My Finest X-Mess Memory

OK, so Ron & I  were at my older brother's for dinner on Christmas Eve. All 4 of his kids were there; 2 girls & 2 boys ranging from 23 to 15. His wife has 9 kids (!!) by her first husband; I think 7 of them were there, along with a couple spouses, a couple more girlfriends, and a couple of grandkids.

Also there were my younger brother's 2 youngest daughters (he also has 4 kids, all girls) and my mom & dad. So, it was a HUGE gathering of the clan.

The absolute finest moment came when my oldest niece, the 23-year-old, announced that her boyfriend had proposed to her the previous week.

"So, when are you getting married?" someone asked

"I'm not, in fact, I broke up with him the next day." she replied

"Tell me more," I begged, sensing a good juicy story.

So she launched into a long tale of being surprised with a proposal at her boyfriend's family Christmas party (at the trailer park club house...) in front of his mother, siblings, aunts & uncles... etc. etc. For some reason she was forced to sit in Santa's lap while her boyfriend got down on one knee to propose. She told of letting out an acquiescent mumble at the end of the proposal.

Later, she ripped him to shreds: "How many times have I told you I don't want to get married? I don't want to have kids...? How could you think it was a good idea to spring a ring on me at your mom's party?"

She broke up him the next day.

This was all good; she told it better than I'm doing now. She was in rare form when she finished up with a line that absolutely brought the room to a standstill.

Now, you must understand that my family are staunch Mormons. That means that girls are raised to believe their only real role is wife and mother; that if they have to work too, it should never interfere with being mommy. And that mommy is the only thing they're really good for, anyway. Marriage and reproduction (strictly in that order) are the purpose and meaning of their lives.

So when she finished up by saying "I kinda think monogamy is for chumps, anyway," I saw all action in the room STOP! for a half-second, watched as each person rolled back the "tape" in his or her head and erased that statement, then carried on as if it had never been uttered.

It was a truly amazing moment, and I will cherish it as one of my finest Christmas Memories EVER!

Song of the Loon

I bumped into a copy of this at Barnes & Noble tonight, while looking for this. I had no idea it was back in print.

I first read Song of the Loon in about 1991; my roommate had a copy of the Greenleaf Library edition from the '60's, which he suggested I might like. I fell in love with it, and the sequel, Song of Aaron. I didn't read the third volume, Listen, the Loon Sings, until I found a text copy online many years later.

I bought both books.