Mrs. Linklater Goes To Paris

You must have a friend from high school who is living a wonderful life somewhere. For instance, Mrs. Linklater is living a wonderful life in a tiny house in a whitebread suburb outside Chicago.  She is sure her friends from high school must envy her good fortune.

Take her friend Karen here with Mrs. L's younger daughter. She, poor thing, is stuck in Paris on the left bank in an apartment with fourteen foot ceilings. She bought it after a boring career as a model for some of the top couture houses, like Givenchy and Nina Ricci, to name the only two Mrs. Linklater can remember. How dreadful to suffer so long in such a deadend job.

Mrs. L is sure Karen is absolutely green with envy that she didn't have a chance to clean up poopie diapers and wipe Blueberry Buckle off her best blouse. Or have children that she could threaten with bodily harm.

And taking a long leisurely bath in her pink marble tub can't compare to the luxurious life of a working mom. Just between us, if Karen has told Mrs. Linklater once, she's told her twice, it must be so much nicer to clean up the cat's furballs yourself, what with help being so hard to get these days. Not to mention the thrill of taking out one's own garbage. A luxury the French can only dream about.

Plus, while Mrs. L is singing along to her Toni Braxton CD's in the car, Karen has to make do with her second career as a chanteuse, performing in front of sophisticated audiences at very posh clubs. It has to be killing her.  

To help get her over this sad midlife crisis, Mrs. L paid Karen a mercy visit a few months ago. Her daughter had business in Paris so she just tagged along.  It seemed like a great time to have a reunion with her old pal, so they made arrangements to get together one evening for dinner.  With a stop at her apartment beforehand. 

Usually when Mrs. L gets together with old friends they take a lot of pictures together, but this time she made an exception. As you can see from the first photo, Mrs. Linklater had her daughter stand next to Karen. What a thoughtful gesture. She didn't want her friend to be intimidated by Mrs. Linklater's glamour and style.  Why embarrass Karen. So her daughter was a good sport and agreed to pose with her instead. Just so unflattering comparisons couldn't possibly be made. For her good friend of course.  Mrs. Linklater has a considerate side, too.  

The second picture was taken in the living room of Karen's bare apartment.  What a shame she couldn't afford real marble and had to paint the fake stuff in a sad attempt to fool people. Tragic. Wouldn't some artificial flowers be perfect on the corner next to that green vase like thing.  Perhaps with some Lladro figurines.  Always a classy addition to any mantlepiece. But Mrs. L's friend probably can't afford these extra touches yet. Doesn't matter, she'll have the place looking spiffy in no time.

There's a lesson for all of us here. Remember, while you're gnoshing high on the hog, let your friends know that you never forgot your roots. Like Mrs. Linklater.