Actually, I'd never accuse Rabbi Kushner of spouting platitudes, but appearing in Mary Worth as it does, it certainly has the feel.
Once again, Toby attempts desperately to get Mary to stop telling this story, but Mary Worth has no intention of stopping. "It's hard to explain it, Toby. But.... I'll give it my very best shot." And then three more weeks of introspective non sequiturs.
Mary has even plopped herself onto Toby's lap so she can't run away.
Okay, okay, I'm over my sour-puss reaction from yesterday. Fortunately, you, dear readers, picked up my slack with your hilarious comments. I'm not sure why I was so disappointed. This morning's strip made me laugh again. First, it foreshadows Mary's penchant for marrying into wealth, as her mother obviously did.
Second, "something shifted inside?" That's just plain beautiful, man. It explains why Mary appeared to be in such pain during grace.
What a wonderful story this has been!
Before today's powerful installment, I just want to say how much I've enjoyed reader comments. There have been some very insightful observations of late. Except for the porno one. That was very un-Mary-Worth-like and has been removed. Now on to the thing that happened that changed Mary's life forever.
Mary obviously feels a tremendous amount of shame when she realizes Cathy's family is worse off than her own, having to eat a pathetic meal of dry sliced bread, potato mash, and boiled grass with nothing but butter knives for utensils. The parents even sacrificed their own two glasses of water for the children's sake and settled for a tea cup half-full of hootch to numb away the pain. And all Mary has done for months is complain about her hunger.
"First, the paintings on the wall and all the furniture began moving around the room, and then the lamp behind me began getting bigger, and bigger and bigger. It scared the living daylights out of me. I never went back to Cathy's spooky house again."
There must be some mysterious and revealing link between how Mary is seated on the Park Bench of Back-Bending Pain and Cathy's dinner table. In the park, legs crossed, she leans precariously against frontal boards, her hip hooked on the narrow ledge holding her upright. At Cathy's home, she somehow holds herself in an upright, seated position by grasping the back of the chair. No wonder she's quiet. The tremendous pressure on her abdomen makes talking impossible.
Happy Easter.
For those who are new to this blog, or perhaps even new to Mary Worth, I thought that I'd help you catch up by printing Mary's story so far. It's really very good, and I'm thinking of using it as an audition piece if I ever return to the theatre. At the very least, I hope to perform it on YouTube, the People's Theatre. And now, without further introduction...
To quote a wise person, “Kindness is my true religion.” But when I look back on my past I know [my compulsion to help others] is more than that… You know, it’s fascinating how our experiences shape who we are in so many ways! Something happened in my past! Something I’ve never forgotten! I have a story to tell you! It’s really not out of the ordinary to look back sometimes! We’re all in the same boat, really! I’m not alone when I say that something happened in my childhood that shaped who I am today! I usually don’t speak about my past, because I like to live in the present! But you asked where I get my compulsion to help others, so I’ll tell you a story! You know, I wasn’t always as you see me today! Remember, things are not always what they seem! I went through a difficult time as a child, before my mother remarried and circumstances improved! My father was out of the picture early on! This forced my mother to look for work, and left me to fend for myself! I was a child of a broken home who had no one to properly take care of me! My mother did her best! Unfortunately, it often wasn’t enough! Whose to say why things happen the way they do? We grow in character because we struggle. We learn and overcome. I used to go to sleep without dinner. Hungry for food… for love… most of all, for a feeling of self worth! Later on, things improved! But not before I went to bed hungry for more nights than a child should have to bear! There were times in my childhood, when I felt unloved, and unworthy! It wasn’t only due to the lack of food or money, either! [My mother] wasn’t a consistent presence in those days! Still, I hoped things would change! It’s been said, “Suffering produces endurance… and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.” Luckily, I had my friend, Cathy. She didn’t care that my clothes were more than a little worn. We played as kids do. We used to talk and laugh and delight in the insignificant. Friendship isn’t a big thing. It’s a million little things. Sometimes we didn’t talk. Friendship needs no words. Despite having a friend, the feeling of being lowly and unworthy persisted. I tried to pretend I was the same as other kids, but at home I faced cold hard reality. There’s more to my story. As I said before, something happened that was a turning point for me. It raised me up. Made me feel differently about myself. As I was saying, when I was with my friend Cathy, she made me feel better as friends often do. With her I felt like a normal little girl, instead of a neglected child in a broken home. At my house it was a different story. Having her as a friend almost made the long days and nights more bearable. Almost...
To be continued!
