7.31.2008

"Hon, what does concubine mean?"

July thirty-two years ago Barbara Jordan was the first black person to keynote a political convention in our country...and I met my friend Jana Hjelmseth. We were both going to be Freshmen at Sentinel High and I was the new girl in town.

I think she secretly felt like all teen girls that age do when a new girl moves in on their turf, "...leave our guys alone you hussy, this is our territory!"
Even so, we became fast friends that summer, she introduced me to her crowd. Thanks to her, and my friendly nature, life as a teen in small town Missoula was a blast.

I moved from Montana to Portland after our sophomore year, but we were to reunite when she became an Oregon Duck. By the time she graduated college I had become a wife and mother. By the time she joined the ranks of those rolls; both our families were living in Washington, hers in Seattle and mine in Silverdale. A few years later they moved on to Colorado. Now days we try to get a visit in every 18-24 months somehow.

Ahh... but I have gotten ahead of myself in this little story.

After U of O graduation, and while living in Portland, Jana introduced us to her fella. Richard was an Ohio boy and since I was married to one myself, the four of us hit it off well. One Sunday after a church service they had attended with us, little miss social butterfly that I am, was introducing some friends to Jana and her fella Richard. "..this is so and so, and this is so and so ,and this is Jana, Richard's concubine."

DEAD silence....no comments from anyone, not a sound..."that's weird" I think to myself...oh well
"We better run and get the kids from the nursery, nice to see you all, have a great day!", said I as we exited the building.

During our drive home it dawns on me that I may have said something funny...the silence during intros just did not sit well with me for some odd reason. ;)

I replay the conversations in my head...hmmmm concubine....did I say concubine...or did I say cohort?..I think I said cohort but did I say concubine?

"Hon, what does concubine mean?"

To which he replied, "I don't think you really want me to tell you the answer to that question."

That was one loooooong car ride home. I raced in the house and phoned my sweet friend Jana to apologize gushingly. Thankfully she took pity upon me...she probably chalked it up to my being a mother of younguns or just plain stupidity either way ~ Love covers a multitude of butchered language usages, right Jana?

It would be hysterical if that morning's sermon topic was slander.

I so very much enjoy thinking that Richard sometimes gets a kick out of calling his wife of more than twenty years,"My Concubine"....I wonder if she calls him "My King David"?

Here are some dorky photos of our day together :


Hummm... the life of a concubine aint so bad




Why dos ya thun we aint got no gud hellulp in this heres Nord-strums annie vurs ree sell?




We will feel better once we enter this magic Pink Door



Darn, this picture won't rotate in here. You get the idea....great wonderful food, a little white wine...
BTW who knew blogging equals detailed work overload...I spent hours making a little film from our day...low and behold it would not upload... 3:30 AM is not an hour these eyes have seen in a very long time.
Yes!... is does bug bug bug this mostly random girl that this post is actually dated and posted the 31st when I started it and experienced it the 30th.
This hobby has me thinking that having an IT in my employ, rather than my dream of a cook, may be more time management worthy...or perhaps Fairborn Guy an additional wife..not a good idea, I am way toooooo jealous, just ask Wavita! (like I said, she is a blog waiting to happen)

1 comment:

Faith said...

hahahahahahaha!......CONCUBINE......hahahahahah!!