Stories Collected While Living in France

French la Vie

Getting to Know You

My cousin Angela wrote on her Facebook How she would like her "friends" to comment on her page about: How they met her. But she wanted them to make up a story, a **LIE**. She added, "That's right, just make it up."

I found that so funny, and knew I had to do it on my blog too. So tell me a "lie" about how you met me, inventive, creative, teasing, outrageous, simply stated… let your creative tales unwind.

Then when I return to blogging in a week, I will pick a few and send a small thank you for entertaining my blog readers and me xxx

 

Corey

 

Comments

76 responses to “Getting to Know You”

  1. meredith

    Corey and I met while “hooking” on the Vieux Port of Marseilles. She tried to take over my corner of the Canebiere 🙂

    Reply
  2. Karen C

    We were both waiting to audition as exotic dancers at the Moulin Rouge.
    Darn that Nicole Kidman!

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  3. Brenda, Kindred Hearts Antiques

    Corey and I met at a French Bakery! I flirted with her husband and bought the last of the Kouing Aman! She bopped me silly with a Brocante Bag as French Husband snatched the pastry from me to redeem himself and they ran away as fast as they could!!! She looked over her shoulder and winked as she said “I got the French Pastry AND the French Husband! How fortunate is that?”

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  4. Lisa

    We met when we were both members of GLOW (Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling) in the late 80s. I am really sorry about that inverted powerslam chokeslam I used on you. I hope you are not still holding a grudge!
    But hey, didn’t we have fun when we painted the town (Ah, our Vegas days!) red with Mika the Headhunter, Jungle Woman and Sally The Farmer’s Daughter. Yann took his sweet time bailing us out tho didn’t he?
    P.S. Don’t worry about your past haunting you; I kept my promise and burned the negatives!

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  5. Zosia

    We met at the convention of the Hell’s Angels Motorcycle Chicks. I admired her studs and the full black leather outfit, she liked my boots and my tattoos.

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  6. Jeanne

    Corey and I were both orphans in Asia and
    our past and love of Asia connects us closely.
    To this day both of us are fascinated with the Orient and all things of Asian ancenstry
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsaBh46Z50M&feature=related
    Smiles
    I consider this more of an enchanted fairy tale ending to our own liking
    Giggles

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  7. Jen

    We met on the dance floor at a gay club in San Fransisco. I bumped into you, not meaning to do The Bump, and after laughing about it, we walked into the ladies room to catch our breaths and reapply nonexistent lipstick. “I met this sexy French guy tonight” you told me, obviously wanting to tell SOMEONE, even another stranger. “I’ve been sad for awhile and I’m certainly not looking to get into another relationship, but there’s something about him, ” you continued. “I don’t even have a clue what he said to me out there and I don’t think it’s because the music’s loud.” After you pointed him out to me all I could reply was “Who cares what he’s saying? Go ahead and dance!”

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  8. Bev

    Corey and I met when she was working as a youth director in San Francisco and I was working as a youth director in Carmel (we actually were there at the same time). I had gone into SF to eat lunch with a bunch of my kids at the Hard Rock Cafe and she was there with a bunch of her kids. We hit it off. Since then I’ve visited her in Willows on my way up I-5 to home in WAshington State and she has come to visit my family when we lived in Brazil.

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  9. Vicki

    Corey and I were roomies at “Brocante Rehab”. It was Corey’s 7th court ordered stay and my 5th. It is so nice to “bump” into Corey at the various Brocantes around France. Needless to say there is no cure!!

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  10. Linda R.

    I had hiked up the hill to a lovely chateau en ruines and dared go no further as the sign said “privé – n’entrez pas.” I’m such a scaredy cat that I debated turning around. Then marvel of marvel, two wonderful ladies (Corey and Linda as it turned out)walked right past me, ignored the sign, said “c’mon and join us,” and continued on their way. Well, that was it, I boldly followed in their footsteps and am glad I did. Such a lovely adventure. Thanks for leading the way.

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  11. katiebell

    While astral traveling of course! Zooming in splendid light, you were smiling… we almost collided, then we twisted away and danced through the air and kept spinning on our way.

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  12. katiebell

    Oh, while were astral traveling, can everyone send some much needed love and calm and healing to New Zealand. Please.

