Cadenza
Castle
“I’m
moving to Edmonton!” Ann sounded as if she expected Molly to be just as pleased and
delighted about this decision as her mother was.
Just three years ago, Ann had moved into a seniors’
apartment house in Peace River, a northern Alberta town built along the banks of the river
of the same name. Before that, she’d lived on the family farm above the Peace River
valley, with a breathtaking view of the confluence of the Smokey and Peace Rivers. Her son
and his family were now in charge of the farm, and Ann visited only occasionally. She’d
seemed happy with the change.
Now she was planning another move.
“I can’t think why anyone would consider taking up
residence in Edmonton a good birthday present,” Molly replied calmly, not ever entirely
surprised by what her mother decided to do. Though the river valley was beautiful, as far
as Molly was concerned, the rest of her city was just like any other inland urban area on
the North American continent, with its traffic and other inconveniences. “Aren’t you
happy in your fancy new apartment? If you move, won’t you miss all your friends…and
your son…and the farm visits?”
“You sound just like the stick-in-the-muds here who are
telling me I’m too old to make such a big change in my life. I’m too old not to move,
if I want to,” Ann said firmly. “Which I obviously do.”
Never a predictable mother, Ann had always refused to live
with any of her children, though Molly had one wing of her Edmonton house specially fitted
up for a senior with limited mobility in case her mother eventually needed housing.
“I’m delighted you’re going to be closer to me…but
what brought this on?” Molly asked, wondering if her special suite was going to be
needed.
“Another round of bridge with a bunch of old women whose
conversations I’ve been part of for far too long. I want something new and fresh before
I drop off.”
“I hope you’re not planning to ‘drop off’ for a long
time,” Molly replied. Her mother often made offhand comments about the “inevitability
of my ultimate demise,” as she called it, and the family was used to, and in fact
enjoyed, her breezy attitude.
Ann was obviously
enjoying herself. “I’ve shocked all the old biddies in the apartment complex.”
“I didn’t think anything could shock your fellow
residents,” Molly said. She was acquainted with most of the people in Ann’s apartment
complex, and knew their lives had been full of hard work and unrelenting reality. They
were intimately acquainted with human frailties, follies, and eccentricities, and were not
easily impressed by anyone. The town had grown beyond their ability to keep track of all
its citizens now, but these pioneers knew most of the secrets of all the old-timers.
“How did you do that?” Molly asked, curious to know how
her mother had managed to elicit a shocked response from this group.
“They kept asking me what I was going to do if I moved to
Edmonton, and wondering how I would manage in the city. I think they’re all envious that
I’m breaking out of this place. I thought I’d go mad until I shut them up by telling
them I was going to have a facelift, and take a lover.”
“Surely, you didn’t. Really?” Molly said, laughing
while trying to sound indignant or surprised, and not succeeding at either.
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