Neola (6) got her first book today. Typical subject, a princess. Not so typical plot, our little princess goes around the castle, asking people what she should be. So in my mind she is a bit dependANT—not so the things I want Neola to learn. I don’t want her to ask me, I want her to TELL me.
Oh well, so much for the emancipation of women.
Mother should not have bought a book written by a man, (Tony Ross)—man for women. There’s only so much these men want us to do for ourselves.
Now take Ms. X, who I met in a pub the other day. She was all for freedom. Happily married with two kids, she had two college degrees, and sneered at me when I told her that I only had one under my belt.
“At your age? What a shame.”
I had not realized that at twenty-three, more was expected of me, but I smiled and reminded her that she was thirty-six.
“Still darling, you need to have a good degree if you want to get more cheddar. Where is your degree from by the way?”
I told her.
At this, I am sure she almost guffawed. Instead she said, “Oh.”
“Any chance of you going back to school then?”
“Yes next year. I was thinking . . . ”
“Oh, that’s fantastic then. I myself got my MBA from Nottingham Trent.”
She whipped out a nifty little phone and showed me pictures of a horsy woman in a pink blouse and bright red lips.
I oooood and aaaaahd appropriately.
“What a lovely building,” I said, hoping to avoid having to say anything about her glaringly apparent wardrobe malfunction.
“It is, isn’t it? The fees were simply atrocious, but see, I run my own business and so I didn’t quite feel the pinch.”
“Mmmm,” I encouraged, casting my eye around the room, looking to catch someone else’s eye.
Oh nice . . . so convenient.
“Oh, yes. It takes me all over the world. Why, just last week I was in Norway; a bit cold, but really lovely and so clean; one of the reasons I didn’t want to come back.”
“Why did you then?”
At this moment I quite wished she would hop off the bar stool and announce that she had to leave for some faraway place. Instead she said, “I have to prep for China next week, I am so hoping to mix business with pleasure and go shopping. You can get in a great bargain, or two, or three.” She giggled a look of wistfulness on her face.
“Would you like another drink?”
“No, thank you.”
“Oh, you driving?”
“No.”
“I am and I’ve had three shots of tequila. But it doesn’t matter, my car knows the way home.”
I rubbed my temples. Somewhere in my brain I felt the echo of a migraine starting. I frowned a little, trying to hear an end to her monologue.
“Excuse me, I need to use the bathroom.” I said, getting up to leave.
“Of course darling, I’ll come with you.”
