Carrie Link

I GET BY WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY MOM

3 weeks ago...

"Mom, we're going to celebrate Easter and Dode's (my mother-in-law) birthday at my house. Do you want to come and bring a Jell-O salad?"

I am handing her a gift on a silver platter. She ADORES Jell-O salads. No holiday meal is complete without a Jell-O salad. Less than 1/2 of us will touch Jell-O, but nonetheless, it's a staple.

1 week ago...

"Where's that recipe for the Jell-O salad everyone likes at Thanksgiving?"

I show her the recipe.

"Oh, my goodness, SO much sugar! Do you use all that sugar? There's already sugar in the Jell-O, you know! I think I'll make one with less sugar. None of us need all that sugar."

"Sounds great. Make whichever recipe you'd like."

This morning...

"I know you're not answering the phone because you don't recognize my cell number on your Caller ID. You really ought to write this number down somewhere so when I call you'll know it's me calling. I hardly use this thing, I don't even know the number myself, but when there's an emergency, I need you to recognize the number when it comes up."

I check the time, 9:24, the call came in at 9:11 (how appropos). I had the hairdryer on, didn't hear the phone ring. Called "the" number immediately...

"Oh good, it's YOU! I'm sitting in the Safeway parking lot waiting for your call! I didn't want to drive ALL the way (3/4 mile) back home since I've just been to church and the church is practically next door to Safeway. The Jell-O salad I made for the brunch is a disaster. I'll just pick up something at Safeway and bring that."

"Great."

"Potato salad?"

"No - we've got a hot potato dish."

"Green salad?"

"Got that too. Why don't you just not worry about it, we'll be fine with what we've got."

"No. I want to bring something."

"OK, how about fruit?"

"Fruit. Yes. I'll bring fruit."

(And Vodka, I pray silently to myself. Lots and lots of Vodka.)