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  13. Kathie B

    I was wandering about a [i]mercado[/i] on the island of Terceira in the Azores when I encountered a petite blonde Americana searching for bargains (what else?!?!), and we were both so glad to meet another English-speaker!

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  14. Kathie B

    Ack! I thought that [i][/i] would place the word “mercado” in Italics. Oh well, it seemed like a good idea at the time…

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  15. Leslie

    Don’t you remember we met a very long time ago..actually it was in the 18th century…we both were housemaids..and became instant friends..working in the most beautiful Chateau in France..cleaning and laboring daily over all the beautiful antiques…fast forward to the 21th century..is it possible to find one of those marvelous antiques we labored over so long ago,today at the brocante?..story to be continued….

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  16. Kathie B

    Oh, and after Corey and I met in the mercado, we went to a nearby café for still-warm-from-the-oven pastéis de natas classic little Portuguese custard tartlets in puff-pastry shells) and Azorean black tea grown on São Miguel, and chatted about all the things we had in common!

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  17. Jenna

    You know we met over food, kindred spirits. We grabbed the same head of cabbage at the market and both refused to let it go. After a few lost buttons and bruises, we both felt bad and took each other out for lunch and dessert. I will never forgive you for ending up with that cabbage, you have quite a right hook.

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  18. Shelley@thiswhiteshed.blogspot.com

    We met at the pen factory. A friendship was struck on the cap line.

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  19. Beverly

    Ah yes, in a previous life. Corey was in her past life the infamous la femme haute couture…Coco Chanel, very fashionable and chic way even way back then. Everyone wanted to know her! As she had the most exquisite taste in EVERYTHING!
    Me? I was the writer Colette, famous for my books, especially Gigi. While Coco was always slim and gorgeous. I got fat and caused a bit of scandal.;}

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  20. Cheryl ~ Casual Cottage Chic

    When did we first meet and become life-long friends? I searched through my pile of diaries and found the entry. “9-6-1965…first day of school and kinda scared but another little girl came up to me on the playground, took my hand and guided me over to a stack of old rocks in a corner. I wanted to swing but she wanted to dig through the rocks. Okay. Then we both spotted it at the same time; a white rock that looked like crystal was lying under the pile of boring rocks. I let my new friend put the rock in her pocket, knowing that later when we look for buried treasures she will let me have first pick.”

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  21. Marilyn

    Though I would have liked to have met you on the silk road it actually was when we were children. We each had tiptoed from our homes in California to experience laughter on the beach and collecting sea glass in sparkling colors of blues and greens. Each of us was dancing in the sunlight and saw each other dancing there. We knew then that our hearts were dancing the same dance, the dance of great JOY. It was whimsical, like two fairies without a care in the world. We sat and shared a picnic on the beach, then walked quietly away. Do you remember?

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  22. jackie

    Ironically, the first time I met Corey was while I was on a trip to China. I’d left Guangzhou late in the day on a “local,” a small bus with bench seats that was filled to capacity. There were people standing in the aisle and even packed onto the steps, crammed against the skinny double doors. One passenger, an old man with a deeply wrinkled face and few teeth, was hunched nearly in two. He held tightly to his cane, gripping it to steady himself as the bus swayed and lurched it’s way through traffic. I motioned for him to take my seat by the window. Day turned to night, the sun went down and the moon began to rise high in the sky. By now, most passengers had gotten off. I took a seat next to the old man. He spoke a bit of English and I spoke a bit of (stilted) Mandarin. His name was Yuelao. I told him I was on my way to an orphanage to pick up my daughter and showed him a tiny 1” X by 1” photo the adoption agency had sent me. He smiled and told me he had already seen my daughter. I looked at him quizzically, assuming I had missed something in translation. He continued…”It is well known in China that the Gods attach a red thread around the souls of those who are destined to meet. The thread can stretch over time and space, it can tangle and knot but it never breaks. He went on to tell me that he had seen me long ago, when he gazed at the moon. He saw everyone he would ever be connected to and he recognized my face as soon as I got on the bus. He leaned close and whispered, ”Would you like to see your red threads? I will show you if you like.” “Please,” I whispered back. He turned to the window and spoke softly in a dialect I didn’t understand. I watched as his warm breath fogged up the window. A cloudy haze of white collected and soon turned to vapor, making trails, like tiny rivulets that slid down the window. I watched in disbelief as they took on a reddish tinge. I leaned closer; in the fog of the window it appeared that each red rivulet made a straggly line to the moon. He told me to concentrate on the moon. I looked through the foggy window at the moon and saw many faces, some I was familiar with and some that were new to me, family members, old friends, my new baby daughter. I saw Yuelao smiling at me. In the years since I have met every person I saw reflected in the moon that night. There were many faces I did not recognize scattered among all those that I did. One of those, of course was Corey.

