The Story of My Beginning, as told (so many times) by my grandma, the last of the Ones Who Were There

For all of my life, this story has lived down the street, or in the next city, or one phone call away. It was always nearby, ready to make an appearance at the slightest provocation, filling my ears and my space like a smell you don’t notice until it’s gone. It was there even when I didn’t know I wanted it. I’ve learned by now that I can’t keep my people from slipping away, but their words? Our stories? Maybe if I reach, I can pull this one back down to earth and anchor it fast. Maybe I can make it stay.

Well, you know, they were over here on Christmas Day, and your mom was so big, and so miserable, and she felt like she was going to go into labor. But she just kept praying that you would wait another day, because she wanted you to have your own day. She didn’t want your birthday to be on Christmas. So we sat and did puzzles and played games and just waited. Oh, Susan was so miserable.

She was sure she’d go into labor overnight, so they left Michael here with us that night, ya, just to be safe. You know, he wasn’t even one yet, and I couldn’t believe she was already having another one. But we’re sure glad she did, aren’t we? Yes, we are, Amy. I wanted her to wait but if she’d waited it might not have been you. But anyway, then she was back the next morning, and nothing had happened. So we sat around and played more games and then the contractions started. And she would just breathe through them but they were coming closer. But your dad, you know, had to go to work and she didn’t know which site he went to. You know, this was before cell phones, and his work sites didn’t have any phones so we didn’t know where he was. She called his boss Rob but couldn’t get ahold of him, so I sent Boyd out driving all over Utah County looking for Raymond. And I took your mom to the hospital.

And your dad made it in time. He made it there and I waited out in the waiting room. And then when it was over and they wheeled her out on the bed, I’ll never forget this, I took her hand and her face was so relieved and she says, “Mom, it doesn’t have a birthmark!” The first thing she said. It, she called you. So I says, “It? What is it?” and she says, “It’s a girl and there’s no birthmark! She just has a club foot!” And I couldn’t believe it. I hadn’t known she was so worried about a birthmark, but you know Michael was born with that bright red birthmark all up and down his arm and it’s faded now, it got a lot better, ya, but she used to worry so much about that, and little kids would ask her why her baby had jam on his arm and it used to bother her. So she had been worried that the next one would have it all over the face. But you didn’t.

But anyway I couldn’t believe it when she said, “All it has is a club foot.” My heart just sank at that because you know Boyd’s mother had a club foot and she used to limp so bad all her life. And when I saw your little foot I just felt sick with worry. I mean, you should have seen it, the heel all up touching the back of your leg, and your foot all turned in wrong. I didn’t think the doctors could do anything. But your mom didn’t care, she said you were so beautiful and perfect. And then the doctors did fix it. Oh, you had to have a couple of surgeries and I felt so bad, you learning how to walk with that big old cast holding your leg straight. And you used to get so fussy about those casts and they itched, and your mom would stick a bottle in your mouth to calm you down and that’s how you got so chubby back then, you know. Ya, but what could she do? And you had those corrective shoes with that bar you had to wear at night, and it was hard, you know, with your mom taking care of two babies and your dad working so much. But she’d bring you guys over here a lot and she made it through and your leg got fixed.

And you know, one of those doctors told me if you had been born only twenty years earlier they couldn’t have made your foot as good as it is, that’s how new the surgery was. So you were blessed to have that. And look at you! You walk so normal. And you can run! I thought you’d never run. Sure, if you look at your legs together side by side the left one looks skinnier and you do have that scar in the back but it could have been so much worse. Ya, you’re lucky, you know, Amy Sue. And you don’t have a birthmark all over your face. That would have been harder to fix, I think. But just look at you now.