Great Em

She was a great dame a greatest thing that ever happened to Cyprus. As a mother she was useless. Hushed aloof and adding and subtraction. She did and did for a number of years. A driving force on that economy. A class of her own. She had no ownership because she a slave a wife. As a woman she was worn out. As a wife she made the man cry.

Used to be beauty now looks like a crow.

"A scarecrow."

When Em was bought for half a crown, she was happy because at last she had somewhere to go. She had been spotless before, but when a slave is bought, they are bought from the nude, and no respectable woman will do that. Not in the 1800's. This is a story about my grandmother.

She never did look as if they did nothing likely a woman who did nothing to make the house a home.

"What does that mean?"

"Nothing begging your pardon."

"She did all she did for the likes of you."

"But I am her granddaughter."

"Exactitude is the word. To be exact that is the right attitude be grateful."

"I am grateful the food in my belly is due to her."

"All who are gathered round this table sing the praises of hers."

"And his."

"Loaf forgive you."

"I must say she does do so many jokes."

"Thank you."

"We are not pleased to see you."

I know I am not that important to be sharing stories about my grandmother. But she was a remarkable woman and even more remarkable Mother it was not her fault she had no aptitude for motherhood.

Em who I only know sketchily. Husno bought Em for half a crown. I know I am not much, but great Em was less than half a crown. Her value had diminished along with her good name and circumstances changed.

She was a woman who had gone and made it into a house. Not many slaves did.

"Can I be seeking a new author?"

"What is wrong with me writing?"

"You are talking in riddles. She bought sense into the house sense is hard to come by."

"Yes, my senses were stirred she can cook well."

Mother Zeks and Gold were tightly holding themselves in check. Gold was just going to the bank to sign some more stuff when the story stopped her. A house was saved from being given away by the story. You see there it is I do that with shopping I shop till I drop.

Much has happened since the Crimean war. Christmas did not appear there was not many Christmases left I hear.

Yes, it has we missed the two world wars and then we missed it all up. Vietnam and then all the rest and the Americans diminishing responsibility too? That remains to be seen that remains to be sauced up. We have the power now we will make the world right. Rigid and right.

"So, you reckoned it all began with Em?"

"Yes."

"Em's husband ran away from the marriage bed the moment he consummated it. He ran to find walk with his bare hands he said if necessary because he had to feed the slut his wife."

"Well, what had happened?"

"Well, she knew more than he did apparently."

"A little knowledge is good, but Em knew too much so the husband bought the bread and came home and they did try again and again, but he just faked it. The whole thing became a charade of who will last it out."

He then had the brilliant thought to treat her as a servant, and they went on comfortably for thirty-two years.

Heartbreaking happiness and sadness and life and sometimes love. There are glimpses when Em would sing in her kitchen making bread or dough and happily looking at her daughter Gold and Gold wanting to grow and be her mother so she too could share a bed with someone.

Gold was a nymphomaniac. She began to fantasise too early she had her trousseau ready by the time she was ten. According to her grave she was born in 1904. Now that was a long time ago and when she ran away with her aunt with a baby it was assumed it was hers.

But the baby was never hers it was someone else's. Her mother had an out of wed baby?

Auntie Mess not ours?

Auntie Mess was sent over to the Aunties who lived in the same house worked in the post office and made love in the same bed.

"Was it allowed?"

"They were so indomitable and rude no one crossed them."

"Why were they rich?"

"They were careful."

"Mess had a bone a day to feed her hunger."

Luckily, she learnt to steal and stole the shop produce the sugar entered her blood eventually killed her.

So, if all the people are dead what is alive?"

People leave impressions marks of themselves, and sometimes sensitive people follow the marks and make marks for themselves.

"We are all burning in hell?"

"We are never going to be all burnt out."

"What brings you into the story?"

"I am Em's grandchild the one she saved from certain death."

She never done that before she never asserted herself or her authority, but when she was able to, she saved me. I was amazed I stopped crying and the bat or the knife was stilled. You see a hungry child is a nuisance.

When she was old when she was senile, she saved me.

She took me in her arms and did something very comforting she protected me with her body. I stopped crying and the knife was gone.

It was to appear again and again years later but that was what I remember her as a heroine who saved my life.

All this is a fact then we go to the legends and all the rest. What we do next is impossible. It is almost a cry for help.

"Tell me why should I care for these people?"

"Because they made the world the hell it is today."

We have all of them scattered around the world doing harm doing wrong and then making the women into servants into somethings that has become eroded and disrespected and now we are the ones who will have to live with the second or third generation ignoramuses.

Em was the mother who gave birth to Gold who gave birth to Abdul who then went on to father a faith a philosophy of mass destruction and evil.

"We must all think alike otherwise we must kick you out we must kick and kick until you agree."

"Because they gave birth to powerful men and women who changed the world. For the better for the worse we still recovering from the Cypriot war but now it is world-wide."

"What is wrong with them?"

The agitators the agreeableness of the world now has become the worst case foolish and the damned let us pray.

"They are people who dislike difference who dislike anyone outside the group when there is someone outside the group they rob and kill them."

"I am hurrying along now to cross the Ts and the PS and then when I cross them out then we can begin the stores of knowledge I can give you all so you can become more learned."

And Ps I love you.

Look it is not for the likes of adults.