Ginger and Diane in Monument Square in Concord in 1969.
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Diane’s high school boyfriend, Craig, died last week and his memorial service is today. As Diane said, “I thought those emails from West Nyack would never end.” Ginger offered to accompany Diane, and together they drove to New York. They left yesterday and spent the night in the Comfort Inn in Nanuet.

Monday night, Diane, doing her best to fit her journey to New York into her already overloaded family/work/holiday schedule was obsessing about, well, everything.

“What are you going to wear?” I asked. I thought the question would help her focus. Diane prepares the night before for her work day and frequently asks, “What should I wear?” I always glaze over.

“A black skirt and a green or black sweater. And if it’s cold, my black coat. Is that too much black?”

“For a funeral?”

“I can’t decide between my black skirt with the circles at the bottom or my shorter wool skirt. Which one do you think I should wear?”

“I like the shorter wool skirt.”

An uncomfortably long pause.

“Do you even know what the skirt looks like? The one with the circles at the bottom?”

“I can’t say that I do.”

A much shorter pause. I could feel the guillotine descending.

“Do you know what my black wool skirt looks like?”

“Of course not.”