After writing my "Stories in the Waiting Room" post yesterday, I intended to write today about the woman pretending to read a book who looked anxious and sad. But I've decided I'm going to save "Sad" for last.
There was another lady in the waiting room dressed to the nines - designer purse, killer high heeled shoes, silk scarf, and flawless makeup. She was attempting to be a Waiting Room Snob, but Lillian pulled her out of it. I think Lillian was the life of the party when she was younger and she still had a zest for living like no-one I've ever seen.
Margaret was her name but no-one asked how old she was. Now, when a stranger asks me my age, I usually have a little fun with it. I definitely look my age - there's no getting around it. Sometimes I'll fib a little and tell them that I'm ten years older than I really am. They'll look shocked and say something like, "No Way - you really look much younger". It's much more fun than telling the truth and having them look skeptical and thinking, "She's lying - I know she's older than that".
But with Margaret, it was very hard to tell. Black women grow older much more gracefully than women of other races. Margaret was beautiful and had the grace and elegance of royalty. She was thin and had high cheekbones with just the right amount of blush / rouge. Her skin was a beautiful rich chocolate. Her eyebrows were arched perfectly and she had a short, trendy hairstyle. She was very friendly and sweet once Lillian broke the ice. She reminded me of myself, listening, asking polite questions, but never revealing anything about herself. She appeared ethereal and mystical which made me want to know much more than she was willing to reveal. If I were going to write about her, I would have to invent my own stories. But I won't. Mystical and ethereal people are hard to read - I wouldn't get it right. It's much more intriguing to leave it at that. You can all use your own imaginations.
It would be a fun challenge for all my writer friends out there. Write a story about Margaret and link it back to my post. Who was she waiting for? I never saw him. How old was she? Somewhere between forty and sixty. I know that's a wide range - she looked young but something about her told me she was older than she looks. Who is Margaret? I have to admit, I don't know.
There was another lady in the waiting room dressed to the nines - designer purse, killer high heeled shoes, silk scarf, and flawless makeup. She was attempting to be a Waiting Room Snob, but Lillian pulled her out of it. I think Lillian was the life of the party when she was younger and she still had a zest for living like no-one I've ever seen.
Margaret was her name but no-one asked how old she was. Now, when a stranger asks me my age, I usually have a little fun with it. I definitely look my age - there's no getting around it. Sometimes I'll fib a little and tell them that I'm ten years older than I really am. They'll look shocked and say something like, "No Way - you really look much younger". It's much more fun than telling the truth and having them look skeptical and thinking, "She's lying - I know she's older than that".
But with Margaret, it was very hard to tell. Black women grow older much more gracefully than women of other races. Margaret was beautiful and had the grace and elegance of royalty. She was thin and had high cheekbones with just the right amount of blush / rouge. Her skin was a beautiful rich chocolate. Her eyebrows were arched perfectly and she had a short, trendy hairstyle. She was very friendly and sweet once Lillian broke the ice. She reminded me of myself, listening, asking polite questions, but never revealing anything about herself. She appeared ethereal and mystical which made me want to know much more than she was willing to reveal. If I were going to write about her, I would have to invent my own stories. But I won't. Mystical and ethereal people are hard to read - I wouldn't get it right. It's much more intriguing to leave it at that. You can all use your own imaginations.
It would be a fun challenge for all my writer friends out there. Write a story about Margaret and link it back to my post. Who was she waiting for? I never saw him. How old was she? Somewhere between forty and sixty. I know that's a wide range - she looked young but something about her told me she was older than she looks. Who is Margaret? I have to admit, I don't know.
Your descriptive writing was very good there, as you described Margaret. Although she looked so glamourous, there's no way of telling, is there. SHE could have been the one with the really sad life in that waiting room. Keeping up appearances might be Margaret's way of keeping. Fascinating, isn't it?! We will never know. I don't mean to be a party pooper, but hope you won't mind if I don't participate in the link up. It takes me enough time keeping up with the blogs that I follow at the moment! I hope others will join in the fun though.
ReplyDeleteThat should have read "Margaret's way of COPING!"
ReplyDeleteThat's a different perspective, Diane. I would have never thought about it from that angle. Don't worry about joining the Linky Challenge. Comments are just as appreciated.
ReplyDeleteHello Glenda
ReplyDeletehave just popped in to say I'm enjoying your Waiting Room series of posts - Medical Reception was my 'job' for many years and I was always interested in how patients and families passed their time - as you say some are 'noisy' and others are as quiet as a mouse.
Looking forward to Miss Sad's tale
Take care
Cathy
I have tried leaving a comment - blogger won't let me.
ReplyDeleteSorry I missed this challenge - I have been AWOL all week!