My mother actually had many friends. They met in groups, the bridge club, the sewing club, etc. They met at one another's houses, which were spit shined for the occasion. At our house, there was always a ritual cleansng before any group meeting, with special attention to immersing all the Royal Dalton figurines in hot soapy water. Everything had to be perfect for the guests. Before their arrival, I would get in terrible trouble for running water in the sink and not wiping it afterward. Standards were high. I picked up some of this psychosis. At this late date, I am finally learning to be more relaxed about "entertaining". I never washed my figurines though.
My mother's friends were mostly nurses and school teachers. Educated women of her generation. They had names like Agnes, Irma, Edna, Florence, Hazel, Elsie, maybe there was a Shirley.
There was even a lesbian couple, Miss Lown and Miss Donovan. Of course the lesbian thought never crossed anyone's mind at the time. Perhaps it was a Boston Marriage . Miss Lown and Miss Donovan were both principals, hence the formal address. They wore suits and lace-up oxfords with two inch Cuban heels, the sign of the matron in days before athletic shoes. They owned a house together and had a large victory garden on the lot next door. I loved visiting their house because they had a little suitcase filled with a barnyard set-up - heavy cardboard chickens and cows on slotted stands. It made all the difference to me.
Denoument: missing. I'll publish this anyway and think of one later.
Posted by Dakota at December 16, 2003 03:18 PM