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Heavy People and Aunt Beasts

I have often said that my life has no meaning until I tell it to at least two of my friends. These are some of the people who give my life meaning. Because I haven't permission from all (or any, actually) of them to use their full names, I shall refer to them (and everything else I can) as I do in my journal: by their initials. Some of those pesky married women who now have four initials (or five; you know who you are)....

These folks I met later on at UConn, and what I notice about them as I group their names together is how much I admire each of them, for different reasons. I am proud to know them, or to have known them.

UConn later on:ALNJCCKRELMEM

ALN

I didn't actually know ALN very well in this time; she was an RA friend of KREL's and MEM's (though JCC says MEM has no memory of ALN at all). The first I knew of her was KRE and she going to a dance at EOS that SEM chaperoned and pretending to be lesbians to shock the provincial high-schoolers. Hopefully not many, in 1990 in a college town (ahem), but enough to amuse them (KREL and ALN) anyway. She was a University Scholar, studying simultaneously for her BA and MA; she now teaches Spanish. As little as I actually know about her, I am her biggest fan, in awe and a little envy of her beauty, grace, discipline, intelligence, and optimism. When JCC visited RDC and me the summer of 1993, he asked me for ALN's address, and I gave it to him. They were married in July and December 1996, but I don't take all the credit. (top)

JCC

I met JCC when he was going out with MEM. Their hair, though different colors, matched, being long and wild and curly and sensuous. An English major, vegetarian, extremely disciplined person who now teaches English, JCC is a great person to bring you up short and make you question all your assumptions. He is largely responsible for my trusting RDC enough to date him; when I found out they had been friends and like brothers, I knew this was a trustworthy person. He is the one friend we each made, but separately; he read at our wedding. (top)

KREL

Another of my ninth-semester finds, KREL was, poor thing, my RA my last semester, and met me as I moved in one midsummer morning with my mother. This was an inherently stressful situation and having no electricity put me over the top. Poor KREL, on her first day and everything...somehow we became friends anyway. I always wanted her abs. She married in France 13 July 1996 (and, give thanks, though I knew of three US-French weddings in that month, no one any of us knew was on TWA 800 on 17 July 1996) and is finishing her master's at the Sorbonne. She writes me quite incredible letters in calligraphy. I have not seen her in four years, but it doesn't matter. I hope it never does. She and Erick had an Emma (my fourth) 20 September 1997. (top)

MEM

One evening while walking with my then-boyfriend SSP, I saw MEM and JCC a little farther up Horsebarn Hill. I don't remember how I knew I wanted to know them, but I did, and we four had immediate and raucous conversation, which continued with several suppers a week and always Sunday morning brunches with the papers and bagels and hours in the cozy hell of Whitney caf. MEM studied physical therapy because she believed she wasn't book smart but really loved people and bodies and making them feel better. She put herself through school; and the putting and the school both were tough. MEM is one of the most accepting people I have ever known. (top)

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Last modified 20 November 1997

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