My First Assignment!

Just as I posted my blog yesterday, the phone rang. It was Morgan from Kerrville Area Business News (the monthly Chamber of Commerce magazine). His writer was sick. Would I be able to do an interview this morning. Yes! I said, although I was still in my dog-walking clothes, no make-up, hadn’t eaten and Walter was in the back seat, refusing to get out of the car.

I ended up taking Walter with me, to the historic downtown – which I had never seen before – and left him in the car with the windows open.

Sheftall’s Jewelers is in the old, renovated, Masonic Building. What a lovely store. I was so underdressed!  A petite blonde woman sat at a front table, “You look like me!” I couldn’t help saying. We laughed. Later I found that she’s a cousin who lost her home in Katrina and settled here five years ago. I really liked her and would like to visit her again.

I met darling Drew, who will do the layout of the article. She’s originally from Long Beach; her husband is in the military so she’ll only be here a short time until they move them again. Morgan had taken photos.  After they left and I sat, absolutely enthralled, listening to Dell Sheftall’s story and taking notes.

I was embarrassed, twice, when I had to ask him to pass me a Kleenex. I felt so unprofessional, but the story of his experiences in World War II was heart-breaking. Of 240 men in his company, eighteen returned unharmed. He was one of the lucky ones.   This charming man, in a three-piece suit, remembered every name, date and cost of a meal! His mind is sharp and his manner gracious.  The fact that his wife is named Audrey (like my beloved cat) and that she was his high-school sweetheart, and they worked together for twenty-five years, added to my admiration of him.

I finally had to interject, “Do you know I’ve been here two and a half hours?”  He said, “No!”  I told him I would love to stay all day and listen but I had a lunch date.  I’ve found that Texans love to talk, and listen. I told John, “Everyone here is so inter-active!”  There is not that sense of distraction that people in California seem to have, as if they’re thinking about something else all the time.

Deborah was waiting for me at the house and Walter finally got out of the car, but he growled at her. Once inside, he was okay. But I’m worried that he’s becoming aggressive. John thinks he may be in pain. Today he’s better, happier; we walked in the neighborhood for half-an-hour and he got to see the deer. But I don’t want to take him in the car again until John returns.

Deborah took me to the little town of Comfort, where we sat outside and had a delicious lunch at High’s Café. It felt like Marin County except for the fact that the town is one block long with two-story old-west buildings. It was nice to catch up.  She’s still friends with many of the girls I grew up with, as am I, so we had a lot to fill in. She absolutely loves Texas and has made a great life for herself with Lee, who I look forward to meeting.

(Friends who are on Facebook have seen some of her beautiful paintings. If you haven’t check her out: Deborah Harrington)

After lunch Deborah helped me hang some more paintings.  After she left, I took the doggy out, wrote the first draft of my interview and emailed it to Dell to read. I sent it to John, too, who said “it doesn’t flow like your usual writing.”    

Now I must call my mother, who came home from the hospital last night. Thank you, everyone, who’s sent your healing thoughts to Alice!