What's That You Say?

I will be 41 in a few weeks. I think I'm losing my hearing, or maybe it's my concentration. I tend to forget things also. I find that I'll be right in the middle of a sentence- usually it's a very impassioned plea I am making about something - like why the A&E version of Pride and Prejudice is the only acceptable version to watch and how I find that I must catch myself from rolling my eyes in contempt when someone tries to convince me that the most recent Hollywood version with Keira Knightly as Lizzie is not an exercise completely "wont of all propriety" (I like to throw in a little Austin-esque style for effect), full of ludicrous scenes that could never take place given the customs of the day and way too skinny girls - I am certain Miss Austin would be turning over in her grave - Oh, where was I... I have no answer for this phenomenon.

A few months ago we were attending a mock trial competition with our kids and other parents from our school. We were all standing in the hall awaiting our time to go into the courtroom. I was the chief photographer and was hanging around doing nothing in particular. Somewhere in the background I heard my friend Eva say, "Clara Path" in her cheerful voice. I thought - Oh, how funny, small world - you can go just about anywhere and find someone you know. I was lost in this thought process when I heard her yell, louder this time, "CLARA PATH!" I thought to myself, "Oh, I hope Clara sees her because wouldn't it be disappointing to see someone you know who maybe you haven't connected with in years and be so close and yet not make contact with them." Soon other voices joined my friend Eva's, all yelling "Clara Path!!" Oh - why can't Clara hear us all? Inside I was thinking why doesn't Eva take off running to catch Clara before she exits the building? Now, the really weird thing was - while all these thoughts were running through my head, Eva was just staring at me. Well, I know she knows I'm not Clara - but I could not account for that bewildered look in her eyes. Then I saw it in my husband's eyes as well - you know the look - when someone looks at you like you're from another planet - usually I'm the one looking at people like that - so it was disconcerting to be on the receiving end of the look. Jim, my husband, reached over and moved me up against the wall - just in time to let a woman with a large cart of some type pass by. It was then that I realized that Eva wasn't yelling out to her long lost friend, Clara Path. She was yelling at everyone to "clear a path".