My Instead: Holding hands the entire time, Annette
and I took a walk at night down Main Street in Belleville (my hometown).
After last night’s holiday dance and all the “dolling
up” beforehand, Annette and I were taking our Sunday morning a bit slowly with
coffee and couch conversation. It was good, as usual, and always a learning
experience about each other.
By noon we finally got going with my holiday
preparation. My Christmas would be here in less than two weeks and there was
still plenty of work to be done! Annette was beginning to crack my own whip on
me! The basement was the venue for all the Christmas activity soon to be manifested,
so we made our way downstairs to clear the way for cleaning and decorating. All
year, yes all year, my basement has been like a storage unit of a very
proficient hoarder. Much of the stuff stored down there to make room for the
upstairs renovation of my bedroom was still there. I had gradually moved, sold,
or gotten rid of some of it, but it was still unsightly, at least compared to
my usual standards.
We boxed, stacked, hid, and hung stuff until the
large room started to resemble the beautiful living space I remodeled back in
2001. Then I was done. All I wanted to do was spend time with my girlfriend
and enjoy each other’s company during this holiday season. Since we live 1½ hours
away from each other, our one-on-one quality time together is limited. I
suggested we take a walk down Main Street like a regular couple, holding hands.
No one would even suspect us both to be women…we were hooded and she's over 8
inches taller than I am.
As Annette and I toured my hometown's downtown, we never let go of each other's hand unless to pose and take a photo…and
enjoy a caffè latte. I spoke of all the times I’d walked those sidewalks as a
kid Christmas shopping for Mom and Dad and as a
waitress going to work at Schlosser’s Restaurant in the early 70s. Never would I have dreamed
of walking down Main Street with my girlfriend, hand in hand. Even though in our hooded "disguise", we were living the dream.
Our little stroll turned out to be most
appreciated, much needed, amazingly loving, and filled with joy. Why weren’t the
sidewalks populated with other couples restoring their connection, instead of
warming their couches in front of the TV? They should have been there. Oops, there I go again, using that
“should” word. How about this word?
“Instead”
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| Hometown girl |
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| Let's face it! |
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Fräulein Annette
|
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Fräulein Mary
|
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| Hand in Hand in the Hood |
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