The Baggage Car
A Journey of Remembrance
by
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“Listen Aunt Rose, my mother has spent most of my life either sending me away or running away from me. Mom’s not exactly the picture of motherhood. Mind you, I would rather be with Gran than her any day.”
“I have to agree with you that your mother is not a candidate for Mother of the Year,” admitted Rose, “however, I know you love Ma, but she was not the easiest mother in the world either. Your mother and mine are alike in many ways.”
“Well, I’ll grant you that they are both strong willed. But Gran knows how to find the joy in life, Aunt Rose. Even after all she’s been through, she still knows how to have fun. She knows how to put other people first. These are qualities Mom does not have. Mom knows how to look out for herself and she knows how to make deals. Most importantly, Gran knows how to love and how to show it.”
“Maxi – your mother loves you!” cried Rose. “You know she does.”
“Do I? She sure has a funny way of showing it. Do you know she has never once in my entire life told me she loves me?”
“Have you told her that you love her?”
“I used to. Her response was always the same. ‘Yes, of course you do dear. I’m your mother.’ Like it was some filial obligation to love your mother, not something you really felt – in your heart.”
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About the Book
If we are lucky, we have a person in our lives who guides and nurtures us through the maze of adolescence and young adulthood. For Maxi Shelton, that person is her grandmother, Kathleen Doyle. Now Kathleen has suffered a stroke and Maxi has come home from college to act as health care advocate for the woman with whom she has lived since she was fourteen.
Maxi, although terrified at the thought of losing her grandmother, is determined to honor Kathleen’s wishes. Her high powered, but emotionally repressed mother, Laura, has other ideas. Laura and Maxi spar with each other while Maxi’s Aunt Rose tries to broker a tentative peace agreement between her sister and her niece. As the family tries to come to terms with their impending loss, a compassionate nurse suggests a pathway to reconciliation that sends all three women on a life changing journey of remembrance.
About the Author
Kate Hancock is the author of Windswept and The Roses on the Wallpaper. She is also the lyricist and co-book writer of two musicals with composer Richard B. Evans: The Hero of Ballyduff and So Nice To Come Home To. She was previously a fourth grade teacher.