Bea’s Books (3)
Bea naps for most of the day. She wakes up once and asks, “Who’s in charge here?”
“I’m in charge,” I say.
When I appear at her bedside later, she opens her eyes and says in a soft voice, “I love you.”
Now that Bea is bedridden, it no longer matters that I am not as intellectual as she would have wanted me to be. The conflicts between us are over. Bea went back into therapy when I fell in love with a Frenchman and moved to France. She maintained I was trying to put an ocean between us. It was not easy having her as a mother. My children, however, did enjoy her as a grandmother: smart, attentive, modern.
As I leave the bedroom, I pick up another one of her books. “The Hero With a Thousand Faces” by Joseph Campbell is a rather beat-up paperback, purchased for 35 cents. Bea has signed her name on the first page and specified that she wants it given to one of my daughters: “For Natalie.”
In the spring of 1991, Bea noted on the second page, “I met Joseph Campbell, of Irish catholic background, and his twin-like sister one weekend in Woodstock NY in the 30s. He was tall and very handsome, as was his sister. He was also charismatic, cerebral rather than sexy. I have seen him this past winter on TV, discussing mythology with Bill Moyers. Campbell said that he advised his Sarah Lawrence students to ‘follow their bliss.’”
“I’m in charge,” I say.
When I appear at her bedside later, she opens her eyes and says in a soft voice, “I love you.”
Now that Bea is bedridden, it no longer matters that I am not as intellectual as she would have wanted me to be. The conflicts between us are over. Bea went back into therapy when I fell in love with a Frenchman and moved to France. She maintained I was trying to put an ocean between us. It was not easy having her as a mother. My children, however, did enjoy her as a grandmother: smart, attentive, modern.
As I leave the bedroom, I pick up another one of her books. “The Hero With a Thousand Faces” by Joseph Campbell is a rather beat-up paperback, purchased for 35 cents. Bea has signed her name on the first page and specified that she wants it given to one of my daughters: “For Natalie.”
In the spring of 1991, Bea noted on the second page, “I met Joseph Campbell, of Irish catholic background, and his twin-like sister one weekend in Woodstock NY in the 30s. He was tall and very handsome, as was his sister. He was also charismatic, cerebral rather than sexy. I have seen him this past winter on TV, discussing mythology with Bill Moyers. Campbell said that he advised his Sarah Lawrence students to ‘follow their bliss.’”
posted by Alexandra Grabbe at 5:57 AM
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