th and simply don’t have the sentimental or monetary value of that collection up there.
“They were my grandmother’s,” explained Granny as she pointed to the display over the piano.
Just as she waved her hand, her old house cat, Jinx, raised himself up from behind the pile of books on the piano where he had been taking in the proceedings with the total disdain only a cat can express.
Midnight, seeing the wave of the hand and the cat, interpreted the signal as “Go fetch” and made a mad leap onto the piano bench and up after the cat.
Jinx whirled around and whipped a paw full of claws across Midnight’s nose with a yowl that would have put a puma to shame before retreating hastily through a couple more broken china figurines.
“Get that dog outta my house,” ordered Granny as she stomped out to the kitchen for tea, goodies. and another dose of headache “medicine.”
“So tell me more about your plans now that you’ve finished university,” rattled Granny as she poured the tea, taking her own draft out of her special reserved pot of “medicinal” brew. “You’re not going traipsing off hitchhiking all over the country like your mother did, are you?
“Why that girl near put me in an early grave with worry,” she added.
“Oh how cute. Look at poor Midnight with a stick in his mouth, begging to get back in,” sniggered Granny, gesturing at the dog in front of the picture window, her headache “medicine” now kicking in.
“What do you mean, ‘He likes to chew off branches?’” asked a once more wary-of-the-black-devil, Granny.
“Omigawd, he’s chewed my Imperial Japanese Emperor Ornamental Cherry clean off at the stump,” gasped Granny as she focused in on Midnight, grabbed her medicine bottle, and took a long draft of it.
Then catapulting from her chair, she grabbed a chunk of firewood, whipped open the patio door, and with the skill of an Olympic shotput champion, let fly at the culprit.
Midnight, being of above average canine intelligence, correctly interpreted the snarling fury as another threat to life and limb and promptly beat a retreat to the shelter of his master’s car.
“You young folk come again when you can stay longer,” invited Granny to her quickly departing guests as she took another pull at her “medicine” bottle.
“But next time leave the &$#% dog at home!”
