Success!

I took a break today from watching ghostie shows to go out with the man I love. He doesn’t usually want to come along to the mall, but he did. I watched him pass shop windows noting which ones attracted him. He must be romantic, because he kept stopping at jewelers to stare at diamonds. He likes cool sneaks too. He ogled them at Footlocker as we strolled through the mall. His real reason for mall-ing was to find a place that could grind his glasses in an hour, because he needs them to see. Academy Optical, the high end unit next to Nordstrom could, and its owner became a great diversion. The put-together lady in red with her long blond hair and lined pixie face had a recognizable accent. Like two school girls she and I instantly bubbled over about German optics, German quality, and German energy, in German. Since she was my senior by only three years, we shared common ground. The war had left an impact on both of us. Her father was shot down over Stalingrad; mine was lost in the Ukraine. She left Breslau for Cologne and the US. I left Munich for the US as well. She was lucky to have her father come home, thanks to Russian farmers who hid him from search parties. I was lucky my father gave me my name and his legacy of letters. She was resourceful raising two girls on a single mother’s budget. I was married but managed to raise nine kids on a median income. So we hugged, we giggled, and we fed each other’s hunger for friendship, Ilona and I.

And the man I love got measured for new glasses, because businesses succeed with friendly service.