When my friend Erica, originally from Florida, came through our front door, Marcel stopped. This isn’t unusual. Marcel is a warm person but often is wary during the initial meeting with strangers or people she doesn’t see very often. In this case, she had only met F.E. once before. But, oh, what a meeting!
Like this time, F.E. had then come to stay with us while she was in town on business. Staying with us was more convenient for her to make her early morning meetings, but it also gave us an opportunity to catch up on each other’s lives as well as reminisce. We did do that, but it also turned into an extravagant exploration for Marcel.
More specifically, she got into F.E.’s purse.
My wife wears little make-up. My wife’s sister, the person outside our home that Marcel sees the most, wears little make-up. My mother wears little make-up. And, I thought, F.E. wore little make-up. Yet, she had a stash of make-up…In her purse…And Marcel found it!
Frankly, I was aghast the first time Marcel got her hands inside F.E.’s purse. F.E., though, was non-plussed. That’s not to say that she just let Marcel rifle through it. Instead, as we continued our conversation, she gracefully managed every step of the process. So gracefully that, eventually, I forgot that Marcel was playing with make-up, at all.
Marcel didn’t forget, though. It made such an impact that the very first thing that she did when she woke up the next morning was touch her lips and say, “More.” That’s how she asked for more lipstick.
So, when Marcel hesitated as F.E. entered our home and gave her a warm hello, I was a bit disappointed. Embarrassed, even.
Marcel, however, didn’t hesitate because she was wary. Apparently, she was hesitating because she couldn’t believe her good fortune. Then, she accepted it.
And, then, she ran into F.E.’s welcoming arms.
