Thursday, February 12, 2009

Inadvertent cruelty



I find Nonna at the dining room table where she enjoys her routine breakfast of flakes, prunes and walnuts. I plop seven empty laundry hampers on the counter. On second glance I detect a spot of ‘down in the mouth,’ so I park myself next to her to investigate.
“Cold today!” I bellow, because British people always talk about the weather as a neutral introduction.
“Wot?”
“Cold!”
“Wot is cold?”
“The weather!”
She shrugs her shoulder, dismissive, as 66 degrees is nothing by comparison to the usual English climate. She munches steadily, with an air of resignation before I notice, dry cereal.
“Are you not having milk either?”
“Wot?”
“Milk? No milk………on your cereal.”
“No. No milk.”
“Have you given it up?”
“Eh?”
“Given up having milk on your cereal?”
“No……..I be good today.”
“Good? Is it something to do with the diabetes?”
“No. It is gone.”
“Gone where? What’s gone?”
“Dah milk.”
“Are you sure? I thought there were gallons?” I nip over to the fridge which is full of milk. “Ah…..only fat free." I see the empty carton on the counter, marked for her as it saves confusion, and saves me from yet another question. "You should give it a try, it’s not too bad, better than dry cereal,” I yell across the kitchen.
“I can ave de other ones den?”
“Of course! Why not?”
“Well……you write on dah one for me……..I thought…….”


5 comments:

Hilary said...

Awww, Nonna! I love this.

Chris H said...

Oh my god, did you feel really bad or what? I would have! The poor wee (old) girl!

Anonymous said...

Cute. :)

Paul

Anonymous said...

lol! trail of chuckling...

Barbara

mumkeepingsane said...

Aww, poor Nonna.