Aunt Katheryn

     My Aunt Katheryn came back from the dead last night to visit me in a dream. My extended family -- those who were dead, those who were alive, and those who were undecided -- were seated in the Rockefeller Center theatre in New York City. We were watching an old black and white movie without sound. My aunt unexpectedly got up from her chair and walked down the aisle. As she approached my seat, she stopped and held out her hand. I reached out, and we briefly held hands. Then she left the theatre, a shadow passing into the dark. As in real life, I wasn't able to hold her and kiss her goodbye.
     This dream brought back old memories.
     Aunt Katheryn was my mother's younger sister. When she was in her 20's, she married a career military man. She was childless until her early 40's, when she miraculously gave birth to two children, first a boy, and then a girl a year and a half later.
     It was during her childless years that I got to know her, or rather, she got to know me. Being childless, she borrowed children from my mother for the day, week, sometimes two weeks. My mother was raising six children so I suspect she was grateful.
     My older brother and I were usually chosen, and we were grateful too. We knew we could take advantage of our proxy mother when we whined for a treat such as ice cream or a candy bar. My aunt was as generous with her money as she was with her affection.
     Often she took us on learning trips or excursions. She took us to Washington, D.C. to see the unforgettable monuments, the White House, the Treasury, and to visit Mt. Vernon on the Potomac and the civil war battlefield at Bull Run. She took us to New York City to visit the Museum of Natural History, the Statue of Liberty, Central Park, the Empire State building. We rode subways and buses and had great fun.
     I also remember that she taught me the rudiments of the English language when I was three or four years old. My pre-school lessons began with the alphabet. She showed me a small slate board with two rows of letters on it.

     a b c d e f g h i j k l m
     n o p q r s t u v w x y z

     As I read the letters, I soon memorized all of them. She noticed that I always hesitated after m, before continuing with the remaining letters. Then she had me memorize the alphabet backward. I hesitated after the letter n. The hesitation wasn't due to my catching of breath. I had mentally photographed the letters on the slate board. When she was sure of it, she proudly told my mother of her discovery.
     My mother was washing dishes. She said: "I wish he could remember to change his socks."