There are two types of people in Boston—South Shore people and North Shore people. I am a North Shore girl. I need a compass just to identify which direction is south.
I plug the address into my GPS and head out into the peak of rush-hour traffic. The VP of Development calls me in advance to make sure I am headed in the right direction. I like this woman very much but I’m not sure what she thinks of me. She is very tall, pretty and blonde—your basic nightmare. When she called me a few months ago to come into the office for a photo shoot for the annual brochure, she said “don’t worry…it’s just a head shot and we can re-touch it.” Nice.
By the grace of God, I get to the event on time. I am the featured speaker. The VP of Development looks me up and down and says, half-heartedly, “Oh, you look nice.” I am wearing the same thing I always wear. I just put on a different scarf each time to keep ‘em guessing.
The first thing you notice about this house is that it is deceptively large. Outside, it looks to be a little bigger than a ranch. Inside, it’s massive. High ceilings, all open floor plan. The outside looks like a park, complete with a gazebo, pergola and a bridge to nowhere. There are birdhouses and chimes.
I notice the seating in every room looks amazingly comfortable. Wherever I sit (and I try out a few spots) the first thing I want to say is “Ahhh.” Bliss. If I ever had to housesit in this place, I could nap in every room.
The invitation said “cocktails and appetizers” and the event was 6-8 p.m. I had a good lunch (Asian salad at McDonald’s with only half a packet of the low-fat Ginger Sesame dressing) thinking I would not be eating at this event. Most of the time, there is one veggie platter at these things. Tonight, however, is a whole different scene. Caterers in the kitchen poured out with a bevy of food—lobster on some kind of crostini, spinach and artichoke thingies, a fountain of shrimp cocktail, a huge platter of all sorts of cheeses, a platter of asiago cheese (melted) wrapped in dates, homemade egg rolls with sweet sauce, and sandwiches of tenderloin beef and boursin cheese as well as chicken salad sandwiches. Oh, and a caprese salad and a tortellini salad. All huge platters.
A bar stocked with wine, beer and soft drinks is at the other end. I have Perrier and lemon and a couple of pieces of shrimp with strawberries.
By the coffee station are homemade macaroons and those whoopee pies. A veritable orgy.
The hosts, a nice-looking couple, are warm and gracious, greeting each guest personally and spending time with each one.
I can’t get over how comfortable the house is. I really feel at home here.
As I am leaving, I turn to the Vice President of Development and say, “ I really feel so comfortable in this house. By the way, what does he (the host) do for a living?”
She smiles at me and says, “He owns a large chain of Big and Tall Clothing Shops.”
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