I placed the framed painting from Egypt of faceless women in Muslim garb with drab black and tan mountains, a few colorful faceless women with colorful mountains.
In trying to bring hope to it, I thought of the story. The women with snakes (death) had faces and the ghosts above had faces. They had crossed the river and could finally be themselves.
My mother died five years ago next month and I still dream of her many nights. Sitting on a plate holder on the server I thought the picture sad and haunting but needed to have and frame it. I thought I made a grave error in the framing.
Today I had to move it and found a spot that gets sun. It brightened, and I saw something I did not in the framing store or in its temporary place here. In Egypt, I’m told that snakes are the harbinger of death. These faceless women are covered in snakes, have crossed the river and the gold in the frame, in the light, shows to me that faceless women have something in this life and perhaps the next to dream about and act upon.
My mother was a faceless woman until she used her incredible brains and went to college and gained a career as a professional. I am a faceless woman because I pay the bills and placed every account in my husband’s name because I arranged for him to live here two weeks before I packed up and we moved in together (after nine years of marriage).
Tomorrow I am calling all these companies and telling them that my name needs to be on the account. If not, give me the number and name of your supervisor and when I call and place my husband on the line to say I’m on the account, you’ll listen to me for a change. One company sent hateful notices and it turns out this billing company doesn’t know how to keep records and actually they owed us for two months of service. All because I’m “only the wife.”
Mom organized all the entertaining for a major institution and no-one gave her credit for it. She had everyone’s card in a 4×6 box with spouse, children, birthdays and anniversaries and the last time they were invited to a party. This is all before computers became a household tool.
Do not be a faceless woman or wife. Dee
Cooking with Dee 