A Series of Serials (Jewel and Diane)

Coming up next is the seventh part to Diane Richardson’s “When I Met My Hubby.” But first, even more older buds writing serials.

Older bud Diane started a trend! A few more older buds started writing serials too. Older bud Ken even said that writing serials encourages him to come back each week to write even more. We can’t wait to share all of these stories with you, and we already have our volunteers typing them up. In the meantime, here's the first part of a two-parter written by older bud Jewel:

Jewel Grace

11.02.2021

Cape May – Day 1

So, I don’t exactly know what I am supposed to be doing here. I’m in my room just trying to rehydrate myself after drinking a cup of very strong hot coffee after lunch. I had coconut shrimp wraps for lunch, and they were too good to be true, plus come clam chowder, also to die for. My waitress was charming and was charmed by my words. She took off to tell the chef.
Back in my room; I guess I will watch some TV. I’m tired, it was a long bus trip here. So, I am feeling pretty awful, also because I didn’t kiss the feet of the people who run this place and just asked up front if I had a question. But they all looked at me like I’m a little weird, like I don’t really belong here. And by the way what is here anyway except for an expensive old-style bed and breakfast stay in Cape May that an old friend used to stay at and now I’m afraid that they’ll never invite me again here because I have done something awful just by being myself and being awkward and they aren’t very nice.
They aren’t making me feel at home at all, so quite honestly, I don’t know that I would ever want to be here again. Later I ate crab cakes for dinner, the smell of which turned my stomach. But I ate them anyway because they cost a lot of money and I never thought to say “The smell of these makes me sick, could I order something else” which is what I would like to have done. The cool thing was that I didn’t eat all the mac and cheese and I didn’t get dessert which was huge!
Now I don’t know what to do with my life next.
Higher power, help me. Do I need to kiss your feet?
To be continued with Cape May – Day 2

We now return to our continuing story, "When I Met My Husband" by Diane Richardson Part 7:

Diane Richardson 

03.29.2022

When I Met My Hubby Part 7

So at this time I was on assignment as a medical technician at the Family Court at 34 S. 11th Street collecting specimens for paternity tests from women and children on public assistance or welfare. Then the males who may or may not be in the same state, named to be the father or fathers. But that’s another story for another time and you’ll be surprised.
So, Valentine’s Day was approaching, and I wanted to plan a little dinner for Joe and I but I didn’t know if he even knew what Valentine’s Day was, so I asked him and he answered yes, “I’m supposed to buy you flowers and chocolates.” I said no, that’s not for me. Flowers are only going to die, and I don’t eat chocolates. He said good, you saved me a lot of time.
So, on Valentine’s Day he came to my job with a giant teddy bear almost as big as me and a cute little diamond ring. I was so surprised. I asked him if he would take these gifts back with him as it was too much to carry on the bus. He said, “I’ll be here to take you home when you get off.” I asked, “Don’t you have to work this evening?” He answered, “I do.” I said, “I prepared a little Valentine’s something for you to enjoy before you go to work. A nice dinner, whipped cream and strawberries for desert and all your favorites.” Needless to say, he didn’t make it to work that evening. Good thing he was the Boss!
To Be Continued

If you want to transcribe for Best Day, then email us at info@bestdayofmylifesofar.org. You can also share our older buds' adventures by donating to Best Day, subscribing to our newsletter, sending a note to our older buds, or following us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. And if you or the older buds have stories told in multiple parts, then you or they can submit stories through our portal right here. We're especially interested to stories from Black older buds, but we're always looking for stories from older buds of color, older buds with disabilities, LGBTQIA+ older buds, older buds of any gender or sex, older buds of any religion, and older buds who just plain break the mold.

And don't forget to maintain contact with the older buds in your life. If you can't be there in person, please call them, email them, or message them on social media. And if they're using teleconferencing or remote events for the first time, give them a call and help them set things up. Check in on them to see how well they're getting used to these programs. Buy them a computer or an internet package if they don't have one of their own. It's a human right, after all.

