Aunty Mood has a very strong presence in my family. She is revered by both sides, yet no one wants to claim her. As a matter of fact, I am not entirely sure if she’s from my father or mother’s side of the family. Sometimes, during one of Aunty Mood’s unexpected visits, I look at her and I could swear that she is from my mother’s side of the family. On these visits you could tell her temper is just lurking beneath the surface, and she looks at you like she is about to slit your throat, or suck your blood. She reminds me a lot of my mother when she is angry, or that one time my grandmother beat me with her flip flops all over my body and head because I did something extremely stupid; I was eight years old. But, I digress! Other times, Aunty Mood visits and I can see my father in her. It is as if they are twins, or are cut from the same cloth. In times like these, Aunty Mood is cool, calm, and collected. She stares at you with steel blue cold eyes. Her words are calculated, logical, and sting like frost bite in a blizzard. I dread these visits because you know Aunty Mood aims below the belt, and she knows exactly how to get you…and she gets you real good!!
It is not all fire and brimstone though! Sometimes Aunty Mood is in a playful state of mind. She will drop by and just joke around. I am always fascinated by how she can still makes jabs at me (the same jabs that if she were in a foul mood would sting), but can make them fun and playful at the same time when she is in a good mood. These comments are not hurtful, but they still ring loud and clear. It is times like these when Aunty Mood reminds me of an old drag queen. You know she can cut you down where you stand with one strike of her stuck on nails; yet she does not. She scratches the surface, just enough to leave a mark, but leaves you unharmed. Her jokes are funny, but they still leave you reflecting about the truth behind them. You laugh, but you also wonder what would have happened if Aunty Mood was not feeling so playful that day. You breathe deeply, wipe the sweat from your brow, and mutter to yourself, “oh, it’s just my Aunty Mood. What can you do?!”
This last visit, however, I could not really tell what state of mind Aunty Mood was in. When she first dropped by, unannounced I might add, I scrambled to prepare for her. She was all smiles, and very pleasant that I almost wondered if she was drunk or high, or something. I couldn’t really gauge if I should sit with her, or duck for cover. It became clear that she was planning on staying for a couple of days, and that I would have to work my weekend plans around her. This was not so bad at first as it seemed she was in a playful and fun mood. And when Aunty Mood is playful, you better play along and hope for the best! Her attitude was mild, and her jokes were surprisingly funny. Even her jabs were not too jabby, and her taunts were not too taunty. I was thanking the gods that my Aunty Mood was fun to be around...the first time this has happened in a long time!
The situation quickly changed the next day, and Aunty Mood, after a pleasant morning, turned into a raging dragon intent on turning everyone in its path into a flaming marshmallow. She smiled, but it was a razor sharp upturn of her lips that sent ice cold chills down your back. She laughed, but the edge was so jagged and shrill that it stung your very soul, and left you longing for death. When she gazed at you with her penetrating eyes, you saw your life flash in front of you, and you saw your desolate future crumble in front of you. All this was still tolerable, and not a completely foreign occurrence…but, then she finally erupted!!
When Aunty Mood erupts, she makes that volcano in Iceland with the name no one can spell, or pronounce look like a fine spring day. Aunty Mood’s ash cloud not only covers your body, but it penetrates your soul and turns it into a desolate and hollow void in the center of your being. When Aunty Mood shouts, your entire past, present, and future tremble, and you long for the protection of your mother’s womb, or the comfort of your future coffin. No sound proof box can contain the shrill of her voice, and her shattering words that engulf everything in its path. Luckily, her eruption didn’t last very long this time around. It was fifteen minutes of excruciating duck-and-cover. I was in both shock, and in awe of the might of Aunty Mood’s wrath. In the end, I was glad my life was spared, and the hurricane passed, leaving sunny skies in its wake.
Aunty Mood finally left, and my world returned to normal. I felt like celebrating, but in the back of my mind I did not want to rejoice too much so as not to tempt her into coming back. In reflecting back at the weekend, I will have to admit that I do love my Aunty Mood…sometimes! She keeps life interesting, and she reminds me of how truly lucky and blessed I am that I do not see her that often. It is visits like these by Aunty Mood that remind me of how beautiful the world is, and that life is simply as complicated as we choose to make it. I do not know how Aunty Mood came to be who she is today. I really don’t want to know either. I am just glad that she doesn’t grace me with her presence often.
Until next time, Aunty Mood!!
