Chapter 18
In my kitchen cupboard to the right of the sink, in with all the coffee cups, you might notice something.
There are two of everything, except for one squat little cup that looks like the bully on the playground—you know, tough because it’s short.
It’s a tan color, similar to ones you’ve probably seen hundreds of times.
But this one meant a lot to Terrence and me, and sometimes we practically fought over who could be the one to have their coffee in there.
At first, we would say things like Look at that RED!
or Oh my goodness doesn’t that yellow look just like gold?
but finally we stopped talking and we just held hands and walked.
We got pooped after a while but we didn’t want to go home quite yet so we stopped in the Anytime Diner and got ourselves a meal.
It was the kind of restaurant served breakfast anytime, hence the name, and didn’t we pile on the pigs in blankets.
The coffee there was very good and Terrence said he thought it was in part because of the cups.
Do you really think so? I asked and he said why sure, and he drained his cup and then he said he would like to have it, and he made like to stuff it under his jacket.
His good sense and his conscience got the better of him and he put the cup back.
But he was like a kid looking at the toy he wanted most in the department store window.
I told Terrence, Why don’t you ask if you can buy a cup and Terrence allowed as how that was a good idea and he asked George the owner could he please buy a cup, he just liked those cups so much and he sure would like to drink coffee from one of them at home.
And do you know, George just gave it to him.
Go on, take it, he said, I got a lot of them.
Well we walked home and we both of us just kept on looking at that cup like we’d won a trophy. And because there was only one cup, it became even more special.
But here’s the thing I really want to say.
I sat for the longest time after we got home, just staring at the cup and thinking two things.
One, isn’t it amazing what an act of generosity can do to start the wheels turning?
And what I did was to make a collection of leaves which I preserved with a glycerin and water bath.
I tied a big orange ribbon around it. (And do you know when Terrence came home with that orange ribbon after I sent him to the dime store on an emergency errand because I had a birthday gift wrapped and no ribbon, and then I nearly yelled at him because who would ever use ORANGE ribbon?
?? It was on sale, he said, and I said well no wonder and he said what and I said nothing.) But that orange ribbon looked as pretty as can be around those leaves and after I had them all arranged I went for a walk with them and I went up to a stranger’s house and tied them to the doorknob and then ran away.
I felt very excited like a little kid, my heart just a-pumping.
And when I got home I had a cup of coffee in George’s cup and I thought about how someone would find those leaves and think what the heck?
? And they would have a moment of mystery happiness, you know, a surprise where you never find out why and how but you sure enough feel lucky.
The other thing I thought was, it is such a beautiful fall day in 1961 and this day will never be repeated.
And it hurt me good but I was also squeezed by happiness.
And I rose up from my kitchen chair and I called Terrence to me and I kissed him hard.
He flushed, oh can you imagine, but that’s the kind of man he was, he flushed and I kissed him again even better and then we repaired upstairs.
I hope it doesn’t embarrass YOU, me telling you such a thing.
But after all we were married. Married down to the pores in our skin, is what I’d say.
And I’d also say we knew we were lucky, whatever came our way, we knew it all the time.