MaineCourse

All Liquored Up

We’d just finished breakfast and my mother, the only person I know who enjoys the past more than I, asked me, “Do you remember the Brady’s, next door in Cincinnati?”

“Of course I do. There was Cassie, Roger and John and their parents, Rommie and Gordon. I remember the camper Gordon made from plans - it took him months - and I remember the night when he got drunk.”

“That’s what I was going to tell you about.”

‘I was twelve; it was 1959. I was upstairs. The noise woke me. He kept screaming about his glasses.”

“That’s because Rommie broke them. This was the night before they moved to Milwaukee. They were going out; they were very social people. The next thing I know, Rommie is at the door in her slip, her hair is messed up, and she’s yelling, ‘He’s trying to kill me.’ ”

“But Mr Brady was a Mr. Peeper’s type guy. As were his sons. Peter might call them brainiacs”

“He was a Mr. Peepers, but not when he drank. Rommie said he hit her and the only way to stop him had been to break his glasses so he couldn’t see. I told her to go up into our bedroom and stay there.”

“She was small, right? About five three, 150 lbs ?”

“Yes, and her husband would make three of her. He made two of Mack. He and Mack were the same height, but Gordon was much huskier. Rommie ran upstairs and then I hear this banging on our back door. It’s Gordon and he says, ‘I need to see my wife! ‘ I told him to sit down and I’d make him some coffee. He said, ‘You have no right to keep me from my wife.’ I said, ‘Gordon, if you don’t calm down, I’ll call the police.’ Meanwhile Mack is looking in from the next room. I wave him off, thinking the worst thing would be to have two bulls going at each other.”

“All this time Rommie is upstairs?”

“On our bed with a pillow over her head. Trying to block it all out.”

"She spent the night at our house, and the next morning they both came for breakfast as had been planned. Gordon said, ‘Helen, I am really sorry about last night. I do apologize.’ I said, 'I accept your apology, just don’t ever let that happen again.’ "

---

Dinner last night at Jeff and Karen's.

Did the kids -- his own and the Miller sibs -- know the father was abusive when/after drinking? Was the problem ever talked about?
My very best friend from first through fifth grades was Cathy W. Her dad Tom was a hard working, family man Sunday through Friday. But on Friday and Saturday nights he was a hard drinking no good. Every week he beat up Mrs. W. Everyone knew not to go over to Cathy's on Saturday. Everyone. But no one ever said anything. Flo knew what Cathy's father did. I knew what Cathy's father did. Flo knew that I knew. So did Cathy. But never one word was spoken about Mrs. W's bruises or her broken arm or where they came. Cathy was almost always fearful and often very sad. I wonder where and how she is now.

Posted by Susan.

I didn’t know. Joan says she knew, and Brian has zero memories of that incident. He may have been out with his friends. At twelve and having never seen a single human take a single drink, I didn’t understand what was happening. The violence implied made me anxious, but that was it.

You know, Sue, when dumb folks like myself pine for those good old days, they do so with blinders on.

Posted by michael.

My best friend Frank in grammar school had a drunk for a father. No one knew about it, my parents & friends included. Frank told me about it after his father died. He said his mother hid in the closet during her husband's binges and let the kids (3 boys, 1 girl) fix their own meals. I don't believe there was any physical abuse, but the mental abuse was long lasting. Those good old days weren't so good for all of us.

Posted by rakkity.

That bad things happen to good people, that people known to be good turn out to have bad in them in great quantity are sadly anticipatable aspects of humanity. That Helen would so ably rise to the occasion, though, not only not panicking, but also knowing instinctually to keep Mack out of it, and knowing how to speak to Gordon both in the moment and the next morning, is, to me, remarkable.

The Honeymooners comes to mind -- that show made light of domestic violence, almost made it a character, and thus denied it. Had they treated it more seriously, they'd've had to figure out how to write for the Helens of the world, who would surely have played a role. Bravo uncommon decency.

Posted by avoider of darkness.

That is very sweet, thank you, Adam.

Posted by Helen.

Funny, but I thought I was the only one to see the implied violence in Ralph's repeated threats to Alice "Someday, Alice, right to the moon."

Posted by michael.

Posted by Michael at April 4, 2005 10:27 AM