Sorting through my texts from the past few days, lots of them saying “Where Are You?” Or, you know, “WHERE” or “WHERE R U” or whatever. Truth be told, I don’t even know. Here’s what I remember…
The sun is getting streaky and orange and Scout and Ellen are huddled outside Cafeteria wondering in disbelief if we really must wait 3o minutes for mac and cheese and cigarettes sitting down. Ellen wears a bikini top and a threadbare shirt and cowboy boots. I wear Scout’s jacket because I’m freezing. Ellen and I order the same thing, but she can’t eat the cheese, and Scout tells the same story, but Ellen hasn’t heard it so I pretend it’s new.
Then we talk weekend plans, which somehow turns into an intense discussion about Shakespeare, which somehow ends in me revealing that once upon a time, I wore a nightgown and a crown of flowers and starred as Queen of the Faeries. Scout puts his head in his lap because he can’t stop laughing. Ellen goes back to her salad. These women with a baby go by and I realize it’s amazing how close you can feel to someone without even knowing them.
And dangerous, too.
[MINNIE MORTIMER - AM I THE IMAGINARY SOCIALITE?]