GoT Writings

House of Black and White Prompt 39, w.c. 405

39. She had lists upon lists and in the midst she had...
[w.c. 405]

My mother realized that her memory was slipping after her fifth child. She created permanent list, daily lists, grocery lists, school lists, work lists, job lists, party lists, you get the idea. Queen of lists, was she.

The lists were what she used to retain her grip on real life. If she had her list, she did not leave anything behind on a camping trip. (Too bad kids were not on her list, maybe then we would not have been left behind so much….*smile*)

In the midst of all these lists, she had her power. No one could pull anything over on her. She could argue anything because why? She had her list. She knew what was done and not done and the day it was done or not done. And this was in the age before computers. When she discovered computers, the lists were like ADHD on steroids. She had lists on the computer, lists in the ledger, lists in the purse, lists in notebooks, lists in the safe, lists in the important papers drawer, it was a sight to be sure.

How can you not love someone that organized?

You should see her check register. That was just another list after all. Everything notated in clean lettering and reconciled perfectly. The one clinker in her orderly register list was my father. If he had the checkbook he would not remember to write anything down. I learned control from mom. She gave dad one, only one, just one, check. When he used it, he could not get another until he remember where he used it, and how much it was for. This was in the days before computers, but my mom was a regular adding machine so it was all good.

I knew mom’s power when she retired from her bookkeeping job from the school. She would come back from vacations and have to clean up everybody’s mistakes. A year before she retired, she corrected all her little sabotages and made sure the books could be recorded by anyone. She was honest as the day is long. It would not occur to her to steal. She just wanted job security and made sure that the bookkeeping would cost more to audit than to let her do it her way. As long as they matched the state’s books, all was well and she was the miracle worker.

The moral of the story. Keep good lists.






















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