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No Face  We heard there was a convent in Madrid where you could buy dulces (sweets) from some very secretive nuns. We had the address, but it was still hard to find. We found the building, but the large wooden doors were closed, so we buzzed a nearby button. A scratchy, somewhat impatient voice came through the speaker and rattled off confusing directions in Spanish. My husband and kids pushed the door open and I followed as we entered a maze of halls. Search for Cookies  We made a few wrong turns while searching for the little window where we hoped to buy cookies. The Secret Window  And there it was! A solid door covered the wood framed window. Through the window was a lazy Susan with mysterious sectioned walls ...that kept us from viewing the nun who was hidden behind. Her voice spoke through the barriers, firing off a list of cookie selections and prices. My kids combined their Spanish skills to translate, but we were still a bit unclear. Oz or First Confession?  There was an odd twinge of worry about the whole process. I felt a bit like I was Dorothy pleading to Oz, hidden behind the curtain. Or was I reliving the nerves of my first confession at age 7, speaking to Father Cubrick, hidden behind the screen. Lots of Confusion  After some confused communication, we heard the Lazy Susan creek as it turned slowly like a revolving door. Suddenly a few boxes appeared. I think the nun grew impatient and allowed us to see the selection. We pondered over a few boxes, then Heidi grabbed one box before sending the others back. Payment  The nun's cranky voice demanded payment, so we sent a pile of bills and coins on the revolving platform. More funny comparisons came to mind. This could have been a speak easy...or a very curious drug deal! We four stood a moment in the hallway surrounded by tile and vault-like doors. We grinned at each other and headed back through the building. Our Cookies!  Here I am posing with Scott and our box of cookies. They were actually were pretty tasteless, but who cares? Thank you Mystery Nun!  You gave us a very fun adventure. I know you were probably very nice, but your voice made me conjure up images of the hooded witch in Hansel and Gretel. I wish I could have seen your face, because maybe you really were smiling the whole time. But it's more fun imagining a tiny woman with a wrinkled frown and a crooked nose...in a habit!
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FIFTY-FIVE
STRANGERS To celebrate my birthday in April 2012, I decided to reflect on the past with a different kind of list. I've met a lot of people in my 55 years, but I'm going to stop and remind myself about the strangers I've met. These are people I met by accident, not through friends or work. For some reason, these strangers dropped into my life. Even though we may have only spent a few minutes together, these people have never been forgotten. Each week, I'll spotlight someone I met in the past, who in some small way, made me stop and think. MY GOAL: Remember 55 Strangers Archives
April 2016
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