Chapter 10
After Terrence died and I finally felt like eating again, I used to set myself up fancy.
Now, by fancy I mean using dishes with personality.
A heavy coffee mug with a green stripe around the top, that was Terrence’s cup.
And I found some coffee mugs in a thrift store years back that ended up being my cups.
They are Mr. Rooster and Mrs. Hen. On the hen cup, there is a little baby chick round the other side.
Oh, it’s sweet, just pecking at the ground.
I wonder if the artist had the hen all done and then got a little twinkle in their eye and thought hold on, I’m going to put a surprise on here.
You will find those chicken mugs near the front of the cabinet on account of I use one just about every day.
What else. All the ironed napkins I have folded in the drawer of the dining room buffet, I don’t guess you’d want them.
If you don’t iron them they look like they’re fresh out of the rag bag, but it seems like no one irons anymore.
It’s funny how that happens, things falling out of favor, and these days to hell with wrinkles in your clothes, no one cares.
No time to iron, everybody says, who has time to iron?
I had time. I moistened the clothes, I used a coke bottle with a sprinkler top, and then I rolled them and put them in the refrigerator in a plastic bag.
Come time to iron, I turned on the radio to Arthur Godfrey for those years when he was on, and I set up the board by the window for double entertainment.
Wouldn’t sit down to iron ever, still don’t, though the only thing I iron now is my pillowcases and hankies.
I don’t guess people want to iron cloth napkins, maybe they don’t even use them.
But maybe you could at least have a look at them before you pass them by, the pretty colors and the lace.
Some have birds or flowers and some you’ll see are only for Christmas.
I’m thinking if it comes that I can’t stay here, if I have to go somewhere, I hope it will be a hospice place.
I understand they are not so afraid of dying in those places, and they have windchimes in the trees outside the building and candles in the lobby and people will come to your room and strum on guitars for you.
And also they will read aloud to you, which would be my pick.
Read me a story and I’m not hardly here anymore.