Welcome to the World, Baby Girl!

Aunt Elner

Elmwood Springs, Missouri

April 1, 1973

Macky had flushed the toilet and turned on all the faucets to make sure they were working. Norma was wondering if they needed a new bedspread and called him out of the bathroom. Macky looked at it. “I don’t think so and I’ll tell you why. I think it’s best if we just leave things the way they are, not do anything different. I’m sure after the places she’s been she won’t be impressed with a new bedspread. We can’t begin to compete with all those fancy apartments. What we need to do is try and make her feel at home, you know, something she can’t get everywhere.”

“Yes, but Macky, a twenty-year-old, ratty-looking chenille bedspread might not look homey to her, it might just look old and ratty. Did you ever think of that?”

“Honey, it’s perfectly fine. I promise you.”

“Well, if you think so. But I can at least wash the quilt and the bedclothes. I can do that, can’t I?”

“Of course.”

They started to strip the bed as Norma said, “Still, Macky, there is such a thing as not doing enough. I don’t want her to think we’re not excited she’s coming home.” She pointed at the windows. “Can you get those curtains down? I might as well do them all at once.”

Macky started to take the curtains down. “Norma,” he said, “of course she’ll know we’re excited she’s coming home. She’ll be able to tell. I just think we should try and live the way we always do and not try to put on any airs or do anything different. Isn’t that why she’s coming, to get away from all the pressures? She probably needs to spend some time in a normal home, eat normal food, and slow down.”

“I know that,” said Norma, “but don’t forget when we were up in New York she entertained us royally, threw out the red carpet, catered to our every need. I don’t want her to think we are not willing to do the same.”

Norma looked suspiciously at the little oval rug on the floor. “This rug needs to be shampooed; can you do that for me?”

“All right, whatever you say. I’ll come up and do it later. Anything else?”

“Yes, grab the towels and washrags in the bathroom. I don’t know how long they’ve been there. And, honey, check that shower curtain for mildew.”

As they were walking downstairs, Norma said, “Macky, what about Aunt Elner!”

“What about her?”

“Are we going to tell her? Baby Girl said for us not to tell anybody she was coming. Do you think she meant Aunt Elner, too?”

“Did she mention Aunt Elner?”

“No. She didn’t say a word about her.”

“There’s your answer, then. If she had wanted us to tell Aunt Elner, she would have mentioned it.”

“I know, but I cannot imagine she wouldn’t want Aunt Elner to know.”

“All I know is we have to go by what she said.”

“But she hasn’t seen Aunt Elner since she was four; why wouldn’t she want to see her?”

“Honey, I’m sure she will see her. Why not let her decide when she wants to?”

Norma put the first load of washing in, added detergent, closed the lid, and sat down with him at the kitchen table. “Macky, what if she doesn’t want to see Aunt Elner when she’s here, and Aunt Elner finds out that she was in town after she’s gone? Aunt Elner will be so hurt.”

“Norma, there you go making a mountain out of a molehill again, over something that hasn’t even happened yet. Everything will work out fine.”

Norma got up and poured herself a cup of coffee. “OK, this is what we will do. After she’s been here for a while and gotten settled in and all, I’ll just bring it up naturally, you know, in conversation. I’ll just casually say, Baby Girl, I’m sure you will want to see your Aunt Elner. She would be so disappointed not to see you. She’s so proud of you and brags about you to everyone in town when she sees you on TV. She always says, ‘That’s my little niece.’ ”

“In other words, you’re gonna blackmail the poor girl into going.”

“Don’t be silly. Then, when she decides, I’ll call and say, Aunt Elner, guess what? Baby Girl has just flown into town as a surprise. That way Aunt Elner can be surprised.”

Macky offered another suggestion. “Why don’t you just take Baby Girl over there, knock on the door, and really surprise her?”

Norma looked at Macky in utter disbelief. “Macky, are you thinking with your elbow? You can’t just go up and knock on a ninety-three-year-old woman’s door and yell surprise! She could have a heart attack and drop dead right there in the doorway and wouldn’t that be wonderful for Baby Girl to come home and kill her aunt, just like that, right off the bat. That would just be a wonderful vacation for her, wouldn’t it? How would you like to have that on your conscience for the rest of your life?”

“Well, at least she’d be in town for the funeral.…”

Norma looked at Macky and shook her head. “You know, Macky, sometimes I worry about you, I really do.”