The answer to a 'where' question was almost always, 'Memphis'. For example; 'Where is My Sweet Daddy going?' Without hesitation, without making eye contact and probably often with an exasperated sigh, the answer would be, 'Memphis'.
Occasionally, I might ask a compound question like; 'Where are we going to go shopping and when will we go?' I bet you can figure out the answer to that one. 'Next Tuesday in Memphis.'
Those answers, along with 'because I said so' and 'because you need to be sweet' were the litany of my early childhood.
Okay-kidding aside, my Mother really did answer lots of questions thoughtfully and tried to help me better understand the world around me. But we all have these quips that flow from our lips without so much as a thought. That might be the reason my all time favorite commercial is the one where the husband is intently reading the sports section of the newspaper. His wife comes in and asks him if these pants make her bottom look big. Without looking up, he says with gusto, 'You Betcha!' I'm not sure what that commercial was selling, but I loved it! How often we answer without listening.
When I grew older, I asked my Mother why she always told me that things were going to happen 'next Tuesday' and that they were going to happen in 'Memphis'? She had to laugh. Seems that was the answer her Daddy Jim gave to similar questions. It might have made a bit more sense to her, as Daddy Jim and Big Mama lived close to Memphis. As a child in Iowa, the Memphis thing was really lost on me.
I'm sure I probably answered 'next Tuesday' to those 'why' questions when my children asked them and I know I enjoyed telling my children 'Memphis' when they asked 'where' questions over and over again. It just seemed to be the right thing to do.
My Rocket Man was born and raised in Macon, Georgia until his family moved to Memphis when he was 12 years old and lived there until he graduated from college. Imagine my delight when I ask him where he acquired something and his answer was, 'Memphis'! One more thing that made me know that Rocket Man was the man for me.
Speaking of the Rocket Man, we are waiting on an answer to a 'when' question. We have been for quite some time. We have been patiently waiting...okay HE has been patiently waiting...since mid April for an announcement to be made. The announcement date has changed from mid-April to early June to mid-June to first of July to mid-July and finally, I'm told that the announcement is to be made on ...can you guess? Tuesday!
All my life, my Mother was simply training me
to look to Memphis for answers
and to wait for Tuesday.
