Screeching With Gilda

I first met her when I was only forty-five. I was in the art gallery carrying a smart phone when she sidled in. She was wearing an aquamarine pair of Bermuda shorts, which caught my attention right away. It really accentuated her lip, but I pretended not to notice.

I was about to set the smart phone down when she zoomed beside me. I guess she startled me, and I clumsily dropped the smart phone right by her feet. We both bent over to pick it up. It was one of those awkward moments, and we both began to screech.

After stumbling apologies, I asked her to go to the souvenir shop for an ice cream soda. She accepted, and our relationship took off from there. We didn't even know each other's names yet.

At the souvenir shop, I learned that her name was Gilda, and that she was a correctional officer. This was fascinating to me, coming from my career as a professional dancer.

I guess it was love at first screech. Some might say we had yardsticks in our eyes, but we felt we were perfect for each other. She was fifteen years younger than I, but the age difference didn't matter to us. Even today, we are still screeching for each other.