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  23. Brenda L from TN

    We met while swimming the English Channel from the French side. Once we got to England we hailed a taxi; then hopped a plane to California. While walking arm-in-arm down Rodeo Dr. we bumped into our life-long friends, Brad and Angelina. We all went for coffee and laughed and laughed about the time we all saw each other at the brocante and reached for the same Irish linen tablecloth at the same time. What fun times!
    Yeaaah….that’s the ticket…

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  24. Laura

    Don’t you remember?! Sheesh…we met while working at a scuba shop outside Akumal, Mexico. You worked there first and were so nice to me when I first started. You had me to your house for lunch and took me to the “mercados”, introduced me to the “discotecas” and beach life on the Caribbean.

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  25. Sharon Penney-Morrison

    We met on a warm day in April, in a Monastery in the south of France. After climbing the winding stair case..3 flights to be exact, you came into the room. We had an appt. to go to the Brocante for the day,but instead we decided to investigate the old Monastery since the owners were gone. We crept around, nervously, and looked into the closets, cubbyhole’s, and all the places we thought there might be secrets or even old bones!! Alas!! we found an old wooden trunk with rusted metal hardware, back in a crawl space deep under the monastery. It was large enough to hold several bodies…and we started giggling until we peed in our pants. We were very nervous and I always laugh when I am the most scared. We tugged and pulled on the old, cracked leather straps until we positioned it in more light.
    I found a crow bar and we took turns working with the massive pad lock that was on the trunk….hitting, prying, pounding.
    Finally after what seemed like forever, the lock gave way to the abuse. You wiggled the padlock off of the rusted hook and laid it on the dirt. It took both of us to lift the heavy lid, and me, being terrified of spiders, could hardly touch this cob web trunk…but you assured me the spiders were holy and therefore harmless.
    We gasp when the lid finally opened and inside were many items pristinely wrapped in linen. The fabric was yellowed from age and slightly crisp.

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  26. Katiebell

    Wow, I am moonstruck by that story, beautiful!

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  27. Katiebell

    cute 😉

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  28. ChicagoSheila

    Such wonderful old friends you have Corey…I just recently met you. You were chasing Stinky Cat out of your house. I was looking for him. He is my cat. He is old and runs his own homeless shelter for abandoned kittens in my house. He just needs to get away sometimes and he has found a refuge at your house. After you found out his story and his tireless work for the orphaned kittens in the community, you changed your attitude about him. Many thanks for being so accommodating and allowing him to continue to rest and pee whereever he wants to in your house. I look forward to a long friendship with you, especially now that you know his real name!

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  29. Everton Terrace

    Now who’s lying Corey? You know very well we did not meet in China. We met in prison where you were serving time for committing murder at a Brocante over some old linens and I was in for a jewelry heist. I believe we were both assigned to hard work duty because of our outburst in the cafeteria over their lack of vegetarian options. You must remember, it’s where you got your nickname, “Corey the Crusher” after all 🙂

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  30. elizabeth kirkpatrick

    My cousins CHEF’s wife told me about YOU thinking I had told my cousin about your site!NO< I EXCLAIM IT WASNOT ME!And why didnt my cousin tell me about YOU?Many many things very similar!Until we meet in person VIA LA SILK ROAD!

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  31. Theresa

    Don’t you remember I am Annies long lost niece who has been traveling the world collecting treasures. We meet one day at Annies while she is showing us how to prepare one of her meals.

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  32. joanne nixon

    i met you in the doctor’s office when we were both pregnant….i think it was just last year……: )

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  33. marlis

    China, you must have me confused with someone else. You know very well that we meet whilst fighting over lace. It was attached to my skirt and you picked up the back of my skirt, baring my beeehind to the world.. I guess you thought the lace was hanging there??? didn’t you see it was attached and I was wearing it? to this day I still shake my head at the photo you took of that angle..

