Olivia's pet peeves was the way young people
slouched. She claimed posture showed character and
embellished good health.
I never told anyone except Cary, but I actually
felt sorry for Grandma Olivia. Sure, she had a big,
beautiful house filled with extravagant furniture,
paintings, and decorations. Her dinners were elaborate
and served on expensive china with fine crystal
glasses and real silverware.
Yet for all her extravagance, her important
acquaintances, and her gala affairs, Grandma Olivia
never looked happy to me. If anything, I thought she
was trapped by her wealth and position. How sad it
must be, I concluded, to go through your life never
letting your hair down, never walking barefoot on the
beach, never just being lazy or having a potluck
dinner, in short, never doing anything spontaneously,
but always first having to go through the proper
arrangements, as if your whole life had to be lived
according to Emily Post.
I knew very little about my grandmother's past. She never volunteered any information and rarely, if ever, told any stories, unless of course, they were to illustrate and support some rule of behavior. Whenever I asked Mommy questions about Grandma Olivia, Mommy would shake her head and say, "Your grandmother had a difficult childhood because of the problems caused by her sister Belinda." What those problems were and how they had made Grandma Olivia's life difficult was left a mystery. Belinda had problems with alcohol when she was younger and eventually ended up in a rest home nearby. Whenever I visited with her, she told me stories and made references to her and Grandma Olivia's youth, but her stories were almost impossible to understand because Aunt Belinda confused the past and the present, mixing up people and places. Sometimes when she saw me, she called me Sara, thinking I was my
mother, and once, recently, she called me Haille. I know Grandma Olivia did not approve of my
visiting Aunt Belinda. She treated her sister as if she
were poisonous and could infect one of us with her
outlandish stories and statements. I rarely brought up
her name in front of Grandma Olivia because I knew
what sort of reaction I would receive.
With all these no-no's and strict rules to follow, Cary, May, and I practically tiptoed around the big house and grounds, keeping our voices low and keeping ourselves as much out of sight and out of
mind as possible.
After we were all dressed, Daddy looked us