The Jitterbug Queen

MY MOTHER

The Jitterbug Queen

This started years ago, but this is a memory of not too long ago. It was right after I got back out of the wheelchair. My Mother came by my apartment, she had come to check on me to see how I was doing, or so she says was the excuse. Little did I know what was in store for me that day.

(mom)- Shirley said," Hey daughter, whatcha doin'?" Cissy-" hey momma, not much what are you up to? I see that wicked playful gleam in your eyes, so what's up?

" Well, I could say I'm checkin' on ya but, that would be a lie... and you know how I feel about lying." ( momma said)

" So ? What "are " you doing here? hummmm? "( giggling to myself knowing she must be up to something.) Shirley said:" Look I think you been hold up in this here apartment long enough girl, and I just ain't gonna watch it no more, so your only chance of getting rid of me today is to just go along with me on this, okay?"

" What's that momma?"

" Hell girl! I'm damn tired of seeing you waste yer life away like this! And I'm not gonna let you keep on a doin' it that's all!"

" What do you mean momma? I'm not wasting my life away, how can you say that? I don't understand what you mean?" "yes hell you "are" ! You don't even go outside yer door, and you can walk again now. So it's time you got out, at least got out with me doin' something. So off yer ass and on yer feet yougin', we're going out tonight, and I ain't giving' ya a choice neither!, so hop to! And come on, times a wasting' ".

"Awh, come on momma, I don't feel like going out okay? All I want to do is just stay home and watch T.V., look I'm fine okay? I don't have to be around people, really, understand?"

" you know what I'll say to that dontcha? Do you really wont me to say it? Its bullshit, now come on, told ya, no excuses, I'm not takin' no for a answer, now git the hell up and go git dressed, and wear something other than those ol' damn baggy cloths you like to wear so much too! And don't forget, put some lipstick on for Christs sake! You look plum dead, all white and don't fix yer self up any."

Awh hell what is she up to this time? There is no guessing her, or what she'll do when she gets a bee in her pants about something... God! Well I know the only way I'm going to get any piece from her tonight is to just go alone with what ever it is she's up to, but man! I just hope it isn't something I'm gonna regret later...shit , damnit! Why in the hell does she have to bother me tonight? I had my night planned out too.

There was this movie that I was getting ready to watch. It sounded like it was going to be a pretty good flic. Hell even had the popcorn ready, was even in my pjs and nice and comfy for the night too. She can come at the worse times sometimes, but you gotta love her though... she was the kind you just couldn't stay mad at for too long. Especially when you find out she was just doing whatever she was doing to either help you or cheer you up... it would make you feel like a grade A # 1 ass!


" Okay fine! I'll be right back dressed and ready for what-ever, okay? Will that make you happy old woman?" *big grin* " Well hurry up tho' you know how I like to be somewhere on time for whatever is going on." Okay, now that statement just made me nervous, sounded like she's up to something, awh shit! I hope this isn't going to be a bad night..."shit fire and save matches!" - ( mom's saying, hee,hee.)

I rushed to my bedroom, took out a pair of nice, but not baggy, jeans. A pair that I know she would approve of...picked out a nice (not baggy) top. Put them on in a hurry, rushed into the bathroom almost slipping on a throw rug busting my ass. Now that would have been just great, that's all I needed tonight. I rummaged through my meager cosmetic drawer, found the lipstick that she had given me months ago, and had only been used twice.

( I just hate make-up always have, and I always will. It got even worse for me to put it on after I got a degree as a lab tech. That's when I found out what they put into cosmetics... after that I was convinced, no way was I going to put that stuff on my face, no way, no how! )

I quickly brushed through my hair,( she liked it better when I wore it down, and hated it because I wore it in a ponytail most of the time.) I took another look in the mirror to make sure that my appearance was acceptable, then rushed out of the bathroom to join momma at the front door.

" Okay," I said, " So where are we going? Or am I not suppose to know until we get there? Some big secret or what?" We were walking out of the door and down the sidewalk to the parking lot to where our cars were parked... I told her I would follow her in my car, in case I didn't want to stay as long as she did where we were going. Just in case it involved being there a lot of hours, still not comfortable being around a lot of people at this time in my life... but later learn it's not so bad.
She said: " It's no big secret, since you're taking' your car just follow me okay? We'll be there in no time". "Okay momma, but I got to tell you that it sounds like a secret to me... why not just tell me?"

"You just don't worry 'bout that, just follow me and you'll see". Just then I saw her start to giggle like a kid, okay I may not be as bright as the last light bulb in the pack, but I damn sure wasn't like the dimmer of the light bulbs in the lowest wattage okay? I knew she had something up her sleeve, and it sure wasn't just her arm.

We start driving, me following, down highway 431 south going towards Dothan, ( at the time she and I and my brother all had our own places in Headland) we lived eight miles north east of Dothan. As we kept driving, we were getting closer and closer to Dothan. I realized that whatever was going to happen, was going to happen there.

I followed her all the way into Dothan and to a place called Kings Inn, a nice eating establishment, and a lounge. The lounge had a separate entrance. I thought, cool, were going out to eat and that is why she wanted me to be dressed correctly. Okayyy! no problem. We pulled into a parking spot beside each other, that was cool, unusual to get parking spaces next to each other. And she was out of her car before I was, standing there waiting, smiling... still didn't like the grin on her face, I knew my mother, and when she grinned like that, it usually meant she was up to something... but I thought, " I've come this far, I might as well see it through, let her have her fun, what the hell, ya know? Couldn't be that bad at a place like this."

Wrong. Boy was I ever so wrong about that one. When we started walking toward the door, me thinking," where the hell is she going? She's going to the wrong door!" Hey, momma? you're going in the wrong door, the dinning area door is over here". She said, " wrong, we are going in the right door, just come on, don't worry, you're gonna like it trust me"... as she started her giggling again, I thought, uh-oh here we go.

We walked into the Kings Inn lounge door, and as soon as we did, someone from across the room, one of her good friends, came up to her and said," hey momma Shirley, sounds like they are playing our song, wanna dance a jig?"

Mom said" here daughter, hold my purse for me will ya? I've got to go dance, find us a table will ya huh?" What? And off she goes with this man to the dance floor. Leaving me just standing there, looking stupid.

On her way to the dance floor I heard a lot of people call out to her saying " Hey momma Shirley, how you doing"? And who's that you got with you? Momma just said," hey ya'll, that's my daughter, and I'll talk to ya's in a minute, you know me...there's music playing and I got to jitterbug first, you know I have to dance before I do anything, ha,ha,ha,ha." they said, " yeah we know momma Shirley, you'd rather dance than eat,ha,ha,ha,ha."

I thought,wow! Mom told me that the places she went to frequently, the people there liked her so much that they called her momma Shirley, I just thought that yeah, right, uh-huh! I was wrong and she was right, and I guess I kinda gained a respect for her that I didn't have before. Then all of a sudden, she was whirling around on the dance floor while I was lost in thought, and the chanting is what broke my chain of thought.

They were chanting," Go momma Shirley, go, go jitterbug queen. Do that dance, yeah, jitterbug queen momma Shirley, yea! ". I saw my mother dancing like I have never saw her dance before, she was very good, and I was proud that she talked me into coming out with her, and even more proud that I got the chance to see the jitterbug queen dance.

By: Cissyccr/ Cissy C.R.W.
3/11/08
Revised-2/16/09