top of page
Search

Episode 28: Emily

Writer's picture: Kristin LindstromKristin Lindstrom

Guy's half-sister Emily and her brother John.


Among other pieces of her jewelry, Grandmother gives me a black and white enameled gold ring with an amethyst and tells me she’d had it made from one of D.G.’s cufflinks. Its mate is with another relative. When she dies, I decide to wear it to the funeral.

The funeral is held at Sellers Funeral Home, where as a boy my father used to peek at the dead bodies with his friend, the owner’s son. The following reception is at my Aunt Jane and Uncle Joe’s house. It is quite a crowd, and I wedge myself into a seat next to a piano. Across the room, I see a bobbing gray head and realize it’s coming my way. After a couple of minutes, Aunt Emily, Dad’s half-sister, also known as Pete, struggles through the edge of the crowd. She knows I’ve inherited Grandmother’s jewelry, not to mention the mink stole—the most worthless piece of winter garb ever invented—and the hideous double fox stole. It has the two heads of the foxes on it and the mouths have been repurposed to act as clips that you attach to their tails to secure the stole. Creepy.

Emily starts without preamble. “Now Kristin, I want you to keep an eye out for a couple of things in Mother’s jewelry.”

“Well, Aunt Emily, what kind of things are you talking about?” I know I sound defensive, but her eyes are boring into me.

“Mother had some jewelry that belonged to my mother. In particular, there were a pair of earrings that were made into rings.” She begins to describe my ring, the one I’m actually wearing right now.

“Uh, you mean like this?” I asked, reluctantly raising my right hand and showing the ring to her.

“That’s it! Oh Lordy, that’s it! I need it back.”

“Well, Emily, Grandmother told me that this was made from one of D.G.’s cufflinks.” As if this should make a difference to Emily, whether it belonged to her mother or her father.

“That’s a lie. This and another ring were made from my mother’s earrings.” She continues to talk, but I’m not listening closely. I get the gist and I’m very uncomfortable. I like Emily but feel put on the spot and am not willing to just turn the ring over immediately while surrounded by the ‘grieving.’

I go home and a few days later get a phone call from my stepmother to plead Emily’s case. I am furious. Why is Mary involved? This thing is getting out of control. But Mary fills me in on some of Ruth’s bad deeds and we hang up. While I’m stewing on all this I begin to ponder all the kind things Emily has done for me and others, her shitty husband, and all the hateful things Ruth did to her. And the fact that Pete is getting old. She should have the ring.

I call her and we talk a long time. She agrees to mail me the small sapphire bar pin Ruth left her in exchange for the ring. I wonder if Ruth deliberately left the pin to Emily, and not any of her mother’s things, just to be mean. Seems likely.

Emily is very happy, and I am glad for that.

The last time I see Pete, she’s in her early 80s and is planning a trip to China with her daughter. Her husband Elmer has traveled a short road to dementia. He’s staying home, sitting in a rocker in the corner, staring into space, as usual.

I notice for the first time that Pete has huge nostrils and for some reason, there are large pieces of cork stuck in them, like a bottle of wine or a jug of olive oil. She explains that she’s now getting bloody noses, and the cork is the best thing to control it.

She loves China.


Grandmother has a heart attack when I’m 20. I make the one-and-a-half-hour drive to Chambersburg. When I get to her hospital room, she seems pretty chipper. I’m sitting in the guest chair next to the bed when she reaches out and grabs my arm.

“Honey,” she says, looking into my eyes. “I haven’t had a man in over 50 years!”

Say what?

I can’t think of a thing to say.

“Uh, how about some orange juice, Grandmother?”



20 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

Comments


bottom of page