Last week I hung up on my mother. It was the second of two conversations in one evening. Although the topic was nominally generous (Christmas presents, Christmas visiting, Christmas cards), the tone was not. She wittered, I intolerated, she generalised, I snapped. So I hung up. And then felt racked with guilt. But still really irritated. It took me a full thirty-six hours before I felt able to ring back and apologise. I felt bad about those thirty-six hours.
One of the things she wants for Christmas is a cushion. Not any old cushion, but one suitable for the seat of a particular antique kitchen chair. I went to John Lewis and bought something that would do at a pinch (ie not really) - but this was pre-hang up.
I now realise that there is an opportunity to do penance. By crafting the Cushion of Contrition. So I have spent much of today doing exactly that. Not fold-it-over, seam it, stuff it, done. Oh no. Fuelled by guilt, I have made this as complex as possible. I have created a made-to-measure round cushion pad from scratch. I have included handmade piping (no ready made bias binding - I have made my own from especially slippery fabric to try my patience to the max). I have used spotted material to maximise the pattern matching challenge. My fingers are needle-bruised, and my guilt is assuaged. I am cleansed of badness.
For now. Watch this space for what happens when my mother opens her present, and reacts thus: 'Oh. What is it? Oh, I see, it's a cushion. Is it? Oh, yes. Well. I suppose that's... nice. Yes. Very nice... I suppose.'
Best start planning a secondary penance right now. Maybe a draught snake. An EMBROIDERED draught snake.
Maybe not.
No comments:
Post a Comment