Totally Random: Running Into Familiar Faces
Tonight was "Meet the Candidates" night at RHA. RHA is run, like many homeowner associations, by a board of directors, and it's the time of year where new board members are elected. So tonight all the candidates - five in all - had a chance to give a speech and answer questions from the homeowners. I spent most of the evening behind the scenes, as usual, but after the speeches were over and the candidates were walking amongst the homeowners, someone taps on my shoulder. It's my high school principal! Now, I've known she lived in RHA since the first month I've worked there, but I've only run into her once, briefly. I figured she didn't remember me, since she must have seen thousands of kids during her years at Branham, but I was wrong.
"Is your name Susan?" she asks.
"Yes ma'am," I say. (I mean, close enough. Between 'Suzi' and 'Susanna' and an eight year gap 'Susan' is pretty good!)
"And your brother's name is Kendrick?"
"Yes ma'am!"
"And you went to Branham High School?"
"Class of '02, Dr. Berke, how ya doin'?"
She got the biggest grin on her face and gave me a huge hug. It was so cute. We talked about my family for a few minutes, and what she'd been up to since she retired from being principal in 2004. We did not get into "So where did you go to college?" for which I was grateful. I mean, my GPA was pretty lousy in high school, but I tested *really* high on state testing and took all the AP classes that were offered. I was in the Yearbook class for a couple of years, and a class officer junior and senior year. Totally the kind of kid you'd expect to go to college and graduate by now. (Le sigh. Let's not think about it, or the finals I must take tomorrow.)
After the "Meet the Candidates" event was over, about a dozen people stood around drinking wine (did I mention there was wine?) and talking until my shift ended...and beyond. They were current Directors and people who were committee volunteers, so I let them keep chatting while I cleaned up the Clubhouse. I mean, they're people I like. Finally, I had to go over and say "OK guys, here's the deal. You can leave now, and I will clean up that table with the wine bottles and dirty cups that you're all standing around, or I can leave now and YOU will clean up that table when you're done socializing." That finally got them going, but first GS said to the group, "Oh, you will not believe this. CS and I were in Ashland, walking down the street, when I lean over to him and say 'Look, doesn't that woman look familiar?' and he said 'Oh, that's Suzi from the RHA office!' In Ashland! Can you believe it?"
"YOU went to Ashland?" says our Scottish Director.
"OMG SUZI YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN AT AN ASHLAND PLAY," a former Director declares. He's had a little too much to drink. "YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN IN AN ASHLAND PLAY!!!"
"I'm sure that would have been very fun, sir."
"You could be in TAMING OF THE SHREW!!!" he went on. In my imagination he was holding a wine glass and sloshing chardonnay all over the place, but in reality he was holding a plastic disposable cup containing pinot noir, no sloshing or splashing whatsoever.
"I should be Kate?"
"KATE IS A VERY FINE ROLE AND ELIZABETH TAYLOR WAS SO PRETTY."
"Err...thanks?"
(Man, I really need to write about Ashland. Once summer school is over, I'm gonna be on the computer every day 'til that's done.)
"Is your name Susan?" she asks.
"Yes ma'am," I say. (I mean, close enough. Between 'Suzi' and 'Susanna' and an eight year gap 'Susan' is pretty good!)
"And your brother's name is Kendrick?"
"Yes ma'am!"
"And you went to Branham High School?"
"Class of '02, Dr. Berke, how ya doin'?"
She got the biggest grin on her face and gave me a huge hug. It was so cute. We talked about my family for a few minutes, and what she'd been up to since she retired from being principal in 2004. We did not get into "So where did you go to college?" for which I was grateful. I mean, my GPA was pretty lousy in high school, but I tested *really* high on state testing and took all the AP classes that were offered. I was in the Yearbook class for a couple of years, and a class officer junior and senior year. Totally the kind of kid you'd expect to go to college and graduate by now. (Le sigh. Let's not think about it, or the finals I must take tomorrow.)
After the "Meet the Candidates" event was over, about a dozen people stood around drinking wine (did I mention there was wine?) and talking until my shift ended...and beyond. They were current Directors and people who were committee volunteers, so I let them keep chatting while I cleaned up the Clubhouse. I mean, they're people I like. Finally, I had to go over and say "OK guys, here's the deal. You can leave now, and I will clean up that table with the wine bottles and dirty cups that you're all standing around, or I can leave now and YOU will clean up that table when you're done socializing." That finally got them going, but first GS said to the group, "Oh, you will not believe this. CS and I were in Ashland, walking down the street, when I lean over to him and say 'Look, doesn't that woman look familiar?' and he said 'Oh, that's Suzi from the RHA office!' In Ashland! Can you believe it?"
"YOU went to Ashland?" says our Scottish Director.
"OMG SUZI YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN AT AN ASHLAND PLAY," a former Director declares. He's had a little too much to drink. "YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN IN AN ASHLAND PLAY!!!"
"I'm sure that would have been very fun, sir."
"You could be in TAMING OF THE SHREW!!!" he went on. In my imagination he was holding a wine glass and sloshing chardonnay all over the place, but in reality he was holding a plastic disposable cup containing pinot noir, no sloshing or splashing whatsoever.
"I should be Kate?"
"KATE IS A VERY FINE ROLE AND ELIZABETH TAYLOR WAS SO PRETTY."
"Err...thanks?"
(Man, I really need to write about Ashland. Once summer school is over, I'm gonna be on the computer every day 'til that's done.)