| OCR Text |
Show (pkZ I sat quietly in the back seat, brushing my h a i r and bouncing the baby. Aunt Helga* spoke in a t i r e d , mechanical voice, reminding By father of his appointments of the day - his 'days o f f always devoted to making housecalls or to giving blessings and performing marriages or baptisms. The wife of the evening usually accompanied him^on these errands, and now I noticed that Aunt Helgas a t beside him, so it must be her night. She was sharing- her day with him? oharing it with my mother and uowi HH.1T me. Now, as we neared the south end of the valley, Aunt Helga said wearily, "You'd b e t t e r take me home, darling." "Can't you come with us, Aunt Helga?" I spoke without thinking, feeling impelled to return her generosity. She shook her head. "I think I'm coming down with something." Automatically, Iwondered i f I was the reason why she did not want to stay, if she was s t i l l repelled by me. Then I remembered that she spent nearly ea every week-day with my father. Perhaps she would not jump at the chance to spend some time with him, a.& X he. I was glad to be alone with my parents, my mother silent between IM f^^ us as my father and I chatted. For the f i r s t time sifter I was vuiy 3.1 on s •a&I was spending some time/twith the two people who had ushered me into the wok^^MTnere'Sw''as'*no^specific direction in our chatter, no Particular purpose to be achieved. There was/ timeffor eaploration Mi discovery. I wondered if either of them had any greater sense ofmy personality and character, of my reason for being on earth, ^ they had had when I was a baby. Mormonism assumes;* that no birth b accidental, that every s p i r i t is ordained to a mission; had they ^lized mine, as I had? I d i d n ' t dare talk to them about my writing^ 1 stUl f e l t as though I betrayed confidences and exumed buried atmy typewriter. |
