335. Jolie
Jolie played posh & prim but lived in the working class outskirts of town, married to a get-rich-quick pastor. A control freak, she was indignant when things went awry like when all her office supplies mysteriously turned upside down.
Jolie played posh & prim but lived in the working class outskirts of town, married to a get-rich-quick pastor. A control freak, she was indignant when things went awry like when all her office supplies mysteriously turned upside down.
I've known my father-in-law for 18 years but I've never understood him at all. Didn't stop me from enjoying our annual “Father's Day Death Marches” to unusual locations like Pit Hole and the exact southwest corner of Pennsylvania.
Andy had a reputation as a party animal, often coming to work late and hungover. We wondered how he managed his daily drunkenness. I think he was just very unhappy. A divorce and remarriage later, he's pulled together and sober.
Jenny was never flustered by any situation; she took everything in cheerful stride with a sharp mind and a biting ironic wit. Jenny's voice reflected that happy/snarky dichotomy; she spoke in squeaky growls, like a film siren on helium.
Julia stood a head above everyone, else including her fiancee. She was big-hearted and largely friendly. She worked as a technical writer, then changed careers to become a life coach. I needed too much coaching to be her friend.
I referred to her lover as her “roommate” at a time when I knew no commonly accepted word for lesbian partners. She was offended and corrected me brusquely. I was embarrassed and drifted away with a strong desire to hide.
Seth made a potentially dreadful office bearable. We laughed together every afternoon in the cubefarm when the woman across the room squealed “eh Eh EH” into her phone. The thoughtful letter he wrote for my 40th birthday made me weep.
Anne was a red-headed firecracker who took no shit from anyone in the community and was fiercely loyal to her friends. She ran the pool for three summers and was wizard at organising events that survived her employment there.
Our downstairs neighbor had beer delivered twice weekly. He was such a functional alcoholic that he could smoke, drink, and belt-sand his ceiling simultaneously. He asked me to call him “Rebel” but his mailbox said Priest, thus “The Priest.”
She was extremely self-conscious about her unequally sized breasts and worn a prosthesis to hide them. How did I find out about them? Tod fell in love with her, but she fell in love with me. What a disaster.
He carried fried rice and sweet nothings to my table. He didn't seem to romance any of the other customers but his crush was to my advantage. I had access to the authentic Chinese food that wasn't on the menu.
Sent to collect us, Hui befriended us on our first day in Japan. We frequently escaped the city to hike in the mountains and eventually climbed Mt Fuji together. Of Chinese ancestry, he relished distressingly exotic delicacies like fish eyes.
Bill was the young new minister in our village. We acted together and shared jokes and whispers backstage. At a cast party, he sang “Come Back When You’ve Grown Up, Girl” directed to me. He married another girl soon after.
Daneen was most senior clerk and beloved by the owner’s wife. Her ideas for window displays were always accepted. She was in charge of us part-time staff and ruled with a high-minded pretension until being suspected of skimming the till.
Gail was my friend throughout high school. She had Princess Diana hair, twirled flags for the team, edited the yearbook, and sewed her own prom gown We wore the preppy style, but she was a real one and I wasn’t.
Although we are cousins, I’ve only met Emily twice. As a pre-teen, she doted on my baby niece. At17, Emily had become a hard-edged goth/punk with an acerbic humour and contempt to hide insecurity. She should have been named Enid.
A third grader with a bad home life and nothing to lose, she preferred to go see the principal than to sit in class. She hated anyone who tried to reach her. My teacher training failed me (and her) completely.
Bernie was the university theatre’s “token black” but he didn’t seem to mind – he got all the black male parts! He also bossed the scene construction crews, persuading members to saw, screw and paint to the tunes of Steely Dan.
Nick was laid back, working slowly and carefully to get a job done. We hung a door together one Saturday afternoon. It was perfect. He was reserved and private, hiding his sharp, wry wit until he knew you well enough.
Thom had vision. As artistic director of a small theatre, he put it to good use. But he had a creative temperament and a short temper. Actors wailed. Crew seethed. Thom got what he wanted. The show always went on.
Debbie was a petite redhead in my class at school. Naturally athletic and smart, too, she was the shortest girl on the basketball team, but she was also among most skilled. Nothing seemed to frighten her; she had older brothers.
Heather was voluminous wavy hair, generous womanly curves and a high-spirited, strong will. Admirably creative, she designed tattoos, made her own glass beads, collaged an entire room of her old house. We lost touch when her ex met my sister.
Jeremy does not swim so much as lope through the pool. He moves in water like a Labrador running joyously and triumphantly across a field. So natural, so seemingly effortless. Perfectly gorgeous. He is an inspiration and an unwitting mentor.
Samir was not pleased when I joined his project team. He was less pleased when my organization skills put me in a leadership role. He quit the team because he couldn't stand to work for a woman. Classic male chauvanist.
Helen is a teenaged mystery to me now, but I remember bundling her into a baby backpack for her first floppy foray into the outdoors. She's grown up fast and far away – I'm very sorry I missed most of it.
Taking reverse sexism by storm, each girl in my office clique claimed a dishy coworker. My Dish had a cleft chin, a sparkle in his eye and a haircut that made him look like he'd stepped out of a movie.
Jenn seemed to have it easy; Mom & Dad never yelled at her for fighting with me even when she started it. We were (usually) best of friends as kids and though distance separates us now, I love her hugely.
Joe figured out early that if you couldn't be book smart, it paid to be funny. He was the class clown, always cracking jokes and doing silly things to deflect attention from his lack of homework preparation. Schoolgirl crush material.
The bookend of my world and 40x365. Dad spoke wisely, believed in joy, thought logically. He invented and created, kept his workplace tidy, preferred home to abroad. He knew and shared the tricks to get through life. I miss him.