Finally! The Family Reunion

This is a picture of Moma complaining that she cannot hear what he is saying! Note how close she is to him!!! And my cousins honoring her as the last living child of Minnie Lou and Cicero Jackson Payne.

THE STORY
Moma's little feet hit the floor Saturday morning at 6:14. She was excited about the family reunion. Personally, I wanted to sleep until at least 7:30. But at this age in my life (ugh), once I'm awake, I may as well get up. I got busy fixing her breakfast after begging her, unsuccessfully, to go back to bed. She ate breakfast asking a million questions about the reunion. As she got closer to being finished, she started that performance of how bad she feels. Then, without warning, got up suddenly and said, kind of out of breath, "I've got to go lay down". I cleaned up the breakfast mess and began getting my food ready for the big day. In just a little bit, I thought I heard the click of her cane. Surely not, I thought. But sure enough, there she stood in the doorway of the kitchen FULLY DRESSED and ready to roll at 7:53. She said, "Do I look alright?" "What time do we leave?" (Which was asked over and over ad nauseum). She finally decided to leave me alone and go read the paper in the den, where thankfully she fell asleep in the recliner. The house was quiet and I let her sleep!
At 10:00, she came into the kitchen, completely put out and said, "LET'S GO!!!!" She has never been a good waiter! (Me neither) I told her it wouldn't be long, that she needed to go comb through her hair, and get her some diapers and do whatever it is she does before we can ever leave. I loaded the food into the car, took the dogs out, locked up all the doors, and was ready to go. I called to her. "WAIT A MINUTE! Don't rush me, I've got to pee" (ugh) She has rushed me all morning and while I was getting ready why had she not taken care of her bathroom needs? We left the house at 10:48 to go 4 blocks to the Kiwanis Pavilion at the Falls, a 4 minute trip. I drove all the way up to the place to let her out. Cousins met us and took my food and were welcoming her and loving on her. Okay, I thought, she is in her glory! I was going to move the car, but she wouldn't let them take her in. She was going to wait on me. It was as if she wanted them to think she was capable of being alone and doing anything she wanted to. No one was going to tell her what to do. I made her go in with the cousin while I moved the truck. Now my plan all along was to lose her once inside, you know, let her be petted and pampered by all the family. She stuck to me like white on rice. Her nephew kept trying to get her to sit down. She finally pulled out a chair and put her purse in it. He picked up her purse and put it on the table and said, "Aunt Mildred, sit down". She slammed the chair up to the table and spun around and clicked that cane and said, "I ain't a sitting down until I get ready! I don't want to sit down!!!" Good Lord, I thought. I said, "Moma, please don't be ugly. He is just looking out for you." She said, "I'll sit down when you do" so I sat. My plans to ditch her were not going to happen. As we sat there, people were coming up to her by the dozens. "Aunt Mildred, I'm so glad you came" "You have made our day" "Do you remember me?" All these sweet sentiments were dismissed with a face and a raspberry as they left. I leaned in to her and said, "Do not start acting ugly! These people are so happy to see you, be nice!" She snarled at me. Then the program began. My cousin, Terry, who was in charge this year, spoke. He did the usual thanking different people for their contributions, when Moma turned to me and said, "CAN YOU HEAR HIM? I CAN'T HEAR A THING HE IS SAYING!!!!" "Shhhhhhh" I motioned her to hush. Then they called her up to honor her, and kind of give the history of the family. Then, when she sat down, it was time to bless the food. Something just told me to look up and there she sat looking over the room really good while Linda prayed. I punched her and whispered,"We're praying!" She said, "Well, I ain't talking!" "SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!Bow your head!" Like raising Rebekah in church all over again.
I wish I could give you a visual of the next part of the day because it was like a Chinet commercial. I decided to let her go through the line since I can never please her. I put her in front of me in line. She snatched a handful of Styrofoam trays and started passing them back in line (instead of letting people get their own). Then, she loaded that plate down until the sides were bending down and I just knew it would snap in the middle! "What's that?" "Who made that?" "Get me some of that" It was awful! GREEDY GREEDY!!! My mother would absolutely die. She got some of everything, and if I dipped it, she'd re-dip it because I didn't get her enough. At the end of the line, she turned to the dessert table. I said, "Let's go put our plates down and I'll get us a drink". She said, almost panicky, "I ain't got no dessert yet!!" I turned to my sister and said, "This may be her last reunion because I may kill her!" She had somebody helping her get her dessert, until I took over after putting her plate on the table. She only wanted ONE OF EVERYTHING, but I only let her have a few things. As soon as we sat down, she declared that she had to use the bathroom! Well of course!!! My sister came to her rescue as I had plans to take her to the bathroom and lock her in. Back at the table, she busied herself moving food around. She wrapped up the 6 pieces of chicken she hoarded and put them in her purse. You would think she was going home to feed a family out of her purse. She ate MAYBE 5 or 6 bites. Then she announced to the table, "Well some of this stuff ain't good". I was begging the floor to swallow me when my cousin said, "Just let her say what she wants to, it won't matter". She belched, she sighed, she hiccuped, then she started that infernal coughing. And nothing will do until she hacks up a lung into a tissue.
After lunch, as many were packing up their things, several wanted pictures with her. She acted so silly about that. She would not get out of her chair (you know the one she didn't want to sit in!). She told one cousin that she lived with Ruby, her daughter-in-law. Then another group she told to come see her, that she stayed with "this ole girl" (me) most of the time. MOST??? I'd like to know where she is the other time! I demand equal time!!!!!!!!! Then after I hoisted her into the truck and got in, as we backed out, she said, "I guess I didn't have anyone there at the reunion from my bunch". Great, what does that make me?
I did enjoy seeing my cousins that I never get to see and missed the ones who weren't there. Most of all, I miss the family members who are in Heaven today.