Goodnight, God Bless

8/24/2008 06:30:00 pm BenefitScroungingScum 7 Comments




Sticky topped glass bottles. Forever linked in my mind with the excitement and guilt of forbidden treats. Delivered by the milkman in green or blue crates, stored in the cool garage waiting for grandchildren to devour in a hyperactive orgy of sugar and additives, heralded by the longed for chink as the bottles clinked together.

He was the closest I had to a grandfather. My great uncle, married to my grandmother's younger sister. Even now, decades later when I see glass bottles of orange juice I think of him. All those years of birthday and Christmas cards with a crisp note tucked inside.

He was quite the catch as a young man, tall and handsome in his RAF uniform. Later a career in the bank would provide a comfortable lifestyle but things would never be easy.

There was a baby. Perhaps the first, perhaps not. Born too soon to survive in an attic bedroom more able to keep secrets than the people it housed. Mad with grief she hid the baby, and when discovered refused to let go. So in the end they took part of her brain to make her.

He was always there. Through years of institutions and barbaric abuse masquerading as medicine. He cared for the children they went on to have, for the sister in law fleeing her abusive husband. For her children. Somewhere along the way she fell in love with him too and perhaps he her. But he always stayed. Always cared.

requiescat in pace

7 comments:

Unknown said...

Thank you for moving me. Goodnight and god bless.

wow, and you think my entry was good???

Awesome Bendy. Moving - demonstrated by my rears and strangely my mind is linking back to yesterday...well the day before now..

Love you

Ms Ordinarée xoxoxox

That was moving...

Joanna Cake said...

Fabulous tribute containing such horrifying images x

cogidubnus said...

Rest in peace...those left as well as him...goodnight

Wordsmith: Thank you, bless you too

MsO: Thank you darling. As you know I nearly didn't post this so it's nice to know people appreciated it. He would've liked that I think. Hugs x

TH: Thank you

Cake: Thank you. Funnily the older I get the more I feel in awe of how much strength it must've taken for her to survive as well as him.

Cogi: Bless you

Bendy girl - having been an occasional viewer of your blog over the last 2-3 months I have added you my blogs of note list. Congratulations. Keep up the good work! The anger and sense of victimisation in your blogs initially put me off doing so - but they are tempered by a sense of humour and humanity too. If not for the "countless confused, accused, misused, strung out ones and worse" we would never change anything in the world.