Short Story
Mr. Wonderful”
by Linda Palmer (writing as Melinda Wells)
July 11
To: Adwoman (Catherine Foster)
From: SatinDoll (Lisa Stuart)
Hi, Cat. It was great to see you at the reunion! Can you believe it’s been 20 years since HS? And 19 years since we saw each other? So you’re VP of an ad agency. Aren’t you the hot doo doo! < Grin >
I think it was cruel of Beverly to use our senior yearbook pictures on our ID tags. Okay for you and me—we look fab! But it must have been awwwwwful for Elaine and Marlene and Janice. (I think Bev did it because she’s married to a plastic surgeon and is trying to scare up—and I do mean “scare”—business for him.) Isn’t it Incredible how some of us don’t seem to have changed at all, but some of our classmates look like their mothers? And we didn’t even sell our souls to the Devil. At least, I didn’t. How about you??????? What’s your secret? Botox? Lipo? Lots of hot loving? Do tell!
Lis
July 11
To: Satindoll
From:Adwoman
Got a creative meeting in five (our Recycled Jeans account’s in trouble), but I wanted to say NO botox, NO lipo, and (sadly) no hot loving. JeanPaul broke up with me. Yep, HE was the one who said “adieu ma Cherie.” I’m not sure I’m quoting him exactly. Part of our problem was that I never had time to learn French. He said I’m “work-obsessed,” that I cared more about our clients’ campaigns than I did for him. (Now I can see there was a grain of truth in that.) If I ever fall in love again—and please, God, save me from that—it will be with an energetic American. Or at least an Englishman, an Aussie or a New Zealander. Not with someone who takes three hours to eat dinner, who orders pate even though he knows how it’s made, and whose entire home country closes down in August. Enough venting! I’m glad we’re in touch again. I dreaded going to the reunion, but it resulted in our finding each other. And, I have to admit, my “evil twin” got a pinch of glee because we look better than some of our classmates—especially two girls who were really bitchy to me in school but who were so nice at the big reunion dinner because you told them I know Brad Pitt. (Don’t I wish!)
July 11
To: Adwoman
From:SatinDoll
Old friends are the best!
Xoxoxo, Lis
P.S. What are “Recycled Jeans”? Sounds gross! Would you wear somebody else’s pants? I wouldn’t!
July 12
To: SatinDoll
From: Adwoman
Recycled Jeans are made from reused denim—in a kind of patchwork design, with no two exactly alike. Because denim never wears out in all sections of the same garment, the good parts are reused. The cloth is thoroughly sterilized before the new jeans are stitched together. But I think you identified a problem that hadn’t occurred to us. “Recycled” doesn’t sound very appealing when applied to tight-fit clothing. This company’s a good one, though: the factories are in America, with unionized workers. I’m proud we represent it, but I think we need to suggest a new name for the product. (Quick, hand me that Thesaurus!)
Cat
July 13
To: Adwoman
From: SatinDoll
What about “Reincarnated Jeans”?
July 14
To: SatinDoll
From: Adwoman
