“Letters from Mom”
Mom wrote me hundreds of letters and would often send me greeting cards with snipped comics or articles from newspapers or magazines she thought I'd enjoy.
Aug. 28, 1991
Dear David,How’s your day going, love? Great, I hope.
I got to work early and thought I’d just drop you a quickie for Friday. Can’t wait to see you. Jenny has really missed you alot (I gotta quit writing so fast) – I hope you can find some special time for her when you’re home. Uh oh – I guess we’d better clean out your room …
Don’t forget what I said about those “blow-off”? classes – make sure you get those A’s. You never know when you’re going to run into material or a situation or a professor that will make those easy A’s a necessity.
Are you planning on bringing Anil home some time?
They let Jane go yesterday. In his usual un-people-person manner, Tom didn’t do it the way I would have. (He tries, I think; it’s just a question of not knowing how). He met with Julie for breakfast and told her about Jane. Naturally, Julie got really upset. Then he voice-mailed Jane but she didn’t come in until 1:00. It seems pretty clear that Julie had said something to her before she got here, but I don’t know for sure. The painful part for me is that Tom said they both asked him if it was based on things I said. He told me that he told them both it was his decision, based on the market performance, etc. and that, if anything, I had defended Jane all along. I still feel badly about it all, and I don’t really know how I’ll feel about Julie knowing she made that comment. It’s funny. Julie and I have had some pretty serious discussions about our lives and all, and I guess I thought she, at least, would have known me better than that. At least Patty seems to think I would not have done that.
I don’t know, David, I’m not perfect. Jane’s nasty temper, deliberate sarcasm, phony sweetness, insults, etc., were all disturbing. Maybe some of the things I said did contribute to Tom’s decision. Or maybe they just confirmed his own perception, and Charles’ and Bruce Crandall’s and Wanda’s and Ed Baker’s. …
All we can do is try, right?
I decided I really, really want cable in my bedroom so I don’t fall asleep on the couch so often. Anyway, last night after we got home from Nana’s, I started fooling around with what we already have. I remembered that the one of the dining room was long, and, ta da, it actually easily reaches the living room TV. (I just have to conceal it somehow. Anyway, the one into the living room almost reaches my bedroom if I pull it out the wall and string it along the outside of the house. I guess that, if there is a way to splice or connect it somehow, I’ll have to buy just a few feet to make it work. Then, if we really want it in the dining room, it will just mean another few feet. Damn, I’m good!
Hey, I’d better get to work. David, you’ll never, ever know how much I love you. Take care of yourself – whoever’s driving home better be careful!
Love,
Mom