Page 94 - Margaret Neil James - A Love Story

ISSUE : Issue 60

Published by Ronald Caplan on 1992/6/1

And Grandpa never really got sick. He went to bed one afternoon, to lie down. And later on that evening, he sat on the side of his bed to have supper. And he was 94 at that time. Sat on the side of the bed and had his supper. And then later on that evening I realized that he wasn't as alert as he should have been. So, Neil was in Baddeck at a hospital board meeting, and I phoned Baddeck and told Neil that I didn't think his father was that good, and that he'd better come home. Three-quarters of an hour after, he was flying over the top of the hill. And we decided we'd better get the priest, and see what we could do, you know. And he only went to lay down, and he was dead at 6 o'clock the next morning. But, getting back to the washing machine. I washed after the funeral. The next time I washed, the motor caught fire! So, the washing ma? chine finished with, Grandpa, But he, you know, he was such a prayer? ful person, and it didn't matter if somebody was sick some? wheres or something had Quality Cameras Building, happened to corner George & Dorchester Streets, gomebodv the PEOPLE YOU CAN TALK TO. ''Oiiieuouy , first thing he did was took out his beads and prayed for those people. How can you not be charitable, or how can you not live hap? py, in an atmosphere like that? You know? And when Grandma died, you know, that's the firsj: thing (Grandpa) said to me when Grandma''died, that he wouldn't mind so much her dying, if he wasn't such a glio- gan himself--gliogan is a cripple. And I said, "Don't you worry. Grandpa, As long as God puts feet under me, I'll look after you," And he said, "Okay, then," And it was fine, got along fine, I always made them feel it was their home. And I was in it to do the work and to help out--I went there to work, I never let them feel that the fact that I married Neil made any change as far as who was boss in the house, or whose house it was. If I decided one day that I was going to bake, I needed to bake, I'd say, "Well, I think I'd better do a little bit of baking today. The bread is getting short." And Grandpa, the first thing he'd say was, "If you're going to make pies, I'll peel the apples." Because he loved apple pie! And we'd end up making apple pie. And Grandma very often when she was there--Neil said to me one day I was the only one he ever knew that could bake with the fire out, because the fire went out so often on me because of the wood fire, I was after get? ting away from the idea of watching the wood fire. So I'd forget, then, the stove was hot, you know, but then there'd be nothing in the stove. So Grandma said to me one day--"I think," she said, "I'll sit in front of the stove. And I'll keep the fire on for you, and you bake," Until I got back into the idea of watching the fire as well as doing my baking. But they were really, really good to me, and we got along very well..., And one of the things (Grandma) liked--and because she liked it, she felt I liked it too--and do you know, she trained me to like it--was the crust of bread. The crust of the homemade bread. So every time I'd make bread, and when you'd go to break the loaf of bread to use it, she'd take the crust off both ends and she'd put it under a pot. You know, turn the pot upside down on the shelf in the pantry. And then, come teatime in the afternoon, she'd say, "I have our lunch," And she'd come out with IKE'S GOURMET DELICATESSEN ESTABUSHED SINCE WO Your Cheese & Gourmet Shop LARGE VARIETY OF DELI-SANDWICHES • IMPORTED FOODS • CANDY • CHEESES & SMOKED MEATS • FRUIT & CHEESE BASKETS 564-8421 413 Chaiiotte St. • Sydney CONGRATULATIONS ON 20 YEARS OF SUPERB READING!

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