Love Interest

I spent a better part of today at the 2nd annual John Folse Tomato festival with some of my Red Hat sisters from work. The day started with me arriving almost 10 minutes late to meet the local
chapter members at work and then chatting about various things, including the status of my upcoming move to IA. When it was time to leave for the festival, one of my sisters (who lives up the street from me) realized she'd locked her keys, purse, scarf, (and everything else important) in her truck. She asked me if I'd demonstrate some of my bad driving skills by quickly running her home to retrieve the other set. Of course I agreed, and the two of us zipped off to get her keys.

On the way home, she beat herself up about locking her keys in the car. I said, "It happens," and relayed to her the story of the time I locked my keys in the car, with the engine running, with the gas light on, next to a gas station [merely more evidence that I'm a bad driver]. I realized the irony of my previous experience didn't seem to make her feel any better when she mentioned that she'd locked her keys in the car along with the lavender scarf I bought for her while I was in Italy last year. I tried to make her feel better by telling her about the sunglasses I'd recently broken that I'd wanted to wear today (I bought them in Rome, on the same trip). We returned to the plant with keys in hand and headed off to meet a couple of our other sisters at the festival.

Once we arrived, a couple of my other sisters (Marcelle included) called to say they weren't able to make it due to other obligations. I blew it off (both Marcelle and the new HR chick have developed a reputation for not showing up after committing to social events) and decided to have a good time. I looked so cute in the lavendar top & white capris I bought on sale a year ago (at Marcelle's urging)...I wasn't going to let absent members ruin my last function with my chapter sisters. Beside that, my sister Rosa (whom I personally picked to get to know outside of work because she is a long time friend of the jack@$$) had immediately upon arrival presented me with a gift bag full of spices for me to use to cook with when Shorty & I move to IA. She later told me that she chose the spices as my going away gift because earlier this week she'd heard me mention to someone else that the food in IA is bland & I'd need to bring spices with me to cook like a Louisianian.

We milled around the plantation while commenting on the ridiculously dry heat (I think it was at least 102 degrees today), but having a good time being Y'ats. As we were waiting in line for lunch, I felt the inevitable...every woman who's ever had her period while wearing white pants knows that gush. I quickly excused myself and headed for the car to find the necessary tools to save myself from embarrassment. I spent a mighty long time in the bathroom getting myself together (feeling dismayed when I saw that I'd made a huge mistake at taking the chance of wearing white pants at this time of the month), and returned to the group when I was sure I'd done the best I could to manage the situation.

"Where were you?" my sisters asked when I planted myself back in line. "You've been gone a long time?" "Where have you been?" another sister asked with a concerned face. I quelled their questions with one simple phrase: "You know what happens when you wear white pants. I feel 12 years old all over again!" They smiled & offered understanding comments.

When we got to our table, I asked my Y'at sister from up the street (the same one I'd bought the scarf for in Italy) if I could borrow her scarf to tie around my waist for the rest of the afternoon and she quickly said yes. As I took off the sunglasses she'd given me as a quick thanks for spiriting her home to retrieve her keys this morning, I realized the Epiphany of the Day: "Love and money are in two different arenas. There is no interest on love. When one gives love, it must be with no expectation of return...unlike a monetary loan, which can draw interest. It's when you give love freely that it comes back to you (when you need it most), seven fold."