Is It Greener Over There?

Her vibrant eyes struck me right away. Her half-eaten cookie made me smile. You see, she is one of the few adults that have managed to retain the curiosity, wonderment and joy found in children's eyes. Passionately alive, bearing a gift that touches souls, Claudia is a testament of what is possible with a life.

Her father encouraged her to dream, and imagine something different for her life. Now, years later, she is healthy, lives and works in another country, shares a bed with a man who loves her, and last night had dinner with a Rabbi with whom she talked about sex.

Alternately, The Man Who Makes Me Laugh cooked dinner for us using herbs from my garden. Afterwards we walked to get dessert, ran into some friends, and ended up sharing coffee with them. Because of a t-shirt I was wearing, we talked about Tijuana and fifty-cent cab rides. Later we moved onto medium-sized spiders, and ultimately stalkers.

It was a wonderful evening, which ended with the two of us having sex, yet there is a part of me, just a little part though, that wonders if Claudia's evening was somehow richer.

Menen Is Special

My Grandmothers second husband died a few years ago. He was very ill towards the end of his life and I helped extensively with his care. Upon his death, and in the midst of her grief, his widow wrote the obituary. She listed all of the family members and neglected to single out any other relatives in the article - except me.

Now I like to believe she was attempting to acknowledge my assistance when she said, ". . . and one very special grandson named Menen." Surely, no one thought that I was mentally or physically challenged in some way, right?