A Perfect Day

It was a perfect birthday down here in the Old World. Plotnik got to talk with his kids, and to the Duck and even to Counselor Giuseppe, who called Mummy P. out of the blue and when told it was the Great PlotDay, and asked whether he'd like to speak to Plottie, said 'no.'

But he did. And then The Great FiveHead appeared at the door, followed by Cousin LilaLee, and later on Mummy P. kept Plottie up until after midnight yakking about the old days. When you're her age there are a lot of old days to yakk about.



Cousin LilaLee is unique -- she looks and acts like a youngster but is old enough to have been Mummy P.'s flower girl at Mummy P's wedding in 1936. She is the daughter of the sister of GrandMummy Plotnik, and remembers things from a different perspective. Like -- why was Plotnik's grandmother the only child who was never taught how to read?

Plot had never thought about it before -- he remembers his grandma always asking someone else to read her her mail, claiming she couldn't find her glasses, but never thought about the other women in the family. They were all educated except for her.

And how did LilaLee's mom ever get away with not marrying the man who sent the money to Russia to buy her a boat ticket to America? Actually, the man had wanted to marry LilaLee's mom's sister, but the sister already had a boyfriend in Russia and refused to accept the ticket. So her younger sister, LilaLee's mom, said "I'll go," left her family and everything she knew, and when she arrived in America the man, who had an old photograph of the sister, said "You're not her. But OK anyway."

The problem was LilaLee's Mom wasn't interested in this man when she saw him. Somehow she broke away and found another guy, LilaLee's dad, married him, had four kids, then spent the rest of her life complaining about him.
Family is great. If you have a large one you want a small one. If you have a small one you wish you had a big one. Plot wouldn't like more siblings, because what if they weren't exactly like him?

Mummy P. is doing great. She's smoking a lot again, but, you know, at 95 you can't say it's killing her, can you?