Fade to Family

9:38 pm, Monday June 11...I notice a voicemail on the cell phone, call voicemail and hear my Mothers voice. Oh no, my Mother never calls me this late...momentary panic ensues as Im afraid that a family emergency has occurred. Whew. No, everything is fine. My Mother's tone of voice is cheery, confident maybe even smug...as my Mother explains on the voicemail..."I figured out the ending to The Sopranos...Tony did get whacked...it has to do with a conversation between Bobby and Tony...and something David Chase said long ago..."

Huh??? Tony got whacked? wha--at? Did my Mother have magic 3d glasses? Was she able to see the missing 10 seconds? Or do I need to have a talk with my Mother about her prescriptions? "Uh, Mother dear...I need to talk to you about the prozac..."

Okay, before I cast too many aspersions on my Mothers mental state, I should point out that my Mother is fairly brilliant...not too many women in their 70's lacking formal education have a basic understanding of quantum physics or string theory and can do double acrostic puzzles in their heads while making a brioche. 56 across: Eating adds existence (Latin). "Edo ergo sum" she responds whimsically as the garlic mashed potatoes are pulled from the stove. In addition to superstring knitting skills, my Mother may have pulled off the greatest scrabble move in history by spelling "bezique" (yeah look it up, I had to) generating a 10 pt triple letter, triple word and 50 pt bonus all in one move...I'm not quite sure but she may have scored 170 pts on that one scrabble move...scrabble devotees, please genuflect. The point is that if my Mother has a theory....well maybe we should pay attention. Listen carefully. There is probably some intelligent thinking behind her thinking. Of course then again, maybe her medication does need to be re-balanced

Anyway, as an ardent & hardcore puzzle junkie....my Mother looks at everything as a puzzle...she is always going back in her mind, searching for clues to solve, puzzles, riddles and mysteries. Talking to Mother this morning she explained her theory about Tony getting whacked this way...

Before Tony and Bobby got into the fight....or maybe after, Tony asked Bobby to go whack the guy in Canada. Bobby asked Tony what he thought it would be like to get whacked....Tony's reply:

"...fade to black..."

Do anyone else remember that or is my Mother whacked?

I think my dear Mother's theory is a little thin...we need some DNA evidence to support her theory...its a intriguing theory, but still needs more evidence...then again, my very first blog concerning the death of a friend was entitled "Fade to Black"...so if nothing else, Mom's theory generates personal artistic and poetic resonance...so, since I personally have used "fade to black" as a metaphor for death.....well, hmmm. Maybe. What did David Chase say? How does that fit?

Im not sure what to think...as the screen went black, my immediate thought was that the final scene in The Sopranos was a basic affirmation...in the end, all you have is your family....then again, my family thinks differently...all I really know is that I am blessed to have them...my family that is...yeah, I'm blessed...onion rings anyone?