July 13, 2022

Reflection

AT WHAT MIGHT

HAVE BEENS ....

I sat next to this lady at a posh get together. 

She says - hand sort of half covering her mouth - in a whisper, "Yeah, he dated my daughter for a while."

The he had just come to our table. He made a sort of joke to her for throwing him off her porch - when he was just a  kid. Then he added, "You kept me away from your daughter."

I didn't know any of this. Then she told me which of her daughters he  was interested in.

I wasn't interested, but I said an, "Oh."

Then she added, "He always said that I would have had a couple of lawyers for grandkids if I hadn't thrown him off the porch."

I said another, "Oh."

"Maybe you're luckier" came the comment from another at our table.

In small towns - in close neighborhoods - when everybody knows everybody - there seems to be lots of what might have beens.

At parish or civic celebrations - at all kinds of get togethers - people who dated people they know - pass by each other alll the time.

I never knew this to that moment  on a porch.

The might have beens ....

The "I wonder ifs ...."

I left home early.  I have been in many different places. I don't have too many bump into's - so this was a new experience.

The might have been's ....

"Oh" I said to myself. I need to do more thinking and talking about all of this.