“Yo!”, “Sup?”, “Word!” Not the typical greetings from your mother, but then again, my mother is in no way typical.
She can often be found in either entire purple or luminous yellow attire, lighting up a room in a more literal way. She will also most likely have a cup of coffee (or questionably milky tea) in hand, and a bright smile on her face. This is the woman who is forever the optimist, and most usually under-appreciated. She is the most selfless person I know, always going out of her way for others, and putting them before herself.
My Mammy’s a very creative person, always drawing diagrams (because that’s what geographers do) or making strange but wonderful creations, like Vikkie the Bikkie, or the famous Starbucks chocolate coin girl, complete with earrings. She is just as creative with her dinners, often neglecting recipes and improvising instead. This means no two dinners are ever really the same and they never really have the same ingredients, but they always contain care and love. These dinners are some of the many efforts my Mammy doesn’t get recognition for, barely getting a “Thanks” or a hand, but never giving a complaint or a fuss.
Most girls bond with their Mammys whilst out for lunch or shopping, but instead, me and mine prepare dinners, write shopping lists, and spiralise various vegetables. But yes, we do enjoy the occasional hot drink too, going around coffee shops to try all of the Christmas drinks, because it would be rude not to! I don’t see my mammy everyday any more, but nearly every day we text of wee things that remind us of each other – normally Cliff Richard or a pink object of some sort.
Besides being a chef, cleaner, entertainer and chauffeur, one of my Mammy’s many domestic roles is the peacekeeper. She settles arguments and fights between every member of the family, resorting to the fairest tactics like “pick a number” (the answer will be 4). Without her, this wouldn’t be a family, she is the glue that manages to keep us all together, through every obstacle, snarky comment, dirty look and silent treatment.
Apart from coffee, chocolate and the colour purple, my Mammy’s other love is geography. She could (and does) talk all day about rivers, mountains and rocks. But conglomerate, igneous and sedimentary have nothing on my rock – for mine is my Mammy.
