For many years, my mother carried a worn out wallet that was very masculine. When my brother and I were old enough to begin buying Christmas gifts for Mom, I would suggest to Dad that we get Mom a new wallet and coin purse set. Dad would always respond that he didn’t think Mom would want a new one, so we would choose something else. After I was married, Pam would suggest that maybe my Mom would like a new wallet for Christmas or her birthday. I would always reply that Dad said she liked the one that she had, so we would purchase something else. One Election Day after Dad begin experiencing the effects of Alzheimer’s disease, I was staying with him while Mom worked as an election judge. While we were sitting in the living room, Dad started talking somewhat into space and said, “You know, that family was never the same”. I was desperately trying to determine which family when he continued, “Your Mom’s family, they were never the same after Little Doc died”. Mom’s brother Eddie, or Little Doc, was killed tragically in a car wreck in Idaho in 1952. “He was the one who kept everyone laughing when he told a funny story or played a practical joke. All of the sisters and brothers loved him.” Then Dad turned and looked directly at me saying, “You know the wallet that your Mom carries was Eddie’s”. With those brief words, I learned, very late in life, the reason Mom treasured that worn out, masculine wallet that she carried throughout her adult life.
Bradley Roberts Wyatt 