Curated by Caitlin Cieri

Flights of Fancy (Cynthia & Diane)

Coming up next is the sixth part to Diane Richardson's "When I Met My Hubby." But first, another travel story!

I have more trips lined up in the future, so I've got airplanes on my mind. It's weird to think that I'm feeling comfortable enough to go back on airplanes again; especially given how inconvenient flights have been lately. By an odd coincidence, both our stories involve airplanes. The first is a eulogy by older bud Cynthia for her late brother:

Cynthia Morihara

10.22.2020

Letter to a Friend

It is true that my brother made a hefty income as an emergency room doctor, but he used a lot of money to buy planes and run a small airpark. He flew himself to all his hospitals. He also hired many people as he was always starting up businesses and projects, most of which failed in some way or another. Although he was a good doctor, he was not lucky in business. He had many friends, as witnessed by the big turnout at his funeral. People came from all over the country, and I saw three of his best friends cry. I loved my brother, but he didn’t have good sense. He overworked, and he didn’t get enough sleep. Once, being so tired he forgot to put his landing gear down. He ruined his plane. It was unfortunate that he got himself into debt over his head. It was unfortunate that he died so young. I also lost a son, and that was and is painful for me.

 

We now return to our continuing story, "When I Met My Husband" by Diane Richardson:

Diane Richardson

03.22.2022

When I Met My Husband Part 6

So, I continued going to the casino every Saturday with Pearlie Mae and having a good time loading up. I was telling my daughters about my trips and my youngest daughter Tia asked if she could meet us there as she lives in Voorhees not far from the casino. I told her where to meet us and told her we’d be in a red van. When she arrived, she said to me “I hate to tell you that’s not a van. It’s a candy apple red Cadillac Escalade.” I said, “Well, do tell.” Tia is a flight attendant for American Airlines and sometimes work for private companies for entertainers. She could write a book about it. Myself, Joe and her siblings can fly for free. Tara and Tia would fly once a month to a different island. I would fly on some weekends to Vegas then New York then home. Traveling to those islands was too much for me. I did it a couple of times to Aruba and Cancun. I mostly stayed in my room. They would get ready to go out at eleven and I would get ready for bed. I can’t hang with them. So, Tia and Pearlie Mae began to get tight as Tia loves to gamble also. Tia put Pearlie Mae on her buddy plan where she could fly for free. She only had to pay the taxes. They would fly to all the casinos and gamble till their hearts were content. They lost a lot, and they won a lot. My other daughter Tara is a Harvard graduate and holds a master’s degree in nursing. She’s like me, a book worm with no desire to gamble. I get no pleasure in losing my money. I’d rather give it away to those in need, than lose it to gambling. I donate money to a few organizations. I get pleasure doing that.
To Be Continued...

If you want to transcribe for Best Day, then email us at info@bestdayofmylifesofar.org. You can also share our older buds' adventures by donating to Best Day, subscribing to our newsletter, sending a note to our older buds, or following us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. And if you or the older buds have gone abroad, then you or they can submit stories through our portal right here. We're especially interested to stories from Black older buds, but we're always looking for stories from older buds of color, older buds with disabilities, LGBTQIA+ older buds, older buds of any gender or sex, older buds of any religion, and older buds who just plain break the mold.

And don't forget to maintain contact with the older buds in your life. If you can't be there in person, please call them, email them, or message them on social media. And if they're using teleconferencing or remote events for the first time, give them a call and help them set things up. Check in on them to see how well they're getting used to these programs. Buy them a computer or an internet package if they don't have one of their own. It's a human right, after all.

Curated by Caitlin Cieri

Bon Voyage (Ann and Diane)

Coming up next is the fifth part to Diane Richardson's "When I Met My Hubby." But first, an update!

Sorry for the radio silence for the past few weeks, but after two years or being grounded, I finally got to travel again! To France, no less! I had a great time, but even more fun was how interested all the older buds were in my adventures, and hearing about their own adventures in turn. So for the next few weeks, I'll be posting stories of our older buds' own travels, along with some traveling from our very own Diane.

Ann von Dehsen

03.22.2022

Parlez-Vous Français?

