THE USUAL NOTE FROM LB: From the summer of 2002 to the spring of 2010, Gwen the Beautiful and I were the proud and often exhausted owners of a beautiful Ozarks property we called Cloud Creek Ranch.
In many ways, the ranch was paradise. But it was a paradise with a price that started going up before we even knew it existed. Here’s another Monday musing about our adventure and the lessons we learned.
Oh, and if y’all detect any irony, please believe me when I say it comes straight from the universe and not your kindly Uncle Larry B.
by Larry Brody
Here in Paradise it’s the season for homecomings.
First, Burl Jr. returns.
Not to stay here on The Mountain with Gwen the Beautiful and me, but still he and his wife and their baby are nearby, and whether that’s a good thing for their lives or a not-so-good one is for them to decide.
Now, who should Gwen and I run into at the Paradise Supermarket?
None other than Brenda the Blonde.
Brenda’s a true Paradise legend. The town’s rebel woman whose life has kept everyone talking since junior high, when she suddenly blossomed into the most beautiful girl in town.
I wasn’t here then, but Sweet Jane, Phyllis at the Feed Story, and Lily the Librarian have filled me in:
“Brenda was always so vivacious….”
“Brenda just loved her life and everything she did….”
“All the boys loved Brenda, and she loved to have them around….”
“Brenda knew all about what was going on in the big city. I remember how she used to wear these jogging suits all the time, when I didn’t even know what a jogging suit was….”
“I was so relieved when she got married because I didn’t have to worry about my man looking Brenda’s way. And then she was the first woman around here to get divorced…!”
“I remember when she traded in the jogging suit for high heels and textured pantyhose. And so does my husband…!”
“She started vanishing, going who knows where….”
“…And talking about ‘polarity’ and ‘reiki’ and ‘wheat grass….'”
“…And speaking in tongues….”
“…Channeling spirits….”
And then, one day a couple of years ago, Brenda the Blonde was gone. Ex-husband, grown-up children, Sweet Jane, Phyllis, Lily, and at least half the other women in Paradise clucked sadly and continued to talk about her with smiles that were like movie montages, simultaneously rueful, envious, and, most of all, relieved.
But how did Brenda feel? What was going on with her life in sophisticated Palm Springs, CA?
“Gwen? Larry B? It’s so good to see you. I missed you so much!”
Brenda’s arms went around Gwen’s neck in a big hug, and then she turned and did the same to me, right there in the poultry section of the market. In the florescent light, she looked just as she had the last time we saw her. Hair perfect. Make-up just right. And, yep, high heels and hose.
“Brenda, hey! What’re you doing here?” I heard myself say.
Gwen shot me a look. Turned back to Brenda. “He means, ‘It’s so good to see you too!'” she said.
“But not too good,” I said. “I mean—”
Another look from Gwen. I broke off. Better to leave the hole while it was still fairly shallow.
“How long have you been back?” Gwen said.
“About a month. After a real education. A tour of duty in the Big World. At last!”
Brenda became more serious. “Missed my granddaughter, though. Lots. Had to see her. And the kids, of course. But…I don’t know. They say things never change here, but they have.”
“How?” I said.
“Well, everybody’s acting like they’ve never seen me before. I used to hear, ‘There goes Wild Brenda’ whispered behind my back when I walked by. Now they’re saying, ‘It’s that Woman from California. Hmph!’ instead.”
Gwen smiled. “Paradise hasn’t changed. You have. You’re not the woman they remember. Not anymore.”
Gwen was right. It wasn’t an appearance thing. It was attitude. Brenda’s tone of voice was different. Her posture too. She looked taller that she used to and hadn’t giggled once so far. Seemed more relaxed.
Like she wasn’t trying to prove anything.
Finally, she’d seen the world. And it was:
“California’s California. Totally different from here,” Brenda said. “People there go places, do things. Fine dining! Theater! Movie stars sashaying down the street!
“And yet, when you get down to it, everything’s really just the same. I was ‘that eccentric woman from the Ozarks. Pfft!’
“There it is,” Brenda the Blonde went on. “In Paradise, they say I’m crazy. In California, I’m ‘a little askew.’ So I guess I’ve learned something.
“I’ve learned that no matter where I am, I’m still alone.”
I didn’t know what to say. Turned to Gwen. I knew the look on her face. She was thinking….
“Not tonight you’re not alone,” Gwen said. “Because you’re having dinner with us. All you’ve got to do is bring the bean sprouts. I’ll take care of the rest.”
