Excerpt
from "Small Things Considered"
“So, Sara,” I said from across
the table, “what brings you to Del Mar?”
Before she answered, I admitted guilt in asking
such a question. “—as if it isn’t obvious.”
She laughed. “It is beautiful here,
I love it,” she said, humoring me with the token answer.
“I visited last winter from Chicago
where it was -15 and snowing,” she said, followed
with a “brrrrl.”
“I guess that would be enough for anyone,”
I said.
“You grew up with Sandra, right?”
Bill inquired.
“Yup,” she answered, gathering
a country accent to represent her down-home childhood. “Sandra
and I were like two peas in a pod growing up.”
Sara threw an arm around her friend.
“That’s funny,” added Bill’s
brother, Frank.
“We were like twins, haha,” Sandra
dribbled, already showing signs of margaritization.
“Yeah, we did everything together, acted
the same, had the same friends, we looked the same...until...”
Sara continued and paused, looking at Sandra.
“Puberty!” Sandra inserted with
an obnoxious laugh.
“Then you didn’t look alike anymore?”
Bill questioned, obviously intrigued by direction of the
conversation.
“No, we looked alike still,” Sara
admitted sadly. “Only she got all the goods and I
got, well...” she looked to Sandra and laughed.
“You got the jelly beans,” Sandra
said, sympathetically laughing.
“Eh....” the snide laugh came
from Perry. “That is so mean,” Alicia remarked.
“Are you jealous?” Frank directed
his teasing right at Sara. Slightly ashamed, she smiled
but looked to the table.
“That’s okay, dear,” the
nearly blithering Sandra stated, patting her friend’s
head. “There’s always foam, dear.”
“Awww!” they all roared.
“So mean,” Alicia shook her head.
“No, I don’t mind,” Sara
insisted, although it was obvious that she did.
“So, I may be slow,” I inserted,
“but what is all this about? Did I miss something?”
I asked, truly interested in a clarification. “What
is foam?”
E. Robert Morse
San Diego, California
ermorse@73andsunny.com
www.73andsunny.com
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