Holiday Travels
I have never liked traveling over Christmas break. It’s just wrong to leave the warm cocoon of your house to invade people’s showers, beds, and refrigerators. Isn’t this also the season of being with friends? I don’t think that’s possible when your 200 miles from home.
My mom comes from a family of 10 brothers and sisters, not counting herself, and since her mom died they don’t all gather unless some is getting married or someone dies. Because of this, my mom, who takes after her mom the most out of her whole family, makes rounds to all her siblings who live within an hour of Memphis, TN. These people are the quintessential southern, church-going, judgmental people, but we love them to death.
My grandmother got married right out of high school to the love of her life and in the following years had 6 years. 6 months after her last child, her husband died in a terrible car accident and she was left with 6 kids be tween the ages of 16 and 6 and a part time secretary job. She almost immediately remarried Hearsey Fennell who had three boys of his own. Mr. and Mrs. Fennell had two more kids and promptly divorced. One can only imagine the emotional turmoil of those four years, but what emerged was 6 brothers and sisters who don’t speak to their ex step father, an ex step father who desperately wants to reconnect, and a brother and sister who keep it all together.
Everyone in my story today is AVIDLY baptist, but the 6 siblings are, for the most part, the kind that will tell you that you’re going to hell within 10 minutes of meeting you. The aunt that I’m with right now is the aunt directly above my mom, age wise. They’re the rich folks who never went to college; they sell all kinds of shit. They move houses every 5 years because they have to keep up with all the swanky trends. Their house is notoriously cold. However, the other side of the family is my grandfather has lived in the same house for 8 years, and the house before that, he owned 30 years. He loves everybody, and although he’s a Gideon (you know, the ones who pass out bibles) he keeps what judgements he has to himself. His house is warm and always has been. What’s more, papaw as we call him is jolly and fat and loves to eat. My swanky aunt has .3% body fat and only buys food if you can see the brand on tv.
Symbolism is my family. It’s where I’m from.
