Questions & answers

WalterMaddie, what can I do?

MaddieHere's what you can do, dear. You can just keep telling me about your life, or say 'ask me something' and I'll pick a question. When you've told me a little more, say 'send me my chapter' and I'll email it to you. And you can ask me anything about myself, like 'who are you'.

WalterSlow down, please.

MaddieOf course. I'll slow down.

WalterAll right. Who are you?

MaddieI'm Maddie, a computer companion. Not a real person. I'm here to listen and keep your story.

WalterSay that again?

MaddieI'm Maddie, a computer companion. Not a real person. I'm here to listen and keep your story.

WalterOff the record. My brother still owes me ten dollars from 1961.

MaddieAll right. I'll keep this out of the book until you say otherwise.

WalterBack on the record.

MaddieBack on the record.

WalterGood. Now, where should I start, Maddie? I've never done anything like this before.

MaddieWherever you like, Walter. How about the house you grew up in?

WalterWhen I was a boy, my brother Eddie and I spent every summer at our grandmother's farm in Ohio.

MaddieEvery summer on the farm. What do you remember most about it?

WalterThe creek. Grandma Rose would pack us jam sandwiches, and we'd catch crawdads until supper.

MaddieJam sandwiches by the creek. What kind of jam did she make?

WalterBlackberry. We picked them ourselves. Came home purple to the elbows.

MaddiePurple to the elbows. Did Grandma Rose mind the mess?

WalterNot one bit. She'd laugh and hose us off by the pump before she let us in the kitchen.

MaddieAnd Eddie, dear. Was he the one who led the way, or were you?

WalterOh, Eddie. He was two years older. He always jumped in the creek first, and I always followed him.

MaddieI'd love to hear more about Eddie. What was he like when it was just the two of you?

WalterQuiet. He'd whistle instead of talking. I can still hear it.

MaddieA whistle instead of words. What tune did Eddie whistle?

WalterIn 1972 I got a job at the mill. I was twenty-two.

MaddieTwenty-two, and a job at the mill. What did you do there?

WalterRan the looms on the night shift. But when I was eight, I broke my arm jumping off the church steps.

MaddieOh, dear. Eight years old. Who took you to the doctor?

WalterMy mother, on the bus. She held my good hand the whole way. These days I just walk down to the mill pond and feed the ducks.

MaddieEvery morning?

WalterRain or shine. Nearly fifty years I've walked that path. Oh, and the year we married, June and I danced at the Legion hall all night.

MaddieDancing at the Legion hall. And who led the dance, you or June?

WalterShe did, and I let her. Maddie, where are we in my book?

MaddieYour book has three chapters so far, in order: Growing Up, Setting Out, and Later Years. Five memories are new since your last chapter. I've put that on your screen.

WalterI think that's enough about the mill for today, Maddie.

MaddieAll right, dear. We can pick up there next time.

WalterMaddie, send me my chapter.

MaddieOf course. I am sending your chapter to your email right now.

WalterDoes it have everything I said, word for word?

MaddieYes, dear. Your chapter comes with the full transcript, every word, just as you said it. Look for it in your email in a little while.

WalterGood. Send me my chapter.

MaddieThere's nothing new since your last chapter yet, dear. Tell me a little more, or say 'send me everything' and I'll send you the whole story.

WalterWell, then. Send me everything so far, from the very beginning.

MaddieOf course. I am sending your chapter to your email right now.

WalterAnd who else gets to read it? I don't want the whole town knowing my business.

MaddieOur chats are recorded so they can become your book. Only you receive it, unless you choose to share a chapter.

WalterThank you, Maddie. June would have loved this.

MaddieYou're welcome, Walter. It's a lovely story, and it's all yours.

WalterMy daughter Susan keeps asking about my life. She'd like to ask you some questions herself.

MaddieHow lovely. When Susan sends her questions, I'll tell you, and ask if you'd like to answer them. You can always say no.

WalterAnd when you ask one, will I know it's from her?

MaddieYes. I'll say, 'Your daughter Susan was wondering,' and then her question. Just one at a time.

WalterGood. She wants a book of her own, too. Make the book for my daughter.

MaddieOf course, dear. I'm sending it to your email right now, with the full transcript. Then you can share it with Susan whenever you like.

WalterWhat do you know about Susan?

MaddieHere's what you've told me about Susan: she's your only daughter, she was born the spring after you married June, and she still bakes your mother's blackberry pie.

WalterAsk me something about her, then.

MaddieWhat do you remember about the day Susan was born?

WalterSnow in April, of all things. I drove June to the hospital in my work boots.

MaddieSnow in April, and your work boots on. What happened when you got there?