Oleta Watson — Memi — has been gone a year and a half. Her 1990s blue Tahoe has been gone longer than that. But I missed it today.
When I was 13 my sister got a job. That suddenly left me bored and pitiful. Poppop felt sorry for me and hired me to rake hay (drive a tractor pulling a piece of equipment, for those who aren’t familiar.) He paid me a dime per square bale or $2 per roll. I saved over $400 my first summer (to buy a chocolate Labrador I never did get…but that’s another story.)
I loved every thing about the hay field and earned myself the title of “best hay rake.” I helped in the field every summer until 7 years ago when we moved to the Panhandle and away from home. Even then, if there was hay to be done when we were in town to visit, I wanted a chance to help. But none of that has much to do with an old blue Tahoe.
The Tahoe represents love and respect. It represents setting aside one’s own work to serve another. It represents an ice cold drink and a bite size candy bar. It represents a bit if shady reprieve in the middle of a long hot afternoon. You see, almost no matter where the hay field was, or how much Memi had to do, after we had been out for a few hours she would drive out to us, bounce across the field, wave a thumbs up, and park in the shade. We’d finish a circle and stop. We knew the cold drinks were waiting, and there would be cookies or candy bars too.
Before there was a blue Tahoe there was a white Ram Charger. And whatever other car she drove before that. Today there was a black suburban full of kids. The snack was a bottle of water, some Pringles, and 2 cookies. And I was the wife who set down her work to go check the husband in the field. I laughed that I needed some training on proper snacks (Dr. Pepper would have sure tasted good in that field!) And I smiled, because it’s my turn to serve cold drinks in the shade.
May I grow up to be half the woman Edith Oleta was.
Mom of Monkeys 