Quilts, Tacos & Tattoos

Marmie & Me

Marble Falls, Texas, did not have an airport, mall or a decent hair salon. "I don't have a clue what to do in this town," Mom said to Nana one night while making dinner. We had been together there for three weeks, and Mom spent most of her days laying on the sofa and watching Days of Our Lives.

Nana asked, "Is it that hard to find a job?"

"Yes. It is that hard. I hate this town. I wanted to leave it for good after high school and do something with my life." Her voice trailed off as she realized I might be listening.

"Well you did. You became a mom," Nana said quietly in my direction. Then she continued, "What do you love to do?"

"Fly."

Nana sighed, "Be serious."

Candy rolled her eyes and said loudly and sugary, "Mother, the two things I love are my daughter and quilting."

"Well, that doesn't really give us a career now does it?" Nana quipped as she stirred the soup on the stove, then turned on the burner under the skillet to fry some tortilla slices to sprinkle on top.

"Thanks for the news flash," Mom said sarcastically as she grabbed four spoons from the silverware drawer, then slammed it closed. She went to the cabinet over the sink and fetched four small, avocado-green bowls.

"What do you love to do that will earn you a living?" Nana asked. She pointed to the napkin drawer and added, "Don't forget the napkins."

"Quilting. Mom, I love quilting. Remember, it's in our blood and our blue jeans." Mom started to get into one her silly and excited moods, "I know! I'm gonna open my own quilt shop!"

"How?"

"I'm going to dream big and add a lot of love like you always told me." She smacked the counter top with her hand before grabbing the napkins and closing the drawer with a bump of her hip. She practically skipped into the dining room to set the table.

"I told you that when you were young to inspire you. Now you need to be realistic, Candy."

"I am being realistic. This is going to work. I just know it. I'll call it Marmie & Me," she said proudly as she set the napkins by the bowls.

Mom's favorite book as a child was Little Women. As a little girl she fell in love with the name the girls called their mother, Marmie. She vowed that when she was older, her children would call her by that same, affectionate name. The only problem was she did not remember this detail until I was about seven, and it was very weird for me to call her a new name instead of Mom, Mommy, Mama or Mother. She loved that name, and now she was finally going to get to use it.

"It'll be the best little quilt shop in Texas! I'll sell sewing machines, teach classes and sell beautiful fabrics. People will travel from all over to visit my shop." Mom danced around the table and sashayed up to me, "Cricket, I'm opening a quilt shop. I'm going to name it Marmie & Me after both of us. Will you work there with me?"

I was only nine, but I looked in her eyes and knew this was her dream. I smiled, "Yes, Mama. I will help you with the shop. I mean, yes, Marmie." She scooped me up in her arms and hugged me.

"We are going to make this work this time baby, I promise you. This store is going to be the best thing that ever happened to us...little women." My Nana rolled her eyes.

"Little. Your behind don't look so little these days," Nana said as she tried to hit her butt with a white dish towel.

"Watch it, Mama! It's my store," she teased. So began a new phase for Mom and me. True to her word, she got her store.