My mother's friends

My mother had a friend, Mrs. Garment, who tried to be kind to me. Mr. and Mrs. Garment moved to Village Creek in 1956 but took a look at their neighbors and moved with Johnny and Suzie to Westport in the early sixties. Mr. Garment commuted and sold high end bath fixtures to the trade. By eavesdropping I learned they were second generation Brooklyn jews who "climbed out of the ghetto." whatever that meant. Furthermore, they gave their children names that would, in my mother's opinion, Americanize them. Mrs. Garment was enrolled in a masters in education and later ended up working in the New Canaan public schools. One time when I was around 16 she saw me at the Westport Country Playhouse and a week or so later she dropped by our house with some taupe eyeliner and a brush. I had worn black liquid eyeliner just like my friend Teri wore to the play and probably looked like a 12 year old hooker. But I didn't know how to accept a gift in a sincere manner, without sarcastic thoughts going through my head, how to accept help or advice, how to admit that I could improve my appearance without condemning the way I looked a week ago, etc etc. I knew even then she had no idea why I was such a sullen and unpleasant girl, because she adored my mother as did most people. She used to call the house and she'd say, "Hello Dear this is Mrs. Garment is MOTHER there?" And I would answer back, " 'Mother' isn't here." That's all, no "take a message?" or "she'll be back in an hour." I relished each chance to be rude. Being rude on the phone was a power trip for me. Even when my mother told me to stop or I would be forbidden use of the phone, I still did it. I got few calls anyway.
Later the Garment family would suffer with the American dream. Mr. Garment's brother was an attorney at Mudge Rose and went to work for the Nixon Administration. At the height of Watergate his wife put on her mink, went to Boston, checked into the Statler Hilton and killed herself. The custom embroidered name label in her coat identified her a week later. Mrs. Garment died of cancer in 1992. Mr. Garment moved to Longboat Key and is now 91.