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  34. Kimberly

    Corey I cannot think of a single story but I had a BLAST reading the responses! So funny! Blessings, Kimberly

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  35. Kathie B

    Earlier topic: If Yann’s set on traveling to China with only one small suitcase, why not ask him where he plans to pack HIS clothes?

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  36. Star

    Wow, that was enchanting. I’d love to read more that you make up on the spur of the moment!

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  37. Star

    Love it 🙂 This sounds like Lucy and Ethel!

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  38. blooms

    l believe it was 1970-75? the grand national bike show at the cow palace in san fran. i took best in the show and you won most creative. the joke was they were the first bikes we had built and no one but us used glitter, velvet and fringe! i still laugh remembering us riding off that sunday in our velvet corests, lace skirts, knee high leather boots, hair flying knowing we had change the world of custom bikes forever. i know i have that copy of easy riders, where we were on the cover, somewhere…..oh, i long for the days of flying in the wind with you……

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  39. Brother Mathew

    I was 11 when I first met my sister. Cronkite in the background I asked, “who are you?” “My name is Corey I’m your sister”, she replied. “If you don’t mind can I have the helping of meatloaf you been pokin’ at”, I said.

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  40. Kiki

    🙂
    only just looking in and finding you on ‘pole’ position; did you get it? The meatloaf?? 🙂

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  41. kas

    Driving to the bookstore took hours. It was the worst thunderstorm seen in our area in years. We took side roads, back roads, and once ventured through a fallow rice field to get to the bookstore on time for the book signing. Drentched and shivering (because our convertible top was stuck open for the whole trip) we ran into the bookstore only to find a queue for the book signing that snaked and weaved and bobbed around the entire store. I was happy about that really because I thought it would give us time to drip dry! Two hours later and dry as a bone there we were face to face with our dear Corey Amaro. She was at the bookstore signing her 5th installment of “Joie, Jouer, Amour” which you will no doubt remember was on the New York Times bestseller’s list for 2 years. And that’s how my husband and I met Corey!

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  42. Kiki

    i’m totally over the moon reading your story….
    utterly compelling and beautiful! Love, Kiki

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  43. Kiki

    YES! Your words and our prayers in God’s ear!

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  44. Kiki

    🙂 Hey, that’s MY story… lol
    will have to think of another one now!!! VERY GOOD – your rehab clinic!!!!!

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  45. Kiki

    Jeanne; what a lovely video-link you provided. This will be a treat for Corey – thank you!

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  46. Ana

    The wind was blowing through my helmet, the winding road faded in the distance, we were looking for somewhere to eat when the bike made a strange spluttering noise, as we turned the bend there in the distance was a motorbike and two people, one was taking a photograph, we pulled up and the person with the camera was you Corey. You invited us to have lunch whilst the boys tinkered with the bike. it was the most amazing lunch laid out on a beautiful vintage cloth with the most amazing array of cutlery and crockery. When I asked how you managed to get all those things onto the back of a bike you replied ‘ where there is brocante, there is a way’. that meeting on the road was to link us on a shared journey ever since taking the bends in the road and sharing a passion for vintage and friendship ever since.

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  47. Linda P.

    Jane and I flattened ourselves against the sun-warmed stucco of the building across the street. A French woman strode past us, gaze slanting at us, these giggling 60-somethings so obviously from the U.S. Who else would be wearing those shoes, I could see her thinking as she glanced at our feet and then rolled her eyes.
    “Did you hear the story about how he proposed?” I whispered in Jane’s ear. “Back in the 60’s when my husband proposed, he just said he thought it was about time we got married.”
    “Yes, but tell the story again.” Jane sighed.
    “Wait,” I said. I touched Jane’s arm, then nodded toward an upper story window. “I saw a curtain move. Do you think that’s him? Do you think he’ll come out? Will his hair be pulled back or loose?”
    “May I help you?” someone asked in English. I turned to see a blonde woman stopped near us, the marble mantlepiece from a sixteenth century fireplace carried across her shoulders like a yoke.
    “Corey!” I exclaimed, poking Jane with my elbow. “We came all the way from the States to meet you!”

