When I married no one really spoke against the choice I had made in a husband, though most people were not particularly overjoyed on my behalf either. Later, my husband had morphed into a controlling and domineering man who sulked if he didn't get his own way. He disliked all my friends and saw them as bad influences on me.
All of my friends except Sharon, that is. Somehow Sharon managed to transcend the feeling of competition Charlie always had. Sharon always had the gift of being able to genuinely connect with anyone, and Charlie was no exception.
I had met Sharon in Emily & Jenny's coffee shop one day between classes at Holyoke Community College, a place where most students hung out for socializing. There were not many other choices for this local community college. We had some friends in common, acquaintances we knew from classes and sat at the same table exchanging general trivialities. We were casual acquaintances.
A couple of days later we ended up alone at the table that was usually host to a small crowd. We learned that day that we both had a friend in common: Todd Rush. Todd had gone on to Monserrat School of Art in Gloucester. In the course of conversation Sharon and I realized we had lost touch with Todd and missed his quiet good humor.
It was Thursday afternoon and Sharon proposed we drive to Gloucester the next day to seek out Todd. Without a second throught I agreed and late the next afternoon we loaded up her yellow Saab and headed east. It's funny, so many years later to recall detail as the yellow Saab -- with the two stroke engine that required one to carefully plan gasoline fillups so oil could be added in the correct proportion.
We drove the 2.5 hours to Gloucester and being a late autumn day, it was dark pretty early. Arrivng in this seaside community we realized we didn't have Todd's address or phone number. Monserrat School of Art, we soon learned, had no dorms and we wandered about for a long time, finally realizing how impulsive we had been. We eyed the Saab for the first time as potential sleeping quarters for the evening.
As a final resort, Sharon, ever faithful of the role of public servants, approached a police officer and explained our predicament. I was not only doubtful, but worried the query might lead to an arrest for vagrancy. To my surprise, however, the police not only located Todd, but offered to lead us there in their car. We gratefully accepted the offer, though I was astounded then and continue to be amazed at the availability of information the police have access to.
Anyway, we found Todd with the help of the police. He was delighted to see us, but was overall very shocked to see two people who he had never imagined knowing each other turn up on his doorstep at the same time. After hours of conversation, explanations and catching up, Sharon and I spent the night in our sleeping bags on the floor not much lower than the mattress Todd called his bed.
That weekend, only days after initally meeting Sharon, served to cement our friendship. Now, years later Sharon is in somewhat of a public servant role herself, and does it well. We don't often see each other, as sometimes happens when paths divide, but our connection will always be there.
This set was a wedding present from my close friend Sharon Kipetz in 1976. If my memory serves me, Sharon bought it at an estate sale from one of her professors at Western New England College when she was in attendance there. Sharon brought the set to me, in a brown paper bag, each piece carefully wrapped in newspaper to protect it from chips and possible breaks. I loved it then and continue to do so, though I have never used it. Miraculously, it has survived 20 years without breaking or losing a part.