Mothers, Memories

Something happened yesterday that reminded me of my mother, it brought back one of her habits. She would visit us here in the States from Germany where I am from, and I would offer her a Pepsi or whatever, she would say no thank you. That to me meant she didn't want one and I'd go on with what I was doing. She'd sit there patiently until I noticed that something wasn't quite right and I'd ask her. She'd say "you offered me a Pepsi" and I'd tell her that she declined. "You didn't ask me three times" she'd say and I would tell her there was no need to since she said no the first time. She had to explain to me more than once in the more than 30 years that she visited, that when she grew up it was impolite to say "yes" the first time one was asked, she had to be asked three times and only on the third time was she allowed to say "yes". It did not matter that 80 years had past since she had been taught that, she stuck to the old set of manners. What happened yesterday reminded me of that. I dropped a friend off someplace, he left the car in a hurry and I sat there waiting to be asked to come out and greet the other people, perhaps come in for a minute or two. I waited, nothing happened so I turned the car around and left. I got the impression today that it was not the thing to do and today I reminded myself of my mother, I've been in the States fifty years and I can't abandon some of the old manners, makes me smile, makes me think that change is not always an easy thing.