Day 24--Not a Part of My Novel But...

I heard about this on an HGTV show this afternoon and couldn't focus on my novel until I wrote it down.

As I told my coworkers about the strange little room we found on our third floor, a room with a metal floor, no doorknob on the inside, and a deadbolt on the outside, a wrinkled and age-spotted hand patted mine. I turned to find an older patron standing beside me. “You have a disappointment room, dear,” she said and turned as if to walk away. “Wait,” I said, “what is a disappointment room?” She turned sad eyes to mine. “When a woman gave birth to a child that was damaged in some way, retarded or crippled, but usually retarded, people said that she had had a disappointment. A disappointment room is where they kept the child so that society would not know of it.” My horrified gasp was all she needed to hear to go on. “Dear, you have to understand. In those days no one knew what caused deformity or retardation so people assumed that they were caused by a flaw in the parents, usually the mother. That a flaw in the mother’s behavior during pregnancy had been transmitted to the child was most often judged to be the cause. A retarded child could keep a man from getting a job or promotion or being elected to office; a woman would be ostracized from charities and ladies’ societies. It was common in those days to hide your disappointments.” We stood stunned as the woman walked away.

I don't know what, if anything, I will ever do with it, but isn't that the saddest thing you have ever heard of?

Jenny, I'll try and remind you what day it is from now on. I was tempted to buy you a watch but then I realized that time of day is different, so very different, from what day it is. As you get older you can expect to have trouble remembering things. ;-)

I was wondering the same thing about Eva, Bob. You told me last night she was bald as a cue ball, now all of a sudden she's got hair? I want to grow hair that fast, Bob. I'd like to have long hair every once in a while, and curly hair too. Get back to me on how to make that happen, please.

Evidently Adam was swallowed up by a band of rabid Cheeseheads and will need to be rescued. Tally ho!

Daily total: 1758 words
Running total: 44,293 words

Seven more writing days! Be thinking about the post-noveling party on Sept. 1. Do we want cake again? Burgers & hot dogs on the grill? Snacks? We'll have to spend some writing time next Thursday, or bar time perhaps, planning our gala bash.

--Barbara