We called our grandmother Baba--rhymes with "Gramma". My sister, the first grandchild, called her that, and it stuck for the rest of the family for all time. When we got older, we sometimes called her "Babs", but whatever we called her, she was the Grand Dam of the entire family. We all adored her.
I'm not sure why she was so adored. Looking back, it wasn't her actions but her aura that attracted us. Her children (our parents) revered her, and so it was with all of the rest of us. She was steady but authoritative. Such a dignified and graceful woman! Still, there were occasions to tease her, in good faith.
One of the things I teased her about was that she had two laps: the regular lap on which all of the grandkids sat at one time or another, and the other lap a bit higher up, on top of her ample bosom. Putting a napkin on her lap never, ever caught dropped food bits, but her second lap did. It got to the point that we encouraged her to put her napkin on her second lap in order to save her clothes from soil. (We would NEVER have done that in public, but even she recognized that some "things" stick out just a bit further than others.)
And you know, as much as I lovingly teased her about her second lap, I am finding that I also have two laps. The last two times I have been out to eat--fast food, of course--I have soiled my spanking clean shirt by dribbling something on my bosom, right off the bat. And then I have to suffer from the humility of being in public in a shirt that looks like I haven't changed clothes in a week!
Is this what I get for teasing? I meant no insult, Baba! Honest! Did you have to bequeath me the second lap???
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