A Tourist in Mayberry

Question 3: Improbable Love Story?

Bernie's Side

Bernie visited Aunt Bea on Saturdays at Riverview Retirement around lunch so they could go to the dining hall together, and Aunt Bea would have some company. Aunt Bea had company most days, but Bernie did not feel her Uncle Charles counted as good company for Aunt Bea's recuperation. While he was Bea's younger brother, he was protective and manipulative of Aunt Bea. Uncle Charles was so worried Aunt Bea would fall again, he almost stymied her physical therapy instructions by saying, "I am not sure they know what they are doing." or, "How can this be beneficial to you, if it causes so much pain?" You would think he was the one with the mending hip.

Aunt Bea attributed her and Charles's closeness to their shared past of heartbreak. While Beatrice was in college, Charles nearly drowned in a boating accident that took the life of their only other brother, James. Though James was older, little Charles managed to cling to the overturned boat while James's body sank to the bottom of the lake and was never found. Beatrice almost returned home for good then, but her parents insisted she stay and finish college.

And then impossibly, tragedy struck again. Their parents passed away in a barn fire started by lightning. The roof collapsed when they tried to save the horses. It was the summer after Beatrice finished her first year of teaching in Western, North Carolina. Charles was 14 and could not look after himself, so Beatrice returned to Mount Airy to take guardianship of Charles.

Aunt Bea insisted her brother, Charles, was a "fragile soul" who only held her best interests at heart, and this is why she overlooked his over-protectiveness of her.

Charles was good to Beatrice and to Bernie. Though he was younger than Bea, he was a father figure to them both. He gave them flowers on special occasions and enjoyed making reservations for them and taking them to plush, expensive restaurants. He enjoyed sharing his knowledge of wine and his extensive collection with another wine lover, Bernie. He did introduce Bernie to some great wines and was always generous with her favorites. When Bernie graduated from college, he bought her a house on Mitchell Street as a graduation gift. It was a fixer upper, and he helped her fix-it-up. Uncle Charles was always kind and thoughtful to both his sister and niece.

Uncle Charles did not work. He did not have to, but he was a busy man who dabbled in business. He was a member of the Mount Airy Country Club and on their board. He belonged to the Masons and The Shriners. He was not an inactive member either. He flipped the pancakes at the breakfasts, and he rode the tiny cars in the Christmas parade and collected money for the children's hospital at the intersections during the Autumn Leaves Festival. He was a church deacon and almost never missed a Sunday service. Charles was on the school board for two terms when Beatrice was still teaching, but he discovered education issues were too political for his taste.

Aunt Bea had the same civic mindedness. She was a member of the Granite City Garden Club, the Women's Club, and the Eastern Star. She helped raise money for the United Way and helped with the yearly Relay for Life Walk. She was also an active member of the Surry County Retired Educators who met and supported local education charities to assist needy children and provide scholarships for high school seniors going to college.

Both Aunt Bea and Uncle Charles were active, productive citizens of Mount Airy who refused to be slowed down by something as insignificant as age or injury. Despite being senior citizens, they were both young at heart.

Uncle Charles was sometimes stubborn, but he knew Aunt Bea needed a little more help than he could provide when she returned home. So he acquiesced and agreed Aunt Bea could go home with Bernie when she was released. "But," he said, "only for a short while, until I can think of another plan. Maybe I can hire a lady here to help."