About Face Read Online Free PDF Page A

wild-haired Vivian tentatively stepped off the line, meeting half-way to talk. The women who had followed each of them in line kept their spaces empty as the line advanced. Everyone was rapt.
    How lame, Ruth thought. What do I mean by ‘How are you?’ How are you now? Or how have you been for thirty years? Or what?
    Vivian didn’t seem to notice. “I’m good. I’m really good. Oh, it’s so good to see you. You look exactly the same. Haven’t you gotten any older in all this time? How are you? You look so good. All grown up and everything.”
    â€œI’m good too. And you look great. So beautiful, so exotic.”
    And then they were at the moment Ruth dreaded. Where to go from here? Again, Vivian seemed oblivious to the awkwardness Ruth felt.
    â€œI was just saying to Carlos the other day—”
    â€œYou two stayed together all this time? That’s so great.”
    â€œWe knew it was true love or maybe no one else would have either of us but anyway here we are and we have a daughter too. She’s in the orchestra here tonight, she plays the oboe, she’s first oboe, actually, oh I can’t believe I said that but I really am proud of her and that’s why we’re here. We’ve been living in New York for awhile now, and…”
    She stopped for a second. “As you can see, I still talk too much. Tell me about you.”
    â€œRemember David from Sine Saloum, the one who was just a friend even though everyone wanted us to get together but we insisted that it was just platonic?”
    â€œRemember him? Of course. I believe my exact words were ‘Platonic, shmatonic.’”
    â€œYou were right. We’ve been married for about twenty-six years now … almost twenty-seven … and we have a son, Josh.”
    The silence during the ensuing pause was interrupted only by flushing toilets. And then they hugged.
    Ruth was mentally wording a question about Vivian’s work life in a way that adhered to the feminist principle that work inside or outside the home was valuable, when Vivian said, “So what do you guys do?”
    â€œI work in Marketing, here in midtown. And David’s a math teacher. What about you?”
    â€œI’m at a woman’s shelter and Carlos is with a foundation. We both—” She stopped, looking around in a panicky way, then concentrating very carefully on the paper towel dispenser. She turned red and started fanning herself furiously with the program as beads emerged on her forehead. “Just wait a second and I’ll be back on planet earth again.”
    â€œYou too? Believe me, I know just how you feel. Like you can feel your outline, the boundary between the hot and the normal.”
    â€œYeah, that’s it.”
    â€œMe too,” chimed the woman who was saving Ruth’s place on line. Her short, close-to-the-skull salt and pepper hair framed a beet-red face.
    The fanners fanned, the toilets flushed.
    A stall door opened and the woman in front of Ruth’s empty space entered. Ruth said, “Vivian, I’m next and I’d let the woman behind me have my turn so we could keep talking, but, believe me, I can’t. I’ve really gotta go and I can’t hold it in a second longer. And then I have to get back to my seat because I’m baby-sitting some people from work. Can you hang out after the performance for awhile?”
    â€œNo, we can’t, cause we promised Ida we’d come backstage immediately so she can introduce us around, before the lines form. But I would love to see you again.”
    â€œMe too. And I know David would, too. Can you two get together for lunch tomorrow? Or Sunday? Or next Saturday or Sunday?”
    â€œLet me think.” Ruth wondered if Vivian was trying to figure out how she’d sell Carlos on the idea of a date with the Talbots. He was so wild back then, so pure, so opinionated. Who knows what he’s like now, she