Quality Time In The Utility Room

So...Syd and I met in January; Started going out in March; I flew her back to Hawaii in July; and we got engaged in December. The details of this are in a different post. Suffice it to say here, I knew I was going to meet her family in December and I wanted to meet them as the fiancé and not just the boyfriend. This was back in the day when people could actually meet you at your arrival gate.

I remember this part like it was yesterday. Our flight to SeaTac was postponed by a couple of hours. Syd was spinning out of control because she was so excited to go home. To kill time, we made leis out of purple bougainvillea. These take a long time to make--about two hours in fact. I made one for her mom and she made one for her grandma.

When we arrived, there was meant to be a greeting party but a few of them were waylaid at security. Evidently Syd's Grandma Nelda had set off alarms with the underwire in her bra. She was frisked multiple times. She was packing something but it was not a gun.

My brother in law to be, however, was also held back as he was in fact carrying a firearm in his shoulder harness. When I met Todd, he was driving a Harley, and had another motorcycle at Nelda's house. He had a chopper that was being restored. Todd had driven in typical Washington Winter weather, just to meet me. My first conversation with him involved him muttering something along the lines of what a stupid rule it was that you could not bring a gun to an airport.

Once we had gathered our luggage, we eventually made our way to Nelda's house. They were all very excited to show me the utility room (laundry room). Evidently Syd had spent a significant amount of time sitting on a chair looking at the wall. Time out was just a regular part of her childhood. She had gleefully told me about the time she had pushed Todd into the dryer and was trying to close the door when her mom caught her.

The story went something like this: There was a local TV show that featured cartoons. It was hosted by a clown named JP Patches. Evidently JP Patches would hide gifts and have children go on a treasure hunt to find their presents. Syd told, toddler Todd, that JP had hidden a present in the dryer. Todd, poked his head in the dryer and Syd scooped his legs in behind him. Luckily Syd was not able to get the door shut or figure out the dials. Syd's mom heard some commotion and was able to keep Todd alive.

One of my favorite sculptures is on Wall Street. First there was the bull and much later an artist added a defiant girl. The girl has her hands on her hips and is staring fearlessly at the bull--This is how I have always pictured a young Syd (future probation officer with a masters degree in bad-assery).

This picture is probably from the time when Syd would have been logging in a lot of hours in the Utility Room. I love the mischievous look in her eye. That same look would define her later years. Behind that look was a wit to match and a never ending need to seek the joy in everything. I can almost hear her cackling in the picture.