Windchimes

ladies' night out

         A few years ago, to celebrate my friend, Mary's birthday, Marty (another friend), Mary and I went to a place in Atlanta called Agatha's. It's a dinner theatre place where the guests participate in a "whodunit" that plays throughout the meal. We found long, covered tables set and waiting for the evening's participants when we arrived, as well as a table full of appetizers and the ever present (and some would say necessary) bartender. We also met the main actors of the show, and one of them handed us sheets of instructions, including where to sit and what we should do, within the group they'd assigned us to, to add a bit of audience talent and personality to the evening's performance. An introduction to the main characters gave us some idea of how our parts should fit in. Some of us had a line or two to repeat at different times throughout the evening, some of us collaberated on writing a song to go along with the plot (the group that included me wrote new words to the "Beverly Hillbillies" tune). I can't remember now what some of the other groups did (guess I need to get back to Agatha's sometime) but it all added laughter (and a few good-natured groans) and sparkle. I can't remember what we had for dinner (not that the food wasn't excellent, just that it's been...oh, I'd say at least four years), but I think we belly-laughed enough to work most of the calories off anyway.

         We still talk about that evening on the too few occasions we all get together these days. Marty has quite a few grandchildren now, and they, along with her job, keep her pretty occupied. I stay pretty busy with schoolwork, and Mary and her husband spend lots of their free time at their camper down by a big lake in Alabama, fishing and tooling around the lake in a pontoon boat. I ran into Mary the other day, when I had to go searching for camouflage for my gray roots. She was back-to-school shopping. We yakked in the parking lot for a good little while after we told each other how great it was to see us again. I hope we can pin Marty down and all get together again soon.

J.H. Larrew
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