nanc's picture

My boyhood friend Curt and I had been out of contact for about forty five years when I decided to try and locate him a year ago. Fortunately I knew where his sister worked and contacted her regarding his location. She told me where he lived and gave me his phone number. I called him and agreed to travel the two hours to his home. It was a joyous occasion. We went to lunch and talked about our memories and about old friends who had passed on. We were surprised to discover that we had both had a crush on a girl named Nancy and that neither one of us had been brave enough to pursue her. We thought that she was too beautiful to bother with us. Curt told me that he had a large senior picture of her and that he would send it to me. It came last week. She was as beautiful as I remembered her to be. I thought that it would be nice to hang her picture over our bed so I took the frame off of a picture of the kids that had been hanging in that spot, and inserted the picture of Nancy. I was admiring it when my wife entered the bedroom.
“ Who’s that?” She asked.
“That’s Nancy.” I proudly answered.
“ Nancy who?” She asked. I sensed an attitude developing.
“She’s a girl that Curt and I had a crush on in high school. “Ain’t she beautiful?”
That question went unanswered.
“What did you do with the kid’s picture?” She asked.
“It’s in the drawer over there.” I answered, pointing to the dresser on the other side of the room.
Now I consider myself a sensitive guy and I sensed that she wasn’t happy with the situation. I had no idea why and was startled when she informed me that I had exactly forty five seconds to get, “That woman’s picture” out of the frame and to get the kids picture back in there! I thought about protesting but was pretty sure that I saw steam coming from her ears. It was no wonder. Her face was terribly red!
“ I don’t get it!” I stated. “Don’t you think that she’s beautiful?”
“You don’t, don’t get it?!” She stammered. You mean to tell me that you honestly don’t get it?!”
I didn’t get it but then again I seem to have a great deal of trouble getting, “It”
Nancy’s picture is now in the mail on the way back to Curt’s house. I enclosed a letter with suggestions for gluing it back together. One tooth will be missing and one eye will be slightly cocked but she will still look beautiful to me and Curt.
Tom Neiger