Fran with the Flip

Good- by sweet Fran…

I never saw her without a color coordinated headband. Fran was in her early 60s, but her hairdo was the same as in her Simmon’s College days.

Her brown hair was parted down the center, then pulled tautly back, and flipped behind its headband.

Penny loafers and knee-highs were ever present, her pleated plaid skirts, crewneck, topped by a navy blazer.

A delicate string of pearls, from her long-ago prom, circled her aging neckline.

In the wintertime, she’d wear her ancient Burberry tan all-weather raincoat, over the outfit.

Fran was a good soul who looked after two elderly widows who were her neighbors. If you spotted her with bags of groceries, it was always for these ladies.

Sadly, one afternoon, a few months ago, I bumped into a rushing Fran. She had a piece of luggage trailing behind her.

I hugged her and asked,” Where are you off to, pretty lady?

“I’m going to Atlanta”, She gushed, blushing with joy.

“For a visit”? I asked.

“No, I’ll be married there to my boyfriend, Bernard. We dated as college students before we married our late spouses. He & have been seeing one another for a year now.”

We bid each other a fond farewell as I wished her good luck.

Between me & you…I’m sure Bernard thinks she hasn’t changed a bit… since then.