In a fix

 

When your husband spends time going through your mother's clothes on a Sunday afternoon, it can be an opportunity for them to bond.  

Ya think?

Here's the back story: Most of the visits to my mother my husband and I make together involve something that needs fixing or doing in her apartment: hanging pictures, replacing light bulbs, moving a piece of furniture, getting an alarm clock to stop blinking.

In advance of  our visits, my husband will ask me what tools he needs to bring. My mother will make a list. And off we go.

The main job a day ago involved applying spray silicone to loosen drawers in a bureau that is more than 60 years old, part of a set of bedroom furniture my mother got when she was married and that stored my clothing and that of my two sisters while we were growing up. 

So what kind of conversation do you carry on while you're going through your mother in law's intimates? Let's just say you keep it pretty general. But one exchange stood out: when my mother asked my husband about an upcoming trip to see my soon in Portland, Oregon, where he moved last year for his medical residency in pediatrics at a children's hospital. 

His response brought tears to her eyes, which isn't hard on any day or in response to just about any topic. By that time, her son-in-law had moved on to fixing the alarm clock. (It was a goner.) 

The last two things on our job list were to take her blood pressure and to release some over-the-counter tablets from their childproof packaging. Mission accomplished. (Side note: The person who invented blister packs should be sentenced to finding facts on the QAnon website.)

The next day, mom again was brought to years when she recounted her conversation with my husband about our son, because she misses him, too (see photo). She never mentioned her drawers. 

Next time, I think we'll focus on the coat closet.