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2A I APRI.L 17, 2009 PARK CITIES PEOPLE

~"BULLETIN FROM THE BUBBLE

A Tribute to Muna:
. May YourFace Always be Moisturized .

And may I always rememberyour bits of wisdom onfood,fashion, and leaving an impression
My children My grandmother has 2. Pearls are for church,
know our time spent 83 years fully dedi- weddings, and funerals.
with my grand- cated to her missions: excel- 3. If you show up some-
mother is spe- lence in skin care, bizarre where with chipped nail
cial, mainly food combinations, and polish, that's what they'll
because I getting right to the point remember about YO,u.
chronicle their on any matter. Additionally, On my way to see her the
Merritt every inter- she has remained religious other day, for what I knew
Patterson would be the last time, I
action with about these fundamental
her like the beliefs: thought about the Erno
paparazzi, saying, "Let me 1. Only cheap girls wear Laszlo sea mud soap she
get a picture of you and white after Labor Day and gave me for my IOth birth-
Muna." before Easter. day and the time she served
a chicken-fried-steak-and-
pimento-cheese sandwich
like it was a PBJ. I thought
about years ago, when she'd
had a heart attack; in her
hospital bed, she looked at
me almost lovingly and in
a frail whisper said, "You
finally got a decent mois-
turizer."
When I got to her house
for our final meeting, she
was sleeping, as she had
been for days. I sat next to
her bed, relieved that there
was a nurse constantly at
her side, because it meant
my lips right by her ear and He gave me a smile that
told her how much I loved said he knew this was the
her. I vowed to teach my last moment we'd spend
daughters to dab their faces with her, and he held up my
instead of rubbing them dry phone, saying, "I got a pic-
and asked her to forgive me ture of you and Muna."
for wearing a quad strand Soon I'll say the ceremo-
with jeans. I promised I nious goodbye to her, hav-
wouldn't judge her current ing paid careful attention
manicure, that I'd remem- to detail: my finest cos-
ber so many other things. metic foundation, a fresh
Like the romantic sto- manicure, and wearing
PIIOTO: WILLIAM l'I\lTERSON ries she told me about my pearls only because it's an
Merritt's 5-year-old·son captured grandfather, the sweet-on- approved occasion. I'll fight
one of the last moments Merritt ion-and-thousand-island- the tears, because I won't
spent with Muna. dressing sandwiches she want my skin to look puffy
made all summer long, and - she'll be watching. And
I wouldn't have to say any- the old-fashioned songs she when the service is over,
thing - I could just put it sang horribly off-key. I'll she'll turn to the people she
off and later deal with the remember her carrying a will have reunited with in
regret of not having told stemmed wine glass down heaven and apologize for
her. But the nurse stepped' the trail at the lake, and the scuff on my pumps, tell-
out of the room telling me I'll replace her comments ing them I know better than
that my grandmother could about moisturizer with "I that.
probably hear me. In the love you" in my memories, It's true - I do know bet-
silence, I noticed a chip in' because I think that's what ter. But I don't want her to
Muna's nail polish, and I she meant to say. get there with nothing left
cried. For the first time in I gave her one last kiss to talk about.
my life, I touched her cheek and noticed my 5-year-old E-mail merritt@
and felt her hair and put son had entered the room. merrittpatterson.com