Eddie Izzard and my own Catholic bubble...

I love living where we do.  It's a large city, but we've made a lot of friends through our church, and we're happy.

Sometimes you live in your own little "Catholic bubble," and the people within that bubble are used to you, and what you believe, how you dress, etc.

Living in a large city, we rarely bump into people we know while out and about--it's just not very common.

Growing up in a small town, that was pretty much inevitable. 

When I would come home from college, I would actually DREAD going to Wal-mart or Dillons.  I pretty much hated life at that point, and I just KNEW I was going to see someone and the conversation would be the same.

"Hey, Delena!  How are you?"

"Fine."

"What's new with you?"

Did they want the truth or some made up answer so they could be on their way?  Because I certainly COULD say, "Oh, you know--still dating the atheist who verbally abuses me every single day and makes comments about how stupid I am, how I need to lose weight, etc.  I've changed majors three times, I rarely go to class (but am still making a killer GPA!), and I hate the town I live in where I go to college.  You know--same ol', same ol'."

But I'd just give them the "Not much.  Still in college," and we'd be on our way.

Now when I go home, I'm bummed when I go to the store and all the faces look so unfamiliar.


Tonight I had to go mail quite a few ETSY orders out.  I take them up to a grocery store five minutes north, and they have a post office inside.

It TOTALLY beats standing in line at the actual post office with three kids--can I get an "Amen?"

Anyways, while I was standing there, I turned and saw a familiar face.

It was a girl who graduated my sophomore year of high school. 

"How weird!"  I thought to myself.  "Being clear up here and seeing someone you know!  Small world!"

And, me being me, I immediately blurted out her name.  She turned to look at me, confused.


Time out.

Now.  Let me explain what I looked like tonight at the store.

Remember that Catholic bubble I live in?  Where people are used to how I look, how I am, etc.? 

Okay, so, I'm standing in HyVee wearing a dark jersey-knit skirt, dark socks, black MaryJanes, a black peacoat, a diaper bag that could fit a large dog, and a black snood to keep my hair off of my face.

Time in.

The girl recognized me (especially when I tipped her off with the name), but she had a look on her face that I couldn't decipher.

Now, to be fair--I have NO idea what the girl was thinking.  I don't.

But if I was her, I'd be like, "Dang.  WAS Delena Amish back in high school?  Or was she a Muslim?  Why don't I remember her looking like this?  What's with the dark clothes?  What is she wearing on her head?  Is she a poet who wants to hang herself?  What's with the gigantic bag--does she throw newspapers for fun?"

After telling her I was married and had 3 kids with one on the way, she chatted about how she never really goes "home," and that she actually lives a couple of blocks away from where we live up here.

Huh.

Small world.

By this time, the cashier was super interested in our conversation.

I told her it was great to see her--that it was a nice treat to see someone you actually know at the grocery store up here, and we went our separate ways.

Then I went through the Taco Bell drive-thru (second trimester has me gagging at pretty much any food...except fast food--go figure) and the drive-thru guy talked to me about whether or not he should take people's orders in an accent like Eddie Izzard.

I'm a fan of fake British accents, so we conversed in our fake British accents for a moment before he handed me my food.

Weird night.

Well, time to play some "Dominion" with the husband.

Huh.

Now that I've re-read that sentence it sounds rather weird.

"Dominion" is a card game.  That's it.


Allllllright.