Independence Day… from the upstairs

In honor of the Fourth of July holiday, this is a vignette about victory while referencing various battles spanning centuries.

THE BOSTON TEA PARTY: [more like the Boston Celtic t-shirt party] In the spring of 1985, John was a growing young man and with Trip's departure to UT, had the entire upstairs to himself. The newly self-appointed emperor of 7329 Tophill Level 2 apparently marked his territory. One day Mom went upstairs to find a disaster area. Empty plates and dirty utensils decorated the piles of sweaty socks and t-shirts from competitive basketball games. The scene, both visually and aromatically, likely caused post-traumatic stress disorder and called for ‘shock and awe’ retaliation.

THE SECESSION: Commander Moore of the South didn’t exactly secede from the North, rather she exiled the region. She embodied the determination of Eva Peron when she declared “I will never go up there again!”. And she meant it; little did we know how much she meant it. This is the lesson of the story – Glenna says what she means, and means what she says.

THE COLD WAR: It wasn’t a hostile zone, more like a cold war, and diplomatic efforts in the form of a housekeeper disinfecting the area once a week, etc. were provided. The separation continued for 13 YEARS – yes - 13 YEARS! Life was normal; Mom just didn’t go upstairs. Only once do I recall it being an issue when she needed to go out of town on very short notice, and Mom had to wait an hour for the reserves [Dad] to get home and retrieve her suitcase. At some point Glenna even redecorated the 2nd floor without going up one step.

TEAR DOWN THAT WALL: In 1998, after 13 years and all of us mess-making children were gone from the house, Commander Moore re-instated the North, demolished the war stricken site and re-built a beautiful place. If only the current owners knew the rich history of the upstairs!

This story is one of my favorites. Sure, it’s easy to laugh that Mom didn’t go upstairs for 13 years, but I prefer to view it as an example of her commitment and loyalty. Glenna is honest and steadfast in her actions; she walks her talk. There are not many people I can say that about.

-Marty

Comments

[johnmoore (from Brand Autopsy)]

Marty ... seeing Mom at the kitchen table awkwardly trembling is a sight I'll never forget.

It's true. The upstairs was a major mess. I had managed to takeover both rooms and was reckless. Just reckless.

As the years went on, it became quite a joke that Mom didn't go upstairs. My friends still bring up stories about vintage chocolate Easter bunnies and the Gatorade bottle turned petri dish where some mysterious fungus began growing.

Oh my ... sorry Mom!