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  48. Paula S In New Mexico

    It was a dark and stormy night. I was walking along a quiet New Mexico backroad when along in the distance came a vintage red and turquoise pickup truck, as it drew closer I realized it was a young girl, she looked like she’d just made a break from a monestary but that motorcycle in the bed of the truck threw me for a bit of a loop. Sure enough, she slowed down, stopped and hopped out to ask if I’d like a ride, I was hesitating when she smacked me in the arm and said “come on, it’ll be fun, maybe we’ll find a brocante” ! Well that was it. I hopped in, we took off and have been best of friends ever since !!

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  49. Marci

    Oh come on, we never really met or were introduced.
    We have known each other forever and our parents have always known one another. We were in brownies together
    and confirmation class. We rode the pep bus to basketball and football games. We later drove around together after we got our licenses. Don’t you remember
    my old ’69 Buick LeSabre named Nellie Belle? There is not one point in our lives that we can identify when we met, we have always known one another. We have shared experiences and lives. We have ELO and the Eagles in common. Don’t forget about Foreigner!
    Foreigner, now that is ironic. What ever happened to them? Please do not tell me that they are playing at the casinos. We are of the rare and nearly non-existic brand of people who have had a rural childhood.
    Don’t you remember?

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  50. Laure

    Now, Corey, you know better than to tempt me….you made me PROMISE I wouldn’t tell a soul about….well, you know…..you do remember, right? Corey? That night…THAT night…..what do you mean you forgot? The biggest, most OUTRAGEOUS night of our lives, EVER and you say you FORGOT?!!!!
    Hrrrmmmph. Where’s Yann? Maybe if I tell HIM you’ll remember THAT night we met!
    Geez, I can’t believe this!!

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  51. jackie

    This is my favorite reply, it conjures up such vivid imagery!

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  52. Audrey

    One night about four years ago I was woken from a sound sleep by a bang & the sound of footsteps below, I scurried across the upstairs hall & made my way down the back stairs, eyes trying to adjust to the darkness, ears attentive for any sounds. There…. I heard another bang… and the sound of footsteps coming from the library a few rooms away. I crept softly through the rooms in the darkness following the sounds, as I passed the front entryway I saw my Jean-Marc Nattier portrait leaning by the front door along with a French candelabra, some early silver, and a pile of 18th century textiles. I heard another thump coming from the next room, I picked up the candelabra & carefully made my way to the doorway. There in the shadows was a hooded figure bent over a French desk with a flashlight in one hand and an object in the other. I yelled “What are you doing!” The figure turned toward me. I lifted my candelabra ready to defend myself. The shadowy figure also lifted an arm in self defense holding an object high overhead. In the moonlight I caught sight of the object, it was the matching candelabra. We looked at each other, and looked up at the French candelabras that each of us were holding over our heads. And for a moment all was silent, then the absurdity of doing battle with French candelabras hit us both, and we lowered our arms & broke out in a fit of laughter. The hooded figure was laughing so hard the hood slipped back and in the dim light I recognized the face. “Corey?? Corey Amaro???” Corey had a puzzled look on her face. “I read your blog!” I said. Corey smiled broadly & said, “Wow, what are the odds!”. “I know”, I said, “it’s such a small world isn’t it?”. And we both marveled over that for a few minutes. I made us some tea & Almond Tuiles & we ended up chatting for hours! About life! About love! About antiques, husbands, & children, we had so much in common! Over the next few years there were times I would hear a bang in the middle of the night & I would call out “Corey? Is that you?” And sure enough, my good friend Corey had come to visit again. So more Tea & Tuiles!! Now, when I hear a bump in the night I don’t even call out… I just go straightaway to the kitchen & put the kettle on & prepare myself for a fun night of animated conversation & catching up with an old friend.

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  53. Eunice

    We met as opponents in the Roller Derby rink. We skated, nudged, and poked each other trying to get the other one to fall. We both retained our balance, and neither of us won. I later ran into her at the diner, and we talked about the race, and agreed to be mad at each other at the rink, but to like each other outside skating!

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  54. Kiki

    …where there is brocante, there is a way….
    I really dig that sentence!!! it’s SO true! 🙂

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  55. Kiki

    I’m not offering the story of How we Met…. – it’s far too personal and I don’t want to awake any jealousy here in company of so many extraordinary, wonderful and amusing friends…
    I just also wouldn’t want to be the one to choose ONE story; so much excellence, fun, riot, dreaming, telling, and basically just fabulous friendship! Have a lovely Sunday Corey and all you beautiful, wonderful people!!!!

