photo of her changing for gym and sent it to the boys on the football team.”
“What a mean thing to do,” clucked Rachel. “She wasn’t naked, was she?”
“No, no,” said Lucy. “She had on a sports bra and a pair of underpants.”
“That’s more than she was wearing last summer, when she was running around town in that bikini,” said Sue.
“I know,” admitted Lucy, who didn’t like to be reminded of this particular escapade. “But in her defense, she really had no idea she was causing such a sensation. But this is different, you know. She feels betrayed.”
“I don’t think any of us would willingly go back to high school,” said Sue. “It was a real low point in my life.”
“It doesn’t have to be,” said Pam, biting into a piece of toast. “Don’t forget, she is going to the prom with Chad Mackenzie. That must be some consolation.”
“I can’t say I’m surprised,” said Rachel. “This sort of thing is pretty typical adolescent behavior.”
“And just look at their mothers,” said Sue, rolling her eyes.
Lucy took a bite of hash, then pushed her plate away. Since she wasn’t getting the sympathy she’d hoped for, she might as well pass along a juicy bit of gossip. “I saw the most ridiculous thing yesterday. Bar and Tina were actually fighting over the last copy of the Boston Globe. Dot Kirwan had to break it up before they came to blows over a seventy-five-cent newspaper.”
“What kind of example is that for those girls?” asked Sue, clicking her tongue.
“A terrible example,” said Rachel. “This feud of theirs is getting out of control. Did you hear about what happened at the Mother’s Day brunch at the Queen Vic?”
“I haven’t heard,” said Sue. “What happened?”
“I was there,” said Lucy, going on eagerly to recount the incident.
“Isn’t that just like Bar?” commented Sue when Lucy had finished her description. “She does think she’s always right and everybody else is wrong.”
“Tina’s no peach,” muttered Rachel. “She was behind that Elder Services investigation. She thought I was helping Miss T so I could get her money!”
“Well, it worked out for the best,” said Pam, patting her hand. “Now you’re an official home health aide, and they pay you.”
“But I never wanted to get paid,” said Rachel. “And now I have to get CPR and first aid certification every year, and I have to go to all these inane workshops. All because that Tina’s a big buttinsky.”
“She does have a big butt,” commented Sue, causing them all to laugh.
“Oh, I don’t know,” said Pam. “I kind of like her. She’s loud and brassy, sure, but she’s comfortable with herself, and that’s an achievement for any woman. And her heart’s in the right place. She does a lot of good for others.”
“Even if they don’t want it,” said Rachel, smiling. “At least Bar minds her own business.”
“Not exactly,” said Sue, and they all turned to hear what she had to say. “Last year Ashley was helping out at the preschool—some sort of career internship program they have at the high school now—and she told her mother we had a book about a kid who has two mothers. Lesbians, you know, but that’s never mentioned in the story. It’s a cute little book, and it has all kinds of families. Big families, small families, kids being raised by grandparents, you know.”
They all nodded.
“Well, Bar raised a huge stink over it, got a bunch of parents to threaten to pull their kids out unless we got rid of the book.”
“How come I never heard about this?” asked Lucy, unhappy at missing an important story.
“Because the last thing we wanted was publicity,” said Sue, with a shrug. “We gave her the book, and I imagine she burned it.”
“You caved?” exclaimed Pam.
“That’s awful!” added Rachel.
“It was a business decision,” said Sue. “I am not like Tina. I have better things to do than fight with Bar.”
Phyllis was
“What a mean thing to do,” clucked Rachel. “She wasn’t naked, was she?”
“No, no,” said Lucy. “She had on a sports bra and a pair of underpants.”
“That’s more than she was wearing last summer, when she was running around town in that bikini,” said Sue.
“I know,” admitted Lucy, who didn’t like to be reminded of this particular escapade. “But in her defense, she really had no idea she was causing such a sensation. But this is different, you know. She feels betrayed.”
“I don’t think any of us would willingly go back to high school,” said Sue. “It was a real low point in my life.”
“It doesn’t have to be,” said Pam, biting into a piece of toast. “Don’t forget, she is going to the prom with Chad Mackenzie. That must be some consolation.”
“I can’t say I’m surprised,” said Rachel. “This sort of thing is pretty typical adolescent behavior.”
“And just look at their mothers,” said Sue, rolling her eyes.
Lucy took a bite of hash, then pushed her plate away. Since she wasn’t getting the sympathy she’d hoped for, she might as well pass along a juicy bit of gossip. “I saw the most ridiculous thing yesterday. Bar and Tina were actually fighting over the last copy of the Boston Globe. Dot Kirwan had to break it up before they came to blows over a seventy-five-cent newspaper.”
“What kind of example is that for those girls?” asked Sue, clicking her tongue.
“A terrible example,” said Rachel. “This feud of theirs is getting out of control. Did you hear about what happened at the Mother’s Day brunch at the Queen Vic?”
“I haven’t heard,” said Sue. “What happened?”
“I was there,” said Lucy, going on eagerly to recount the incident.
“Isn’t that just like Bar?” commented Sue when Lucy had finished her description. “She does think she’s always right and everybody else is wrong.”
“Tina’s no peach,” muttered Rachel. “She was behind that Elder Services investigation. She thought I was helping Miss T so I could get her money!”
“Well, it worked out for the best,” said Pam, patting her hand. “Now you’re an official home health aide, and they pay you.”
“But I never wanted to get paid,” said Rachel. “And now I have to get CPR and first aid certification every year, and I have to go to all these inane workshops. All because that Tina’s a big buttinsky.”
“She does have a big butt,” commented Sue, causing them all to laugh.
“Oh, I don’t know,” said Pam. “I kind of like her. She’s loud and brassy, sure, but she’s comfortable with herself, and that’s an achievement for any woman. And her heart’s in the right place. She does a lot of good for others.”
“Even if they don’t want it,” said Rachel, smiling. “At least Bar minds her own business.”
“Not exactly,” said Sue, and they all turned to hear what she had to say. “Last year Ashley was helping out at the preschool—some sort of career internship program they have at the high school now—and she told her mother we had a book about a kid who has two mothers. Lesbians, you know, but that’s never mentioned in the story. It’s a cute little book, and it has all kinds of families. Big families, small families, kids being raised by grandparents, you know.”
They all nodded.
“Well, Bar raised a huge stink over it, got a bunch of parents to threaten to pull their kids out unless we got rid of the book.”
“How come I never heard about this?” asked Lucy, unhappy at missing an important story.
“Because the last thing we wanted was publicity,” said Sue, with a shrug. “We gave her the book, and I imagine she burned it.”
“You caved?” exclaimed Pam.
“That’s awful!” added Rachel.
“It was a business decision,” said Sue. “I am not like Tina. I have better things to do than fight with Bar.”
Phyllis was
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