Good Nanny/Bad Nanny – part one

 

My Mikey, I love you

∞ • π³ + 1

I answered the phone, "Kahlua!" and heard a laugh and some foreign words to match my greeting.

"Why did you answer that way?" asked Nanny.

"We’ve been getting some calls where someone just hangs up on us, and I just said something that popped into my head."

More laughter, which is always pleasant to hear.

"Do you have a bed?" she asked.  Naturally, I was a little surprised by this question.  

"Yes, we have a bed, a queen size that Mary Helen gave us…..babe (to Mikey), when did Mary Helen give us that bed?  Last year?"

Mikey answers.

"While we were still in Waco?" I ask.  "Yeah, Laurie says it was while we were still in Waco.  Why did you ask if we have a bed?!"

"You won’t believe this!  The young couple that lived next door just moved out.  I THOUGHT they were…..well, they might be….I thought they were poor, but they just threw away these two mattresses.  Can you believe that?!!!" 

"I don’t wanna believe it, but I guess I can." I respond.

"I never would do that!  But they just left them out there, and the garbage people didn’t take them, so naturally, I went to look at them.  Honey, they still look new!!!!  They don’t have any holes, and the tags are still on, and….I just CAN’T understand that!  How can ANYBODY throw away something like that?" she said.

At this point, I didn’t really know what to say, except, "I dunno."

"This is not the way I am.  I NEVER throw away something like that.  Shit!  If I can’t use them, I figure I ask you if you can, or Mary Helen, or Johnny.  Johnny doesn’t have furniture in every one of his rooms, does he?" asks Nanny.

"I haven’t been to his house, so I don’t know if he does or not.  What size are the mattresses?" I ask.

"They’re queen size.  I got them in my house now.  

A neighbor helped me bring them inside, and I got them in the room across the hall from mine!  They’re BIG, and they kinda get in my way if I want to reach something behind them.  Ok, you got a bed?"

"Yes, but don’t count us out just yet, ok, Nanny?  I’ll look at them and see if we can use them, but I don’t know how we’d get them to our house." I said.

"Jaaaaaaaaa, you’re right.  Well, we figure something out, honey!" she said.

She immediately followed this comment with another subject.

"I went to the bank today and got out some money.  I got $300, and you know, I just sent Mary Helen some, because she has to pay Nine Hundred Dollars a month for the house!"  The words, "Nine Hundred Dollars" were spoken in a very staccatto fashion.  "You call Mary Helen and tell her you come down early.  When do you go there?"

"Joyce is taking us on the 7th.  What do you mean, tell Mary Helen we’ll come down early?  We can’t make it before that, Nanny."  I remind her.

"I know, but you better come get this money before I spend it!  I don’t want to get more money out of the bank.  You know, I get the money I send Mary Helen, and then this $300, and…wellllll….$20 here, $10 there, $50 here, and before you know it, it all adds up to a LOT of money!" she said.

"Tell me about it!  Nickel and dimes you to death, doesn’t it?" I say.

"So you better come get this money before I spend it and have to get more out of the bank!" she commands in a friendly way.

"We’ll come over tomorrow and get it, if you want….oh, I forgot….."
"I won’t be here tomorrow, honey!" she said.

"Yeah, I remember….the funeral." I said.  "What about the next day?  Or Monday, at the latest?"

"That will be fine. You know that." she said.

"Ok."

"You know, you got to have gas money, because Mary Helen don’t have the money.  She said you’ll have to wait till she gets paid, and you never have the money, so I give it to you, and you come get it.  I find something in my Bible every time I open it." she said.

The Bible was not our topic, so I was a bit confused.  Before I could ask, she continued.

"It is from Joyce’s mother’s funeral.  What was her name?"  Nanny asks.

"Sheila", I tell her.

"Ah, ja, ja.  I think maybe if Joyce would like to have this?  But don’t tell her!  I maybe nicer or more tactful than you, you know."  she said.

I almost laughed, but I didn’t say anything except okay.  I intend to ask Joyce to take me over there Monday and go in with me, again, even though I know she won’t want to do it.  But it is sweet, in my opinion, that Nanny thinks enough of Joyce and her mother to want to give the obit to Joyce, so she has one more thing about her mother.  To the best of my knowledge, Nanny doesn’t really care much for Joyce, but she still wants to give her what she sees (so do I) as a present.

We had this conversation, give or take a little of the order and

allow for minor misquotations and correction of Nanny’s heavy German accent.

It’s pleasant like this, sometimes.  Confusing, sometimes, too, but pleasant.  The next entry will be about a BAD conversation, to illustrate the difference.