Letter 35

December 6, 1985

My dear Son,

Just a line to Give answer to your Most Kind and Welcomed letter. Also the Money I sure do thank you so much. You dont know how much I apreshate it. I really need it. I do hope this may Find you and your girl Friend doing Fine.* As For me I feel Much Better than I Been. I just got the Checks to day. Lucinda send them to me.

Well I hope you the Best of Luck in your Marriage.* I hope you have a successful one. All the rest of the Family is OK Far as I Know. We is having some Cold weather down here. But we had a lovely Fall. The weather was nice. I wish I was able to come down to the wedding But I not. But I praying For you Hope you Find What you are looking For. All here wish you the best.

I got the Book you sent I read part of it. Yet I So Sorry you cant Come home For Xmas. I do hope you can Come in Spring. Bunk is buying a house in Petersburg Va. I hope her good luck. I glade to see Every Body trying to do Something in life.

Buggy Goodwyn was down in Nov.** He come to Va stayed With SueGal a Week. He went to Norfolk Va get a Job. But it diden Suit him the money wasn't Enough. So he went Back home. Listen Who I suppose to send the money to For the pamphlet Book you sent. I see the price on them. Let me Know. So you Be Good to your self.

Bye Now From Mother

Rite soon

 Commentary

*My head was definitely in the clouds during this period. I was possibly bewitched my Mona Lisa’s creole charms. In my heart I can not remember much of what occurred during this period. I do recall that Mona Lisa was being put out of her house and I invited her to live with me on Piety Street. I had taken over Yusef’s house when he moved to Australia with his new wife. I, however, do no recall asking Mona Lisa to marry me. I spoke to her several years ago, after about thirteen years of silence between us, and she tried to remind me of these events. But seemingly, after I left Louisiana, I blotted out of my conscious mind many of the painful events between us. I still possess the photos she gave me of a house party at Piety in which we invited a number of guests. None of them was really my friends, although I think Gillian and her friend Joe attended that party. 

Clearly, in my heart, I did not trust Mona Lisa enough that I thought it was a match made in heaven. I had known her less than a year and I was thirty-seven years old. Even at that age, I was not a complete idiot. Moreover, I had had already one failed marriage. Surely, I was not jumping blind into another one. But maybe she was at an age or in a moral state that marriage was important for her. I might have nodded yes to the proposition, but did not take the matter seriously. Obviously, I did mention it to Mama.

** James "Buggy" Goodwyn is Mama’s grand nephew and my cousin. His father Freddie Goodwyn, a jackleg preacher, was the only son of Aunt Sally, Mama's sister.