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  56. marie

    I remember the first time our blogs met! They were on a yarn gathering assignment in budapest…they entered the yarn exchange and were immediately covered in fuzz (static electricity) they hadn’t planned on being so charged.
    After many missions, our blogs have finally learned to touch a metal surface before entering any yarn places…sigh…

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  57. suesue

    This story belongs in a fairytale book~so lovely and haunting!

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  58. Stephanie M

    I see alot of scarves bought in China. How will you chose otherwise! What talented readers you have met along the way…..

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  59. Victoria Ramos

    Like yesterday the memory is so clear of how I met my dear friend Cory – It was a Tuesday in ’86 and I was sitting at a bar in San Francisco at a local hot spot “The I-Beam”. I thought of myself as a ‘solid gold dancer’ in those days. I had just sat down after a very long song when out of the corner of my eye I spied a very handsome young guy. Boy, was he hot. I sat a long while and watched him go at it and he seemed like a pretty good dancer.
    Just as I got the nerve to go over and ask him for a dance, he headed to the dance floor to dance with some chick that had been out there on her own. Damn. As the night progressed they danced forever – but communication seemed awkward between the two…hands going this way and that.
    Finally, they took a break and ended up setting next to me at the bar. Talk about pouring salt in the wound – bad enough this chick beat me to the fox, but now she was sitting right next to me! Ugh.
    As they tried to communicate, I noticed that this guy was definitely from France. On and on they went, when finally I leaned over and said to the girl, “hey, do you want some help there – I just happen to be fluent in French!”
    Needless to say – 25 years later and visits back and forth from our home to theirs – Corey and I have and will always be friends…..we still on occasion dance a mean disco together when we can!

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  60. J

    We were first graders in China. Somewhere in Xian. Our parents had been sent to labor camps in the Cultural Revolution. Music, art, literature were all banned. Traditional Chinese characters were banned, and niw everyone had to learn a new simplified form of the wriiten language. We ate nothing except dug-up yams. I was crying because my hair ribbon had broke. You came over and gave me yours.

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  61. Cathy J.

    How could I ever forget meeting you at the Brocante. We were standing at opposite ends of a long table full of table linen. I swear I saw it first, but we both started to tug at a beautifully crochet table cloth that was buried underneath. I pulled and felt resistance (you), I thought it must be caught on something. I pulled harder and it seemed to pull back. I started to inch myself around the table to getting a better grip and discovered it wasn’t stuck, it was being pulled by you. We both politely smiled, probably both thinking she’s going to let go, but neither one of us let go. I said in my horrible French,” oh you can have it” and to my surprise you said “ok”. We both laughed and ended up spending several hours searching the Brocante together for delicious finds. You were a sweetheart and gave the tablecloth back to me. Every time I look at it, it reminds me of our wonderful meeting at the Brocante. You’re a dear friend!

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  62. Sue J.

    Vicki totally wins!

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  63. Debi

    I love to tell “our” story to my great great grandchildren…..Once upon a day, in a very far land, your great great nana found herself in a trash dump. You see, she had a problem called “antique addiction” which apparently was inherited by the women of her family. Thinking she was the only one in the world with this undefinable malady, she would wander aimlessly through the rows of flea markets in a quest for finding the perfect centuries old scarf that had once graced the shoulders of a fair maiden. However, on this day, she had quite elegantly ignored the No Trespassing sign and found herself with the most delightfully silver bangles (with lots of patina I may add)around her wrists as two not-so-nice men rudely told her “Noone is allowed in the dump. not you. not anyone so we are taking you in”. Upon arrival, nana was put into the dungeon where she found she had the most amazing Queen as her roommate. The Queen’s name was Queen Corey-of-the-Brocante. Queen Corey quite quickly wrapped her hospitable arms around Nana and whispered in her ear, “Don’t worry, Nana….My Prince Charming is going to rescue us!” Surely so, right as daybreak happened and the skies were a brilliant morning pink, Prince Charming (also known as Yann) came roaring up on his motorcycle and rescued the two! Many people find this story of how we met to be quite surreal…but that’s the way you and I are…friends through the ages, dumps and memories. I always said getting arrested going through a trash dump for treasures was on my bucket list…having you by my side…priceless……

