There it was on my Facebook feed. A writer friend I barely knew saying the best day of her life was the day she met her husband. And a chorus friend telling her spouse “Love you, Babe” on their 30+ anniversary. It stings a little. It used to sting a lot. While going through an… Continue reading Happily Never After
The Uses for a Nine Year Old
My Girl Friday (who works for me on Mondays) has a daughter, who sometimes comes along with her to work. Now that her daughter is nine, she is useful in many ways. 1. She entertains my dogs. 2. She entertains my sister, giving her someone to watch. 3. She brings music into the house, since… Continue reading The Uses for a Nine Year Old
The Blond-tourage
Every woman over fifty gets the same advice from her hairdresser — lighten up your hair. As our skin fades and our looks do, too, we need brighter lipstick, sparkly-er clothing and blonder locks to stay looking as young as we can. My apologies to women of color; this may not apply to you. So… Continue reading The Blond-tourage
Moon Over Lafayette
Trudy worked at an engineering firm. Joe was the visiting copy machine repair man, or as her office mates called him, the Xerox guy. One day Trudy had to make copies. Joe was at the machine, repairing away. “Oh,” she said. “No copies for me!” “Hey there,” Joe said. “We should catch dinner sometime.” “Okay.”… Continue reading Moon Over Lafayette
The Contractor and the Jet Setter
It was Tom the contractor’s umpteenth date on Match. The woman was from the same affluent town, was the same height as he was, and was ready to meet him at Bridges, the hot spot downtown with the best happy hour. But when Ellen walked in, she had on three inch heels and towered over… Continue reading The Contractor and the Jet Setter
Do You Want a Cookie, Little Girl?
She ran a personal ad in the Contra Costa Times: Single white female looking for single Asian man. Her two previous boyfriends had been Asian. James called and left a message with his phone number on a Friday night. The next morning Pam checked her phone messages. She liked his voice as she listened to… Continue reading Do You Want a Cookie, Little Girl?
Be Careful What You Wish For
I’ve lived in my little house for seven years and four months. The neighborhood is about 48 years old, and the trees that are here are huge. My pie-shaped lot is wide and shallow in the back. Las Trampas Ridge is due west, beyond the freeway, but I could not see it because of the… Continue reading Be Careful What You Wish For
Cat Burglar
I was in Fremont, California. It was the summer of 1975. I had my sample case with me. I’d worn my hot pants to stay cool. I had already rung three dozen doorbells. Selling books door to door wasn’t always a cake walk. It was lunchtime. I had one more doorbell to ring before I’d… Continue reading Cat Burglar
A Giants Date
Tom the contractor was a Giants fan. He found a similar-minded woman on Match. Tom’s friend had given him the tickets, field level seats at the third baseline, near the players’ wives. Tom asked his date to meet him at his place so they could drive over to the stadium in San Francisco together. Rule… Continue reading A Giants Date
My Autumn Travels
I am in India, then Hawaii, then Europe, then Mexico. I have seen monkeys and camels, but no tigers. I have seen the Taj Mahal. I am having the dead skin on my feet bitten by little fishes. Then I am touring a castle in Germany or visiting a beach town in Italy. I can… Continue reading My Autumn Travels
When the Sun is Shining
When the sun is shining in Monterey, everyone walks around smiling. The town south of Monterey that sticks out into the ocean and gets a lot of fog is Pacific Grove, and the Methodists founded it in the 1900’s as a great place to get out of the heat. The mothers and children spent their… Continue reading When the Sun is Shining
