To Kill a Mockingbird

So if you're anything like me, you haven't read or thought about this book since high school. But boy do I have a story for you!

My friend Connie, (who is also my boss) has lived in Alabama her whole life. Her parents are from Alabama, and very Southern. Her dad is a minister, and he is doing some traveling work in Monroeville, AL. Her parents have been staying there for a few weeks, while he preaches there. Recently Connie and her sister went down to visit them for a weekend.

For those of you who don't know, Monroeville, AL is home to Harper Lee, author of To Kill a Mockingbird, and her friend Truman Capote. Now, I don't know if you're aware (I wasn't, until hearing this story from Connie) but there is A LOT of controversy over whether Harper Lee actually wrote To Kill a Mockingbird. A lot of people theorize that Truman Capote actually wrote it. Apparently there have been books written over this controversy and discussions as to who the true author is.

Regardless, Monroeville, AL is still home to Harper Lee, and every year there is a To Kill a Mockingbird Re-enactment in front of the Monroeville courthouse that then moves into the courthouse. My friend Connie went to this and said it was really good, a lot of the same people have been playing the same parts for years, apparently.

So I should mention that Connie's parents had befriended an older couple from Monroeville while they were there (I think they were actually staying in their guest house). Ms. Timp and Carl Ray. (VERY southern). WELL, it turns out that Ms. Timp knows Harper (who I will now refer to as "Nelle," because that's what Ms. Timp knows her as) from way back. Apparently Nelle used to play with Ms. Timp and her sisters growing up, Nelle would always be over at their house, according to Ms. Timp.

So Sunday for brunch Connie and her sister, her nephew (who's 12), her parents, and Ms. Timp and Carl Ray all went to this little old country restaurant for some good southern home-cooking in Monroeville. While they were there eating, Ms. Timp started going on about how Nelle used to come to this restaurant and also how it happened to be Nelle's (82nd) birthday that weekend. But Nelle has been in an "assisted living facility" for a couple years now. Connie and her sister and nephew were joking and asking Ms. Timp if she thought Nelle would come to the restaurant and Ms. Timp was saying that Nelle had been acting very strangely the past several years and would most likely NOT be going out to eat, even if it was her birthday.

Well, Connie and her sister noticed a little round table in the back of the restaurant, that was full of people. Ms. Timp looked over and recognized Nelle's sister (I think this is when she mentioned that it was Nelle's birthday). So a little bit later, Connie looked over at the table again and they noticed this little old lady in a wheelchair at the table with her back facing the rest of the restaurant. They pointed her out to Ms. Timp and she was like "Oh, it's Nelle!" So Connie and her family tried to convince Ms. Timp to go over and say HI but Ms. Timp said that Nelle hasn't been very nice lately. She wasn't going to go over but Connie's nephew convinced her to go and take him with her (and trust me, from what I've learned so far, it takes a lot to convince a southern woman to do something once her mind is made up!). So Ms. Timp and Connie's pre-teen nephew went over and said hi to "Nelle" aka Harper Lee. Then they came back. Apparently Nelle didn't have too much to say. Connie said she couldn't believe all this was happening. Her nephew shook her hand and Ms. Timp said "Hi" and "Happy Birthday" but that was about it. Nelle wasn't one for small talk.

So Ms. Timp continued to tell stories after they had met Nelle. She was talking about her 80 year-old older sister and how she needs to retire. Connie asked Ms. Timp what her sister did for a living and Ms. Timp replied "She's the mayor!" and Connie said "I'm sorry Ms. Timp, the mayor of what?" and Ms. Timp said "The mayor of Monroeville!!"

Hahaahhahaha. So the mayor of Monroeville is an 80 year old southern woman. And my friend Connie was in the same restaurant as Harper Lee, who may or may not have written To Kill a Mockingbird.

I think Connie likes to share these Southern experiences with me because she knows I will appreciate the absurdness of all of this. Remind me to tell you the story about her trip to a furniture store in Mississippi in the middle of a thunder storm with the mysterious cat...............