A few weeks ago, I wrote about my 1996 trip to London & Paris with my sister Ellen and art students and faculty from her college. This is part 2. After leaving London where I learned the correct pronunciation of Bath, not bath, we arrived at our very small hotel in Paris.
During the trip to Paris, it was discovered that I was the only one in our small group who spoke barely passable French and I do mean barely. At check-in the French speaking rather stout, older, cigar smoking man at the desk, who didn’t seem to know how to smile, threw us out keys as my fellow travelers began making requests in my ear… “Ask him how far away is the Eiffel Tower? How do we get there? Are there any good but inexpensive restaurants nearby?” And many more.
So, I took a big gulp and got through the first few questions which were answered bluntly with an arrogant “oui,” “non,” or “peut-être” I guess my annoyance with him was evident because as I slowly began the next question, he signaled me to come behind the desk. “Oh no” I thought, “is there a punishment for using poor French with an attitude?”
But as he brought me over to his desk in the back corner, he actually cracked a smile as he said, “My name is Joe and I’m an ex-pat from Brooklyn. I hate it when Americas come in here an assume I speak English as they ramble on and on. This ain’t the Ritz Carlton”. I give your French a “C”, but you made a sincere understandable attempt and now I will help you out.” With that he pulled various maps and restaurant menus in both French and English from his desk drawer and handed them to me. “Merci beaucoup Monsieur,” I said. “No problem, call me Joe and go fall in love with Paris” was his response. And do so we did! 

We now return to our continuing story, "When I Met My Husband" by Diane Richardson:

Diane Richardson

03.15.2022

When I met my Husband part 5

So, I continued going to the Casino with Pearlie Mae every Saturday. She would book a suite for me to use while her and her sisters would gamble. I would relax, order movies and room service and then hit all the takeout restaurants to take home all that I could carry. Joe would sometimes come, and we would stay for a couple of days. I couldn’t get him to go to any shows though Pearlie Mae would get me however amount of tickets for the shows that I wanted. We even utilized the time service to ride to different casinos to see different shows at different casinos. Pearlie Mae was truly a high roller.
One day Joe told me he had to have an annual physical for his job I asked if he had a primary physician, he said no. I told him, I had two friends that were physicians that had a practice not far from where I lived. He asked me to make him an appointment. We went to the appointment, and I introduced him to my friends. Dr’s Quintianni and DeSalvo they were two young Italian guys. The doctor ordered an EKG and bloodwork. I told the Drs. I would do his EKG ad bloodwork. I did, and all went well. After the appointment, we went to Red Lobster for lunch. That was the place to go back then. Now it’s Ruth Chris. My favorite restaurant. He informed me he had an appointment to get his taxes done, and if I needed mine done. I told him I needed mine done and he made an appointment for me, to be done same day as his. We had them done and went out to dinner at his favorite diner on Baltimore Pike. After that day we went there often. The food was really good, and they gave you large portions. So, I started inviting him over on a regular basis. I was really feeling him and would cook all his favorite dishes. I love to cook, and he would appreciate the home cooked meals, as all he really did was work. He was an automotive engineer, and his job was his life. He worked the evening and night shifts. I would often take him lunch or dinner to his job and wait for him in his office until he got off. And he would take me to work in the morning.
To Be Continued

If you want to transcribe for Best Day, then email us at info@bestdayofmylifesofar.org. You can also share our older buds' adventures by donating to Best Day, subscribing to our newsletter, sending a note to our older buds, or following us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. And if you or the older buds have gone abroad, then you or they can submit stories through our portal right here. We're especially interested to stories from Black older buds, but we're always looking for stories from older buds of color, older buds with disabilities, LGBTQIA+ older buds, older buds of any gender or sex, older buds of any religion, and older buds who just plain break the mold.

And don't forget to maintain contact with the older buds in your life. If you can't be there in person, please call them, email them, or message them on social media. And if they're using teleconferencing or remote events for the first time, give them a call and help them set things up. Check in on them to see how well they're getting used to these programs. Buy them a computer or an internet package if they don't have one of their own. It's a human right, after all.

Curated by Caitlin Cieri