Old Friends

My freshman college dorm came with many unpleasantries--communal bathrooms, institutional cement block walls and speckled linoleum floors, neighbors who lounged around all day and night in ratty barely-decent bathrobes.... Yes, North Russell women's dormitory at Baylor U. was an experience. On the other hand, there were some obvious highlights. For instance, my lovely roommate of 4 years and friend for life who 7 years ago introduced me to my now husband.

And then there was the petite, spry, witty, and undeniably sassy sophomore down the hall who, for some reason I can't recall completely, decided to stay in the freshman dorm for a second year. Christy had a laugh that was half giggle and half cackle--I'd never heard anything quite like it before or since--that was especially endearing. And she frequently experimented with various shades of red hair dye, had a closet full of satin print blouses and polyester blend pantsuits from her goodwill shopping sprees, and was fanatical about movie trivia and all things Oscars, Julia Roberts, and Tim Robbins.

Last Monday brought a treat: Christy was in town on business for a couple of days, so we met for dinner and had a great time catching up, talking about weddings (mine just past and hers coming up in October), and enjoying the fine Italian cuisine at The Kitchen in Pasadena. It must have been kismet that the hotel where she was staying boasted a....ahem....memorable wedding-themed display in the lobby. We spent a good deal of time examining the decor for possible implementation on Christy and Del's big day. Thanks to Christy for pointing out that the bride and groom in this display "are eight."