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A Small Misunderstanding

Via facebook, I was invited to a casual get-together/reunion for those of us who attended a junior college in the 80's. I then e-mailed my best friend from college and invited her to be my date. It was a pot luck barbecue where spouses and children were also invited but, knowing two of my children, they'd be "bored" within 10 minutes and I couldn't, in good conscience, force my husband to endure a few hours with people he didn't know and play "remember when" without him.

I'm saving that one for Saturday night and my high school class reunion.

Heather had her children in her early 20's. She's nearly an empty nester and is doing all the things she didn't do and vacationing in all the places she didn't before she got married. She also drives a convertible sports car. Given the choice between that and my minivan, we opted for her sleek car.

Once inside, we joined in the small talk. I started the question of so-what-do-you-do-nowadays and the answers were given. Someone turned to Heather and asked her what she does.

"I'm a professional belly dancer," she answered proudly.

Long pause. "Really?" the respondent asked uncertainly. She then explained about her troupe, where they perform, how she teaches two other troupes and the audience they target.

"Huh."

Someone later asked us if we'd kept contact with each other all these years. "We've had each other longer than our husbands and kids," Heather explained. She then told them who her husband is, another alumnus from the college.

"Why didn't he come?" she was asked, with eyes darting to her empty left ring finger. Honestly, it hadn't occurred to us to extend the invitation.

"Who did you marry?" someone asked me.

"Someone you don't know," I brushed off. I missed the look at my empty left hand ring finger. I had forgotten to put on my ring.

"How often do you two get together?" someone asked me.

"About every other month or whenever we need to talk," I replied.


The evening continued and Heather and I felt increasingly like a curiosity. Questions were asked, answers given, all in the name of idle chit chat. Eventually, we decided it was time to leave. We got in the car and expressed to each other that we felt weird at that party. We dissected the conversations we had and compared notes. With growing alarm we realized the probable perception of others.

We looked like secret lesbian lovers.

We're not in the 80s anymore, Toto.

Comments

  1. Hahahahaha! I saw that coming when you said you invited a girl friend to go along with you.

    Like the new layout!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Very funny!

    My friends family, her husband and kids have been out of town for a week now. The other night we went out o dinner and I felt horrible she was alone so we invited her to go. A man, two women and six kids at a table looks a little funny... probably not as funny as it would up in UTAH (picking on you!) but we wondered what people were thinking!

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  3. The secret lady friends thing is even hotter than the belly dancing thing.

    (The gals might be talking about you but the guys will be thinking about you... a lot.)

    ReplyDelete
  4. That is HILARIOUS.

    Funny, my word verification is "ringr."

    ReplyDelete
  5. Gee, hope some of them don't come out with a yearbook - just think what the two of you might be nominated for "Most Likely To"?

    Funny stuff!

    ReplyDelete
  6. LOL! Another great laugh! Maybe you better make an appointment to see the new bishop- he needs to get broken in!!!!

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  7. Again you have got my giggling so hard I have almost fallen off my desk chair. Your the best Nancy.

    Ok i just have to add as I went to add a post I had to type I had to type in the that speacial security word...it was turducken. I dont knwo if you knw what that is but that is funny too.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Nancy, truly you need to write a book. You are hilarious.

    ReplyDelete

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