The Monkey on My Back by Debbi Morgan

Author:Debbi Morgan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Infinite Words

Five days later, I flew Mom and Terry out to Detroit. I stood there waiting as all the passengers got off the plane, wondering if Mom and Terry had missed their flight. Finally, I saw them and ran to give them each a hug.

“Terry!” My sister and I gave each other a tight squeeze. “Mom! It’s so good to see you.”

“You too, Sweetheart! You look wonderful!”

“What took you guys so long? I thought maybe you’d missed the plane.”

“Mom couldn’t find where she’d put her hat. I told her she didn’t bring it.”

“All right…all right. MOTHER, can we forget about that now?” my mother said sarcastically to my sister. Then looking at me, she said, “You know your sister thinks she’s my mother all of a sudden.”

I watched Terry roll her eyes.

We got back to the hotel and after letting Mom and Terry unpack, I observed there was something very different about my mother. Her personality had changed. Her mood seemed to fluctuate between overly giddy and downright glum. Then she’d start a conversation talking loudly, and a mile a minute.

When I took them to lunch and my mother ordered a drink, I was taken aback. I’d never seen Mom drink liquor during the day. At one point, when she’d gotten up and gone to the bathroom, Terry grabbed my arm. “You see what I mean, Debbi? I don’t know what Mom’s on, but she’s on something. She’s started acting so crazy. And she keeps saying she’s going to put Sam out. But all she ever does is sit in her room and cry when he doesn’t come home. Or else she’s out in the street at all hours trying to find him. I feel like I’m going to have a nervous breakdown.”

I hugged my sister, wondering if I was equipped to handle what was going on with Mom. It sounded like she might need some professional help. I decided I’d sit and have a heart-to-heart with her after my evening’s performance.

The show went really well that night, and I could see Mom and Terry standing up in the front row, applauding. Mom was jumping up and down, obviously thrilled to see me playing one of the starring roles.

After the show, the producer, Woodie King, took everyone out to dinner. I thought this would be a great way for Mom and Terry to meet a lot of the cast they hadn’t met before.

Woodie had reserved the dining room at a very exclusive restaurant. We all sat at a long table, ordering all the delights we could eat. There were bottles of champagne and drinks all around, for those of us who indulged.

Everyone was laughing and talking, having a great time, when Mom began to get exceptionally loud and boisterous. Both Terry and I got a bit embarrassed, but especially me. I had to work with these people.

Dick Williams was another actor who’d opted not to return to the play in his role as the sly pimp, Rico. Gilbert Lewis was now playing the part.

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