* * *
"Kathy, you here?" Ken called out for his roommate as he and Maddy
entered through the doorway of his Foxtail Court townhouse. They'd just
had a great meal of spaghetti and mussels at her place, after Mom and
Aunt Maria had insisted he stay for dinner. The four of them had a
marvelous time laughing over Aunt Maria's classic stories-well known
within the family, but always funnier when retold with a new listener
present at the table.
Ken seemed to get a kick out them, particularly the one about a hot
and humid day in August, 1973, when she and Maddy's mother had
decided to take all of the kids to Great Adventure. About midway through
the Safari-where even the lazy, sleeping animals seemed to have been
affected by the intense heat-the air conditioning had broken down in the
car. As a woman who was often "roasting" on even the most bitter cold
winter days, Aunt Maria had insisted on rolling the windows down, only
to have the park ranger scold them over the P.A. system. Good thing he
had, though, because right after that, a mob of baboons descended upon
them, apparently for the sole purpose of "christening" Monica's brandnew
white station wagon.
And of course, having insisted on wearing her cute new sandals
instead of practical sneakers to the park, Aunt Maria had ended up in
First-Aid with blisters all over her feet. After throwing the shoes away,
she'd "stolen" her teenaged son's hockey socks so she could walk around
in comfort-but not before they'd wasted most of the day waiting for
someone to help her. Maddy laughed as she recalled the memory of her
frustrated mother finally taking her by the hand and saying, "C'mon,
Maddy, this is ridiculous! You and I are going on some rides. I didn't pay
all this money so we could tend to your aunt's sore feet!" But thanks to
extremely long lines, Madeline and Monica ended up riding a grand total
of two amusements, after being there nearly twelve hours.
Next, Mom regaled him with stories of summer evenings at the
Phillies games, when she'd pile five kids in the car and head down to the
Vet at least four times a week. Maddy groaned as she remembered having
to get out of the pool-her favorite thing in the world-so she could dry
off, get dressed and join her siblings for yet another long nine innings,
assuming it didn't go into extras.
"Don't you like baseball, Mad?" Ken had asked.
"It's ok, but I am definitely more of a football girl. I just love the
Eagles. I grew up going to the games and we still have our season tickets."
He listened jealously once more as she recalled her presence, along
with Lori and Damian, at the NFC Championship Game in 1981, when
she'd thought she might freeze to death in the sub-zero wind chills. But it
had been such a pleasure to watch the Eagles thrash the Cowboys in
person. She cracked up as she recalled Wilbert Montgomery's touchdown
in the first quarter-made in their end zone-and Damian jumping up
and down so hard, Maddy and Lori were positive he would end up on the
field. Fun times, for sure.
"Well, Ken, maybe you can come up and go to a game with Madeline
this season," her mother suggested. "As much as I love them, my husband
and I prefer to watch the games at home now. With Damian living in
Nashville and Greg and Lori so busy, we usually end up with at least one
extra ticket."
"Wow! That'd be great!" he said excitedly, squeezing Maddy's hand
under the table. She smiled inside at the thought of it.
Ken of course, had a few good stories of his own, including one in
which his mom-against her husband's wishes-took him and his older
brothers to Yankee Stadium in New York to see a game, only to get stuck
there during the frightening blackout of 1977. A young boy of 10 at the
time, he remembered well the panic and mayhem, though they all
eventually returned home safely. His dad had not been amused.
And as a man who appreciated good food, and in fact, made a pretty
decent meal himself, Kenny went crazy over Monica's tangy red sauce, the
perfect companion to the mussels and spaghetti. He thanked her
profusely every time he accepted another offer of more.
"Please eat, Kenny," Monica had said. "I don't want it to go to waste
and Maddy here sure isn't going to put a dent into it."
"Yeah, sweetheart, this is delicious. Why aren't you eating more?"
Kenny asked, looking at her barren plate. "Aren't you hungry?"
"Oh, I try not to eat too much pasta," she explained. "Usually goes
right to my hips."
"Are you kidding?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. "You're beautiful!"
He laughed at the ludicrousness of Maddy thinking she was fat.
"Yes, well, that's what we keep telling her," Aunt Maria added,
exchanging an approving look with her sister at Ken's reaction. This guy
definitely seemed like a keeper.
"Ok, well you all can make fun of me, but I know my body. Besides,
it just means there's more for you, my teddy bear!" She playfully poked
him in the ribs.
"I guess so!" he laughed. "But I still think you're beautiful, just the
way you are."