Foolish I! (Popular speech has it as "Foolish me!" or "Silly me!" but the objective-case "me" makes no sense here; it must be the subjective-case "I"; however, this isn't a language blog.) I never took the time to listen to the songs of blues singer Eric Clapton other than to his overly-played radio songs, "Lala" and "Tears in Heaven." Only this week did my son lend me his Clapton c.d.'s. Ahh, what nice blues!
Then a special discovery---actually a memory jog. Clapton's singing of the old song, "Alberta," suddenly made me remember her forgotten name from over a half-century ago. As I've mentioned before, I have vivid memories from age 2 to 3, and I recall our Black maid when I was that young. We were dirt poor, but the Blacks in our backward, rural town were ever poorer, so apparently my parents could afford a parttime servant. "Alberta" was her name, which I had long forgotten. My mind's eye can see her stuffing and sewing tree moss and chicken feathers into our mattresses and pillow cases, and cooking fig and syrup pies. A beautiful, young (young to me despite my own infanthood) lady with long black hair forms my picture of her.
Miss Alberta, enjoy your stay in heaven. And if Mom nearby asks you to bring her a cup of coffee, or light her cigarette, or even to stuff her pillow case, tell her to shove it---I think she'll understand.
-Old Gargoyle
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Man, this reminds me of the woman who used to babysit me. When I was still really young, she died from some disease in her kidneys that she had been fighting. I still think of her as family. She came with us on vacations and everything. I hope I still remember her when I'm older.
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