The Telling Telly

THE TELLING TELLY

Joyce Peterson

"Are you sure, doctor?" Harriet couldn't keep the concern out of her voice. She was a handsome middle aged woman, who had not kept the slender figure of her youth, but had one she was proud of at her age. Her beautiful black hair had just a few grey rivulets running through it and her blue eyes complemented the smooth skin of her face. All in all, she was pleased with her looks and her life, if only there hadn't been this problem with Mama who had come to live with her. She, Mama and Mama's wheelchair just about filled Doctor Shapiro's consultation room. The opthamologist had just completed the examination on Mama.

"There's a very slight difference from the last time you brought her in. I think she sees fine for …" he hesitated.

"Go ahead. We all know what you mean. I'm doing fine for a woman my age." The old woman turned in her wheelchair and looked at her middle age daughter. "I told you, Harriet, it's the telly, not me. I know what I see or don't see. I just didn't see him." Turning back to the doctor, she said, "This is the third time I've been in here in the last six months. Will you please tell my daughter that when I don't see someone on the telly, it's because of the telly ,not my eyesight." Mama had been seeing a lot of the BBC programs on TV and liked the sound of the word "Telly".

Doctor smiled as he told Mama. "I could give you a prescription with the slight difference, if you would like."

The old woman pulled her jacket more tightly around her as she pronounced, "You'll do no such thing. I don't need new glasses. Maybe I need a new daughter who will believe me when I say don't see someone on the telly…the TV… if you'd rather."

Harriet knew she was fighting a lost cause. "Never mind, doctor. Even if I bought the new prescription, she'd probably refuse to wear them."

"You're damn right, Harriet. The ones I've got are fine. It's that bloody telly. I just didn't see him."

Harriet sighed. "I'm sorry, doctor. We won't bother you again until it's Mama's regular time to come in. It's just when she doesn't see someone in the picture on TV, someone whom I can see is actually there, then she tells me.."Harriet didn't want to continue.

"My daughter is afraid you'll think I'm nuts if she tells you that, when I don't see someone on the TV picture, that he ceases to exist soon after that. I won't tell her anymore. I'm tired of being hauled in here to have my eyes examined when there's nothing wrong with them." The old woman settled back in her wheelchair and drew a finger across her lips.

Harriet sighed again. "Fine, Mama. We won't come in for six months. OK?"

Mama grunted but refused to say anything to her daughter but turned her chair so she could talk to the doctor. "We'll see, just wait. Ned Williken will not be with us much longer." When she saw the questioning look on the doctor's face, she added, "He's just a minor actor but I've always liked him and yesterday, I didn't see him on the serial."

Harriet insisted on saying, "It probably wasn't his day to be on, Mama."

The old woman turned her head as far away from her daughter as she could. "Did you understand me, doctor?" she asked. "I was talking to you."

The doctor tried not to smile as he told her, "Yes, Mrs. Dunlop. I heard. Now, all we have to do is watch the obits for a few days."

"Damn right! We'll see. We'll ALL see! Even my pig headed daughter. Now she can take me home. " Mama tried to get her wheelchair started toward the door but Harriet took over as she sighed one more time.

The ride home was a quiet one, except for a few grunts from Mama.

When they got home, Charles greeted them at the door. Just seeing her husband standing in the open door with that big smile on his face gave Harriet's day the happiness boost it needed

"Where have you two been?" he questioned. " When I got home from work, all that greeted me was Mama's TV blasting away."

Mama didn't give Harriet a chance to reply. "Ask your wife, my pig headed daughter. She dragged me to that bloody opthamologist, again! She took me out of here so fast I didn't have time to turn off the telly."

Charles took over, pushing Mama's wheelchair to her bedroom.

Harriet couldn't keep the sarcasm out of her voice as she announced, "Her majesty, Queen Elizabeth speaketh, so it must be true. Except I warned her that I WOULD call the doctor if she tries to tell me that she saw..

Mama interrupted, "DID'NT see!!"

Harriet pretended that she hadn't heard Mama as she continued, "….no one on that TV of hers."

Mama picked up on the sarcasm, "ANYONE. Remember you are an English major!

Harriet was glad that Charlie had not only accepted the fact that Mama had to come to live with them, when Papa died and she could no longer care for herself, but Charles and Mama got along famously. He had been the one to see that she had as many comforts as they could afford. That darn TV had been one. Mama could watch it all day, if she wanted to and she usually did. They had got cable so Mama could watch the local broadcasts. The city had a station that broadcast all the council meetings. Mama had served on the board for many years so she watched all the meetings as they happened. Charles now served on the Council, so he and Mama always seemed to have much to talk about. Harriet was glad to see how much Charles cared for Mama but she was really not interested in city matters so she did not watch the broadcasts. To tell the truth, she wished she and Charles were as close as they had been before Mama moved in.

Mama calmed down for the next few days. Harriet was happy to see that everything had settled into their regular routine, until, one day, Mama called her away from cleaning up after dinner.

"Harriet, come in here." When Harriet came to stand behind the wheelchair to watch the beginning of the Council Meeting, Mama asked, "Who's that second man in the first row?"

Harriet bent toward the TV to take a closer look. "That's Mr. Bellingham. He lives up the street from us."

Mama gave one of her grunts.

Harriet tried to ignore the chill that ran down her spine. "Mama…Mama…why did you call me?

Mama grunted again. "I said I wouldn't tell you."

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