MATTHEW’S ATTENTION is drawn again to Grandma and the group of ten. They’re getting a little rowdy. He wonders how long they spent in the lounge. Grandma’s clutching a drink of some kind, with a napkin wrapped around the bottom of the glass. The others seem to be urging her to order a lobster regardless of the expense. Five are facing Matthew: a man, Grandma’s son, wearing Grandma’s hair like a wreath around a bald spot on the very top of his head; a young man, certainly the first man’s son, sullen, interested in the food but not in the event; a boy, bright, showing off, talking a lot, always informing the others about something, often correcting what he takes to be their misimpressions about things; Grandma herself, wearing a corsage, slightly bewildered, pleased, but worried about the cost of all this; her daughter, a worrier, a manipulator, wearing an expression of aloofness, almost disdain, though she smiles continually, seated at an angle to the table, her chair out a bit from it, sitting straight up on the edge of her chair. Across from those five are, Matthew feels certain, though he can see only their backs, the in-laws, matched to their mates, the balding guy’s wife seated across from him, and so on. These five are a mixed bag. One of them glances around the room now and then, probably because she’s embarrassed by the others; she is clearly the daughter of the woman who wants to be in charge, a girl, or young woman, in her twenties, the best-looking person at the table. She has some of Grandma’s features, but on her they look good. She’s playing at being “different,” complaining that some rock club she went to with friends was too loud and crowded. When the waitress arrives at their table, everyone but Grandma orders right away — lobster. Grandma still fusses. “Bring her a goddamned lobster,” says the pretty girl.
Issue Number 17 of The Babbington Review is now on Substack.
Have you missed an episode or two or several?
You can begin reading at the beginning or you can catch up by visiting the archive or consulting the index to the Topical Guide.
You can listen to the episodes on the Personal History podcast. Begin at the beginning or scroll through the episodes to find what you’ve missed.
You can listen to “My Mother Takes a Tumble” and “Do Clams Bite?” complete and uninterrupted as audiobooks through YouTube.
You can ensure that you never miss a future issue by getting a free subscription. (You can help support the work by choosing a paid subscription instead.)
At Apple Books you can download free eBooks of Little Follies and Herb ’n’ Lorna.
You’ll find overviews of the entire work in An Introduction to The Personal History, Adventures, Experiences & Observations of Peter Leroy (a pdf document) and at Encyclopedia.com.
Share this post