Zojourner Truth

My daughter has been back in the country for two days, and I still haven't seen her. This seems odd. It probably speaks to my lingering attachment to "my little girl" and the long learning curve toward my accepting her independence. Or the fact that Helga has other things to do besides rush home and tell me all about her trip.

Her "trip," in the broad sense of the term, continued upon arrival on Wednesday at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport at 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time. Her best pal Svetlana, a friend from high school in Central City, picked her up at the airport, and for the next 48 hours, the two of them have been participating in one of those arcane rituals of American culture, the wedding.

Another friend, Ludmila, is getting married today to her high school sweetheart from Smalltown, and Helga is a bridesmaid. They played flute together in the Northeast Swingstate University Orchestra. This much I understand, sort of. They get to buy an expensive dress that they wear once, stand up in front of the church, sit at the head table at the reception, and get lots of pictures taken. Whatever kind of event Ludmila and her family decide on is their business, and Helga is happy to take part.

She even agreed when pressed into service to make a toast to the happy couple, and I know she will do well in that role. Helga put a lot of effort into getting back from her (other) trip in time to do her part, and she is a trouper. Ever since she was a little girl, she has been extremely loyal to her friends. At times that has been difficult for her parents, but it's one of her best qualities, very Taurus like her mother.

Svetlana is a super-trouper for being her "date" on this adventure, a familiar face among the unfamiliar friends and family of the bride in Smalltown. Make new friends but keep the old, one is silver and the other gold.