Susan Senator

Yesterday was a good day, a two Starbucks day. I went to my gym with Mom and showed off the place to her, which was fun. Very hard trying to work out, however, because now my left hip is giving me trouble due to some overzealous bellydancing. Still, I did around 25 minutes Stairmaster and then 10 on the Elliptical.

After we were done we went to Starbucks and I had my usual (breve misto: like a latte but made Atkins style, with half-and-half foamed up). Mom had nothing. We talked about relationships, and how they change. It was really beautiful, sitting there in the lit window with her, looking at her very familiar lovely face, sipping sweet coffee, and exchanging stories about friendships: how they help; how they hurt; how to let go; how to know.

Later, after Mom and Dad went home I tried to nap with the ice pack on my hip (this works for me sometimes: to get deep under the covers with the ice and sleep with it on the sore part; I wake up with it feeling a lot better). I could not nap, however. I wanted to go to the bookstore and get some of the books Mom and Dad had recommended to me (The History of Love, by Nicole Krouse; A Fine Balance; The Emperor’s Children; Gesture Life; and Richard North Patterson’s Exile).

Nat, Max, and Ned were at Nat’s swim practice so I had Beast to myself. I asked him if he wanted to come and he remembered that he wanted to get the Franny K. Stein Activity Book. So I took him to my favorite part of town, Northern Brookline, the urban, ethnic, busy part, and we broused in Booksmith for a while (where I had my very first reading; truly the best bookstore on earth).

When we were done with our purchasing we went to Starbucks and I got him a soft molasses cookie and a water. I had a breve misto, decaf this time, and a very different time than the morning, but equally enjoyable. Across from me, a dear little face, messy hair, dark intelligent eyes, tiny nose, perfect little lips, newly emerging slightly crooked large front teeth. More delicious than the cookie.