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Wednesday, June 20, 2007

things that make the heart beat faster

While I was stuffing sandy sheets into the Maytag this morning, my elderly upstairs neighbor admitted to me that the reason she stays in the laundry room while her clothing spins is because she has a bad heart. She thought I must be asking myself this question, that I was judging her. It's heartbreaking. I do this myself. I could list you thousands of examples, but don't want to travel down that road at the moment.


My neighbor reached her liver spotty hands to the ties of her dressing gown and started to pull the string. "I got surgery," she said and I held up my hand in protest.

"Oh yes, you showed me already," I said, relieved I didn't have to stare at her scar once again. She's like a flasher. Of the geriatric variety. Sexy.

"Oh," she said, deflating. "I don't want to go up and down, with my heart."

"It makes your heart beat faster," I said, wondering if she was disappointed that I didn't bust out my violins. And then I thought of that movie. The Pillow Book, by Peter Greenaway, where Ewan McGregor shows full frontal. I liked that movie.

Things that make the heart beat faster—
Dropping a crying child at daycare.
Schlepping up and down stairs after open heart surgery.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

honey, let's stop all this fussin' and a feudin'.

apparently seeing ewan mcgregor's sweet meats makes the heart beat faster as well.

Elise A. Miller said...

i love you too honey. nice pic. rawr.

Amelia Plum said...

ooh, I can see what a strong personality Stella has just looking at that picture. sounds like she might be better with the rhinestone studded sweatpants teacher, who sounds very wise and no nonsense. Amen to that which makes the heart beat faster.

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