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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 ophthalmologist 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, who looked like a greyed down version of Harriet, 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, 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 Sanford 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. Charles was one of those tall, middle aged man who seemed to get better looking with the years even though his blond hair had grown sparse and his waist line a little thicker.

"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 you're wife, my pig headed daughter. She dragged me to that bloody ophthalmologist, again! She took me out of here so fast I didn't have time to turn off the telly."

Charles laughed as he 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 were 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. Charles had gone to a meeting.

"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."

Harriet both did, and did not, want to hear that Mr. Bellingham would no longer be with us. He was such a good neighbor. He had often loaned them tools or garden equipment. In fact, she'd better remind Charles to check to see if they had anything that needed to be returned, just in case. Harriet mentally gave herself a smack on the head. "Harriet," she told herself, "stop buying into that story that Mama is telling about the…(she thought about how to put it , even to herself) THE TELLING TELLY!!" She couldn't help but laugh.

Mama looked up at her, "What's so funny?"

Harriet knew she wasn't one who usually made jokes but she felt she had to tell Mama, "I just had a thought, Mama. What you have here is a TELLING TELLY!" She laughed again.

"I don't think that's very funny, Harriet." Mama waited a few moments before she added, "By the way, did you hear on the news that Ned Sanford got killed in a motorcycle accident yesterday?"

Mama's triumphant smile brought Harriet's laughter to a quick end. "No, I hadn't heard. I'm sorry to hear that. I'm sure Ned Sanford's death was just a coincidence." She wanted to sound sure of herself but couldn't help the break in her voice.

Mama felt sorry for her sharp, smug words. After all, this was the daughter who had taken her in and was doing her best to see that she had the best of care, even if she had taken her in for an eye exam three times in the last six months.

Mama smiled as she answered, "You know what, Harriet? I think you're right. From now on this will be known as THE TELLING TELLY."

Harriet felt the coldness that engulfed her whole body. "I'm sorry, Mama. I didn't mean to make fun of your TV. I know you think you don't see…things…people…"

Mama laughed. "But you still think I'm nuts. That's OK. I didn't tell you about the first time it happened. I guess I wasn't sure it did. Then…then… Anyway, let's forget about it. Maybe it is all just a coincidence."

"What is just a coincidence?" Charles had just come home. He stood in the open doorway to Mama's bedroom

Harriet jumped and Mama jerked in her wheelchair. Mama looked at Harriet. "You haven't told him, Harriet?" Harriet shook her head. Mama added, "Charles has a good head on his shoulders. Let's see what he thinks."

Harriet looked at Mama. "Are you sure?" When Mama nodded her consent, Harriet told her husband about THE TELLING TELLY.

"So, "Charles said, "that's what all the "see" and "didn't see" was about when you came home from the ophthalmologist. I waited for an explanation but when I didn't get one, I thought it was just something between the two of you."

Mama asked, "Well, do you think I'm crazy?"

Charles smiled. "Boy, is that a loaded question." He laughed. "Of course I don't think you're crazy. If you didn't see it, it wasn't there. I've never understood all the things they can do on TV.

Harriet concurred. "Me, either." She thought it best to change the subject. "By the way, you're home early."

"It was a boring meeting. Nothing that I needed to vote on. I left early." Charles told them.

"Was Mr. Bellingham OK when you left?" Mama asked slowly and deliberatingly.

"He was fine. He did want to know if he could borrow his lawn edgier back from us." Charles laughed.

Harriet told him, "I was going to tell you to take back all the things we have borrowed from him. Mama didn't see him on the program tonight."

Charles didn't get her meaning at once, "Yes, he was in the second row. Maybe he'd stepped out for a moment."

Harriet patted Mama on the shoulder. "See, Mama. Maybe he had just stepped out for a moment."

Mama wanted to agree but wasn't sure. "Maybe," she reiterated.

In the days that followed, things got back to normal. Giving Mama's TV a name had cleared the air. Mr. Bellingham continued to be hale and hearty. Charles was able to joke about Mama's telly so that they could all enjoy the humor in it, although Mama did not enjoy it as much as she pretended.

After the next Council meeting, when Charles came home, he told them that he had told some of the members about Mama's TV. They suggested that he bring her to the next meeting. Some of them remembered her from the time she served on the Council.

Harriet was aghast. "Charles, you didn't tell them about Mr. Bellingham, did you?" she asked him.

Charles shook his head. "No, of course. I didn't think that would be wise."

Mama, who had been listening added, "That would have been very unwise." Remembering the invitation she was enthusiastic in her acceptance. "I'd love to go with you to the meeting, Charles. Some of them may even remember me. Harriet could go with us,too."

Harriet looked at the calendar and shook her head. "No, I can't. That's the night I promised my friend Ellen that I would help her chaperone the High School Dance. She teaches there and it's her turn to chaperone. Usually one of the other teachers is with her but for some reason can't. I told her I would."

Charles put his arm around her and kissed the top of her head. "That was very noble of you, my love."

Harriet answered, "I think it will be fun. Besides, I can record the meeting and we can all watch it together later. You two can give me a blow by blow description."

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