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  64. Shelley Noble

    I first met Corey while she was a perfume tester at Guerlain’s back-in-the-day. Of course back then we called her “Maddy”. She was a tough broad with a tight rear on top of stems that wouldn’t quit. I remember she only ever wore clothes in delicate cascading shades of gooseberry green and the tallest of green satin heels, making her long limbs ridiculously longer still.
    I walked in, my nose still a virgin, and she took me under her wing, smell-wise. She showed me the ropes and was tons of fun. Oh, how we’d laugh!
    I couldn’t keep up in the sense-of-scent dept., couldn’t tell a jasmine from a has-been, and was soon transferred to their Coatings and Coffret section where I was eventually removed for smuggling high-cost bottles out to low-brow consumers. C’est la vie.
    But I relish those all too brief heady days I spent with Maddy/Corey. And I’ll always fondly remember her skillful way with bergamot.

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  65. Shelley Noble

    How lovely, Jackie. You are such a talented writer.

    Reply
  66. Denise Griffiths

    There I was Charles De Gaulle a lonely jet lagged Oz bird standing there with the RER and Metro map trying to work out how to get to my hotel. When you wandered up, turned the map up the right way then proceeded to explain in French, seeing my obviously bemused look, turned the map up the right way and then answered in English with concise instructions, still bemused you grabbed me by the hand jumped on the train and took me to them hotel. A strong friendship with you and the love of France was born there and then.

    Reply
  67. Kris

    Corey, hum, pardonne-moi, but we met on the TEA road. You were always on the lookout for aged bricks while I was searching high and low for young leaves. Ming and yixing teapots for you, gaiwan and glass for me. Remember how we got inebriated at the fifth infusion of Longjing and started chanting the Seven Bowls of Tea…

    Reply
  68. Ana

    this is so beautiful. I was transported to that bus with you, you write so that I can see in my minds eye. Captivating.
    Ana

    Reply
  69. Ana

    Sorry, I should also have said that you should have your own blog or website so that you can write and we can read. magical.
    Ana (again)

    Reply
  70. Shelley@thiswhiteshed.blogspot.com

    Stunning, and I daresay – believable!

    Reply
  71. Cheryl ~ Casual Cottage Chic

    Bravo! A read your story three times.

    Reply
  72. Sharon Penney-Morrison

    Bravo Jackie. More stories please….

    Reply
  73. Merisi, Vienna

    Congratulations, Jackie,
    on this beautifully painted tale,
    I love it, a stunning winner!
    Cheers,
    M

    Reply
  74. Merisi, Vienna

    I agree with Ana! 🙂

    Reply
  75. Brenda

    Oh I loved that! Great ending!

    Reply
  76. Alison Murray Whittington

    When I was a tiny tot in Red Bluff, my father took me along with him to do a radio story in Willows. While he was interviewing some locals, I escaped from his attention and toddled off behind a building, where I found a group of motorcycles. I climbed up on one of them, and then heard voices. Scared that I would be in trouble for running off, I climbed into a pannier on the back of one of the motorcycles. It was hot and stuffy in there and very cramped. Suddenly, the motorcycle shifted, its engine started up, and it was off!
    With wide eyes, I peeked out through the leather to see that there were dozens of motorcycles riding through the Northern California fields! I was scared but exhilarated and I reveled in the little bit of fresh air whipping into the pannier.
    Suddenly, we came to a halt in front of a farmhouse. I waited until all the men on the motorcycles climbed off, and then carefully climbed out myself, miraculously not burning myself on the exhaust pipes. Just as I tumbled to the ground, a teenager came around the corner and stared at me in amazement.
    She told me her name was Corey, took me inside, where her mother fed me chocolate-chip cookies and everyone quickly realized that I must be the little girl whose disappearance had been announced on the radio by her father, the newscaster. Corey drove me back to the town and my Dad gave me a huge hug, then told me not to tell my mother.
    But it was too late. My mom heard the radio announcements, too. She was so relieved to see me that she fed me more cookies, and ice cream. She didn’t feed my father any dinner at all.
    It was a great day! Well, for me.

    Reply

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