. . . And when they saw him, they were amazed (Luk 2,41-51)
No human being loves like a woman. Half of us try and make it look good.
I saw the depths of a mother's anguish and sorrow in eyes of my wife, Mary, one Saturday in late May of 1991, in a Marshall's store near Mishawaka Mall in South Bend, Indiana. The Hickey's went shopping for new clothes. I had eight year old Nora with me. After Mary had decked her out in new spring wear, I took Nora with me to look for a cassette of Paula Abdul's Rush, Rush. We lived on the campus of La Lumiere School and Nora spent a good deal of time with the teenage ladies from Linnen Dorm and had heard the newly released pop hit - a good girl must have her heart's desire.
Mary had three year old Conor in tow. He was a piece of work. Mary was looking for Sunday-Go-to Meetin' clothes for your scapegrace. Three year old boys and older detest having their clothes picked out and more so fitted. I can only imagine the verbal back-and -forths between Mary and her beloved son.
By the time Nora and I returned, an alarming situation had taken place in Marshall's. A little boy was lost and the clerks and security guards were frantically trying to calm Mary and search at the same time.
Child abduction had been brought to world attention in 1981 when Adam Walsh disappeared. I knew of a case that had taken place in Beverly neighborhood of Chicago on the very block where two of my friends lived at the time and little girl had been snatched from the front lawn lawn when her mom went into the house to get her a can of pop.
Mary had had a horrific labor bringing our beautiful boy into this wonderful world, The anaesthetics had not taken effect, the epidural of all things, and Conor was breached. Mary needs additional cutting - the episitomy - and the only thing she said, "Oww" once. It took hours of drug free endured pain, but that was as nothing to what I saw in her beautiful blue/green eyes on the floor of Marshall's.
The search was on and South Bend police had been called. It seemed like seconds after Nora and I witnessed the scene, that howling laugh from a big African American security guard announce " My Man! Your Mom is going to be so, happy!'
Conor had slipped into clothing carousel stuffed with winter coat overstock and had made fortress of solitude for himself and had fallen asleep.
Mary rushed to the sound of big man's voice and hugged the man! She swept Conor up her arms and smothered him in kisses.
" I wanna Hamboygee! Let's see Doodah* at Prairie Tabern by the ducks." Conor was oblivious to the situation, as all children should be and asked to stop at Prairie Tavern in Rolling Prairie off of Rt. 20, where he was a regular fixture at the bar.
Mary found her child, " Can You Believe Him?"
Yes.
That is Mother's Day
* Legendary bartender, sportsman and Patriot. Served as a Male Role-Model for my son.
