Keeping up with Marion
My mom put my wedding announcement in the Record right around the time of our first anniversary, this July, and ever since then, I'm on their mailing list. Now every Thursday it arrives, and I skim through it, looking at the 10 Years Ago and 25 Years Ago section, all the pictures, and--my absolute favorite part--the city and county docket. I skim the traffic citations, accident reports, criminal and civil cases, and domestic section, seeing if I recognize any names.
In this way, I deduced that Dr. Hodson has had a stalker recently, that Mariah's brother is filing for divorce, and Joyce Ford (Allison's mom) wrote a worthless check last week. I note that there is usually one domestic violence case a week, and marvel at how on earth a woman could escape a man in such a small town.
There's a profile section. Hannah was featured in it a few weeks ago. The article was really horribly written, but the content was interesting, and there was a nice picture. It was about her Peace Corps work of course. (I want to find a link, but I think you have to sign up online as a subscriber to find back issues, and I'm lazy right now. I am saving the paper copy.)
It seems like class of '94 is filled with Good Samaritans. This week, the feature is on, wait for it, Gabe Higgins, and his work as a Red Cross volunteer in Mississippi and Lousiana following Katrina. I hardly even recognized him; he has turned into his dad. The catty side of me wonders how he could possibly be featured in the newspaper in the very county that he had to sneak into for a class reunion due to an outstanding warrant for his arrest.
Anyway. I thought of mentioning his article because all this reminiscing reminds me of how we started the Green Club, and his response to mocking it and talking about his Black Club. You know how when you're a kid, and your parents tell you the only reason guys make fun of you is because they really like you? I don't know. But we made our peace later, and LeAnn wins the Lifetime of Cool award for her nonchalant response to waking up one morning to find him hanging out, eating breakfast.
Along the Marion lines, the paper also contained Jodi Smith's engagement photo, and I think, as much as it's a good idea to make peace with your past, and leave it there, I hope there's something normal and not completely unhealthy with having no desire to find out if she (or others) have become people you could now be friends with.
In this way, I deduced that Dr. Hodson has had a stalker recently, that Mariah's brother is filing for divorce, and Joyce Ford (Allison's mom) wrote a worthless check last week. I note that there is usually one domestic violence case a week, and marvel at how on earth a woman could escape a man in such a small town.
There's a profile section. Hannah was featured in it a few weeks ago. The article was really horribly written, but the content was interesting, and there was a nice picture. It was about her Peace Corps work of course. (I want to find a link, but I think you have to sign up online as a subscriber to find back issues, and I'm lazy right now. I am saving the paper copy.)
It seems like class of '94 is filled with Good Samaritans. This week, the feature is on, wait for it, Gabe Higgins, and his work as a Red Cross volunteer in Mississippi and Lousiana following Katrina. I hardly even recognized him; he has turned into his dad. The catty side of me wonders how he could possibly be featured in the newspaper in the very county that he had to sneak into for a class reunion due to an outstanding warrant for his arrest.
Anyway. I thought of mentioning his article because all this reminiscing reminds me of how we started the Green Club, and his response to mocking it and talking about his Black Club. You know how when you're a kid, and your parents tell you the only reason guys make fun of you is because they really like you? I don't know. But we made our peace later, and LeAnn wins the Lifetime of Cool award for her nonchalant response to waking up one morning to find him hanging out, eating breakfast.
Along the Marion lines, the paper also contained Jodi Smith's engagement photo, and I think, as much as it's a good idea to make peace with your past, and leave it there, I hope there's something normal and not completely unhealthy with having no desire to find out if she (or others) have become people you could now be friends with.
posted by LE at 6:58 AM
6 Comments:
I share your complete apathy for certain things regarding Marion. There are some parts of that that I don't even want to THINK about any more. Consequently, when I go home, I stay safe out on the farm and don't even really go into town at all. Maybe I'm running away from something or maybe I just don't want to be depressed when I see what Marion is like now.
My nonchalance...looking back, it WAS pretty awesome of me, wasn't it? But you know I was doing it on purpose because I've always been one of those people who tries to have no reaction in completely shocking situations. I don't know what it is about me but for some reason I seem to enjoy deflating the shock. Maybe I'm a spoilsport!
For what it's worth, the Emporia newspaper is a really bad newspaper too. It's almost like home sometimes.
Oh goodness. Nonchalance was what I needed. That was SUCH a hard year for me, which was probably reflected in the guys I brought home. That, and probably many other reasons, has always made me a terrible roommate.
Honestly, I never knew how to apologize for it all. That whole year was me basically trying to keep myself afloat, and having you around was probably the only reason I got through it.
All right, don't make me cry. I felt like a bad roommate myself but there were so many really great things about living with you that year. And we all have times when we're trying to figure stuff out. Looking back, I wish I had been better about realizing at the time that it was a hard year for you. Instead of just deciding we were going in different directions or something silly. If I had, maybe I could have made it easier for you.
On a lighter note, I still laugh when I remember the potholder catching fire on our kitchen stove that one day.
LOL!!!! oh my... potholders on fire?!?! oh, please... PLEASE tell me this story... :)
Speaking of the MCR, my mom used to get me a subscription -- but after one of the staffers called her on the phone and basically bawled her out for placing a larger ad about a hospital auxiliary function in the Free Press instead of in MCR, she canceled every subscription within her power. (Of course, this was only one in a litany of journalistic sins made by that paper). Now, she occasionally buys the Record and sends it to me. I get these thick priority mail envelopes, then sit down with a cup of coffee and read them like I would read the Enquirer. And Ellie, I was laughing about what you read first -- it sounds exactly how I read it, too!
The Free Press is really pretty good - not as much specifically Marion stuff, but that's ok. I, however, have less frustration with Marion and more curiosity -- I love seeing who recognizes me, and who doesn't, when I'm back. And there are times that I run into people that I really want to see -- like people from my church and any of your parents -- and then going home feels actually pretty good.
Luckily I can run into most of the people I want to see from Marion while I'm here in Emporia...I just have to go to Bluestem Farm and Ranch Supply, which is where I saw Skip and Eileen a few weeks ago. It's an awesome store. It smells of leather and vet supplies and fertilizer which is oddly homey.
I read the home papers just like that too although I did not know any of the above-mentioned events. My parents, too, have cancelled their Record subscription in favor of the Free Press, but I'm not sure which journalistic sin they cite as their reason.
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