The Thursday, Dec. 8 New York Times featured a "how to" article on preparing for the holidays and the guests' inspections. This story, minus the scrubbing of knick knacks and waxing of floors, reminded me of our first inspection, in January or February of 1962. We were married in December 1961 and we invited Edgar's Aunt Betty for dinner. I was in grad school and extended the invitation for a no classes, easy lab day. Good thing.
I cleaned like a demon—the baseboards, the mouldings, and all the corners. We had been married for less than two months and had not accumulated many "things." Dust and dirt found no place to hide.
Dinner was chicken and rice, as far as I can remember. Edgar came home to our apartment after work, and found me, on hands and knees, cleaning up the last bit of dust.
Find out what's happening in Narberth-Bala Cynwydfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
He was appalled and could not understand what I was fetishing about. "Your aunt's coming." "I know. She's just my aunt." He had the good sense not to argue with me as he walked into the kitchen and muttered something that sounded like "my bride is nuts."
Then, his aunt arrived. The front door to our apartment opened directly in front of the coat closet. Edgar took her coat, went to hang it up, and Aunt Betty stopped him, raised her right arm, and with her white gloved hand, ran her fingertips over the top of the closet moulding and then she examined her fingers.
Find out what's happening in Narberth-Bala Cynwydfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Poor Edgar. He was mortified. No need. It was clean and I knew it would be. His aunt announced, "Selma's a good housekeeper."
We had been prepared for relatives earlier in the year when, my parents, Aunt Gertie, and Uncle Joe came for dinner the day we returned from our honeymoon. My family thought then, and the younger generations still do, that nothing is beyond our ability.
Dinner went smoothly and afterwards, Aunt Gertie showed Edgar how to sweep up the crumbs after dinner, as if he didn't know, but he was his usual pleasant and polite self, and then she showed him how to save a tree and dampened a used paper napkin to pick up all the crumbs that were on the floor.
