About 15 years ago my wife and I were in Calcutta where my wife was giving a guest lecture at one of the local universities. The president of the university could not pay much for the lecture, but to make up for it he arranged a private meeting for my wife and I with Mother Teresa. We had a month to prepare for it, but when the moment actually arrived and the three of us were in her office, neither my wife nor I could say a word. What do you say to Mother Teresa? What’s new?How are things going? Read any good books lately? What do you think of the world situation? After a few minutes of her trying to make conversation, she recognized how awkward we felt and invited us into her chapel to pray. Which we did (along with some other people). Final note: when it was time to leave, I wanted to get a souvenir. It seemed tacky to ask her to pose for a picture. But when we were praying, we had been handed Rosary beads and I thought I would take them as a souvenir. Then it occurred to me, how could I tell people I stole some Rosary beads from Mother Teresa. So I left them there.
I changed the details but not the import so as to not spoil anything. It’s someone more obscure than Sylvia Plath, generally speaking.
I can see this making her a braggart, but what’s bitchy about bragging?
If she was doing it for the shock value and to mess with him, it’s bitchy. As well as inappropriate in a professional setting.
Point taken. I withdraw my quibble.
No I didn’t take her up on it. As I said, I was speechless, as in nothing came out of my mouth. I think what blew me away was the totally was the matter of fact tone of voice she used.
As I mentioned we were phone buddies that spoke several times a week so it is not like she said this to a total stranger.
must…resist…
You nailed that one and I’m adding it to my lexicon. I’m sure to get some future use out of it.
This spring I took one of my friends to a semi-formal end of the year dinner. When I saw her pull up at the place where the group was meeting our cars I walked over, ready to greet her. When she stepped out of the car I had nothing to say. My eyebrows went up and my mouth dropped open. She looked stunning. For as long as I have known her she has been attractive but until then I had never seen her in girl clothes. It was nuts. She just laughed when she saw my reaction.