(originally posted March 15, 2013)
(A/N ... I went back through the transcripts of this interview and I have restored parts that were initially edited out)
Nanny Olive (1)
So, tell me why you wanted to do this part as an interview, rather than you write it? You did so well with the story of Travis.
Thank you. It was really hard to write. You always make this writing thing seem so easy. It isn't. At least not for me.
(Zara pauses and takes a deep breath)
I tried to write about Nanny Olive, but I couldn't. I kept breaking down and crying and no matter what I wrote, it didn't seem right. So I figured the best thing to do was let you interview me about it. Maybe then I could get through it. If that is alright with you?
Ok. As long as you are sure.
I am. Let's do this.
Ok. So tell us about Nanny Olive. Why was she such a huge part of your life?
Oh my God, Bill. Where do I begin?
(Another deep breath)
My Poppy Travis died before I was born. Mom and Dad had just gotten married and Nanny Olive invited them to stay with her.
Nanny Olive is your Mom's mother, right?
Oh, yes she is. My Dad's parents lived in a different community at the time.
As I was saying, Mom and Dad moved in with Nanny Olive after Poppy died. Dad was a truck driver for a company in Twillingate. He was on the road a lot and after I was about four or five, Mom would go on the road with him, to keep him company. They would be gone for a week at a time, most of the time, so it was me and Nanny Olive alone in the house.
She would look after me, help me with my homework, and tuck me in at night. For the most part, she raised me.
I'm not saying Mom and Dad weren't there for me, but they were gone practically every second week, so it was me and Nan.
Did you ever regret your parents not being around more?
In a way, sometimes, I guess I did. I mean, I was a young girl. I wanted my Mommy, like most young girls did, but at the same time, I was lucky to have Nanny. She looked after me, like I said, but she also taught me to cook and bake, tend the garden in the summer, showed me how to knit, to sew. You know, all the things a young Newfie outport girl should know.
I did miss Mom and Dad, but Nanny Olive made it so much easier.
Ok, do you want to talk about that day?
(Zara stared straight at me. I could see tears building in her eyes)
