Of Frogs and Frappuccinos

WEsip coffee.

We’re two old friends. Our friendship is older than our marriages. It predates seminary and high school. We’re pre-school old friends.

Our conversation turns to where we started from and where we are now. How we got here. We were once plain, pashut women. Our childhoods and early years of marriage were easier, simpler. We spent money on necessities. Life was full of simple pleasures that didn’t cost much money or take up too much space.

We talk about the past, growing up with parents who lived in the same house — no upsizing back then. Maybe they remodeled the kitchen once in the 30 years they owned the house. My grandfather, a tailor from Poland, sewed my dress for my brother’s bar mitzvah. Our closets were sparse and didn’t sport any fancy names or brands. As for toys, the few family board games, a couple of decks of cards, and dolls and action figures for imaginary play were all tucked into one closet. When we were bored, we’d ride our banana seats — one speed-bikes — often second-hand, aimlessly around the neighborhood.

We discuss the early years of our marriages. Both of us had husbands in school. We counted every dollar, allotted them for essentials like groceries and rent. We reminisce about our first cars, Toyota Corollas. We squeezed three kids into the back seat, and when we “moved up” to Honda Odysseys, it was a pleasure to buckle in the kids without straining our backs.