Mrs. Stroup

Mrs. Stroup returned from Spain last night and called on dad this afternoon to express her condolences. I grew up in a neighborhood with two other families with girls about the same age as my sister Robin and me. The six of us played all the time due to the closeness of our mothers we all had three moms: my mother, Mrs. Grey and Mrs. Stroup.

Mrs. Grey, although she lived in Upstate New York epitomized the New England Yankee woman - a polished lady in a LL Bean Adirondack barn coat and waders. She was mom’s best friend, but sadly she passed away many years ago. Mrs. Grey was an accomplished artist and poet, often writing notes in the form of a poem.

Mrs. Stroup was a fun loving lady, but practial approach to life always made me feel on guard. While mom made sure we minded our manners, Mrs. Stroup made sure we did not forget them. We were girls and we needed to know how to act like ladies, something I was never very interested in knowing because I could never imagine growing up to be one. Mrs. Stroup strived to introduce us to the finer arts and her two daughters were involved in Ballet and music lessons. She managed to reigned in six very young and energetic girls long enough to put on the play called The Emperor’s New Clothes complete with customs, makeup, scenery, lighting and a huge dog named Jake. I played the prime minister, Pompenstuff, and knew everyone’s lines long before opening night and whispered many lines to the two youngest performers, Leslie and Faith.

When I came into the house after my walk, she took me into her arms and told me how sorry she was. She and Mrs. Grey both had a part in raising me. And when she held me, I recalled there were times in the first 18 years in my life that she had done the same thing - comforted me - when the pain in my heart was nothing more than a lost cat, run over rabbit or the death of a bird after it smashed into a window. I could cry because she had been a mother to me as well, but I also knew that I could not wipe my nose on my sweatshirt sleeve. It just would not have been too lady-like.