After absent-mindedly addressing a lady friend as ‘sweetie’, I thought about my own Aunt Sweetie, a Women’s Army Corps WW II veteran. Her real name was Mary Adeline, and she was my father’s sister.
Her mother was also named Mary Adeline. The family called the mother ‘Addie’, while the daughter was called ‘Sweetie’. While this might seem like a lack of imagination on someone’s part when naming the younger Mary Adeline, it was most likely a sign of love and respect for her mother.
Having straightened that out, at least to my own satisfaction, back to our regular programming…
Aunt Sweetie owned a share in a beach house on the Jersey Shore, where she hosted a family get-together that included guests from my mother’s reserved, German side of the family, as well as guests from my father’s more outgoing Irish side.
By the end of the day, we had all come in from the beach and were having a casual meal at a long picnic table, most of us still in bathing suits. The grownups were enjoying some beer.
Just for fun, Aunt Sweetie put one hand under her damp arm and performed a staccato armpit-fart serenade. Those sounds intrigued me; it was a brand new way to make a rude noise. On our ride home, the scandalized German faction spoke of little except Aunt Sweetie’s behavior. As far as I was concerned, I thought she was wonderful, and I couldn’t wait to get home and try it myself.
