Birthday Blues

Sad. It dawned on me today that when Moma was the age I turned today, I was the age she is mentally now. Our roles are totally switched. She is now my child; my charge; my burden. My birthday is normally a very happy day for me, but in that one moment, I was just a little blue.
I love my birthday and I always have! I got that from a little woman about 4'9" tall who lives right down the hall. She thinks her birthday is all that and a bag of chips! She gets so excited when she sees it on the calendar! She loves to tell people how old she will be!
Tonight, my in-laws cooked supper for me. Bucket steak, mashed potatoes (yes, I know they are creamed but in the south, they are MASHED), fried okra, white corn on the cob, and biscuits and gravy! Chocolate cake with strawberries for dessert. Yummmm.......Stuffed myself! After supper, as with all meals at the Paynes, we go out onto the porch to digest our meal and talk. Moma said it was too cool for her, so she went in and watched TV. When we got ready to go, Kerry got Moma up while I gathered our things (leftovers...mmmmmm). When we began to back down the drive way, Moma said, "Did they tell us to leave?" Kerry said, "huh?" She repeated, "Did they tell us to leave?" I was in the backseat hollering "YES" because I am the family smart alec. Every time she asked, I answered with a loud "YES". So she quietly asked Kerry, "What'd we do?" We fell out laughing! Kerry was kind and explained to her that it was just time to go home, I liked my version.
As we drove down the road, she inquired where we were going and Kerry told her that we were going home. "Well, this ain't the way....." she argued. She said several other funny things that I can't remember right now (Kerry, I told you to remind me what she said). But when we pulled up onto Meighan Blvd. and she saw all the orange and white construction barriers. She asked about all the "cans". I wanted to tell her something about recycling project but Kerry opted for the truth. (He really is the grown up in our house). He asked her if she wanted one, she declined. Then she began to pray for help. "Help me Lord" "Help me Jesus" I am baffled that she felt threatened by all that, but I guess she did. Then once we got on to the Noccalula Road, she said, "Well I ain't never been up this road before". She was really, as my friend Celestia says, Coo-Coo for Cocoa Puffs tonight.