by Clarence Tillenius
"Just finished re-reading your history of your father Gordon Ames: I must tell you I had both sympathy and deep
admiration for Gordon - in contrast to all his brothers and sisters who were
all tall and good looking, Gordon with his
hunchback suffered many indignities what he largely - and usually successfully
- hid from the world.
To give you an example: one morning
early I was alone in his store with Gordon
when a man walked in - someone I had not met but I think probably some distant
relative of Gordon's - and his opening
greeting was: "Haven't yet gotten your head up off your shoulders, have
you Ames?" Gordon, quick witted as
always, came back with: "If your head was so full of brains as mine is, ya' wouldn't
care where it was!!"
I, myself, had been deeply
disgusted at such a comment being directed to Gordon - who can help such a
disfigurement caused by no fault of his own? And I sensed then - as I did many
times after - that Gordon's constant high spirits and public merriment
disguised a sensitive nature often and deeply hurt by these supposed joking
references to his handicap.
What I admired in him then, as I do
to this day, was his ability to make the best of his handicap and try his best
to provide the good life for your mother and you in spite of those lapses when
the black moods would overcome him and alcohol to drown his handicap would
-though rarely enough- take over.
This is just a personal observation, Brian, but one I thought I should pass on to you."
Best Regards,
Clarence
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