Norma, Snakes, and the FBI

Summary

The text recounts a personal anecdote involving Norma, her son's snake-handling hobby, and an unexpected interruption by an FBI call regarding her brother's tragic death in the Continental Flight 11 bombing.

Abstract

The narrative "Norma, Snakes, and the FBI" is a poignant blend of family tragedy and everyday life. It tells the story of Norma, who is dealing with the aftermath of her brother's death in a criminal aviation disaster, which was investigated by the FBI. Amidst this, her son's fascination with snakes leads to a humorous yet tense moment when she must abruptly end a call with the FBI to prevent an escape of garter snakes in her living room. The juxtaposition of the FBI's serious investigation with the domestic chaos of escaping snakes highlights the surreal nature of Norma's life experiences.

Opinions

The author conveys a sense of admiration for Norma's ability to handle the dual challenges of a personal tragedy and the whimsical chaos of her son's hobby.
There is an underlying tone of nostalgia and fondness for the childhood memories involving the brother's love for snakes and other creatures.
The author seems to find humor in the absurdity of the situation, where Norma's concern about escaping snakes takes precedence over an FBI investigation call.
The story suggests a respectful yet amusing view of the FBI's potential reaction to Norma's sudden hang-up, implying a mix of bewilderment and acceptance of the unpredictable nature of their work.

Norma, Snakes, and the FBI

Garter Snake. Photo by the Author

A very quick snippet about my mother, Norma, and her fascinating, tragic, sometimes bizarre life.

I wrote earlier about the tragedy of losing her brother in the Continental Flight 11 disaster.

Since it was a bombing, it was classified as a criminal aviation disaster, though it may not have been called that at the time. The FBI took the lead in the investigation.

My older brother was a lover of snakes, and because we lived near the Highline Canal, he was provided with many opportunities to bring home snakes. These were always harmless garter snakes, and he loved draping them around my neck. This led to not a fear of snakes for me but an appreciation. There were also lizards, crawdads, and tadpoles, but this story involves only snakes.

And the FBI.

One day, he brought home several snakes and had them in a box temporarily in the living room.

The FBI called my mother, as her brother was on the plane and a crew member.

As she answered their questions, she noticed the top of the box starting to lift. She tolerated my brother’s love of all things scaly but wasn’t anxious to have his hobby making their escape across the living room floor.

“I’m sorry,” she told the FBI man, “the snakes are escaping the box.” She hung up the phone abruptly to put a book on the lid.

I can’t imagine what the FBI thought, but they didn’t call her back.