Just Gabrielle

I attended a 40th Wedding Anniversary party yesterday and I was around many people that I used to see weekly but I haven’t seen since February when I resigned my position at the Catholic Church.  Consequently there were a great many people who wanted to ask me a great many questions. Among the usual were, where was I working these days, who was I dating, how I liked my new job (usually followed by if I considered going back), which ministry I was favoring for the summer, and how my family was doing.  I used to have a knack for answering these questions with as little information as possible while being perfectly polite and giving them a sense of appreciation for their interest in my life; I think I’ve gotten rusty. 

In such a crowd of familiar faces, I was surprised that there were any questions that could surprise me: “Who are you?”  Her unspoken question that she announced loudly with her eyebrows was, “How do you fit in here?”

I tried to think of the shortest way to answer her question.  I could say that I was the best friend of the happy couples one absent child.  Or I could say that I routinely brought coffee to one of their daughter-in-laws when she had a bad day.  Or I could say that I once watched five of their grandchildren when their younger brother was born prematurely and their parents wanted to spend as much time at the hospital as possible.   Or I could say that I had spent four hours that day standing over a barbeque after spending two hours prepping salad and drinks for this very party.  And then I realized that it didn’t matter.

“I’m Gabrielle- just Gabrielle,” I said with a smile, but I thought "And that’s quite enough for one day.”