My closest friend, Alan – his family bought a color TV. And they were also the first ones on the block to have central air conditioning. On Wednesday nights, all the kids in the neighborhood went to Alan's to watch Batman. ABC made the most use of color with that show...by overdoing reds and purples as much as possible. Looking back at the reruns, I think there were a lot people like me, huddled with many others in the living room of a neighbor's house oohing and ahhing over the bright, bright colors on the caped crusaders' outfits. Black and white seemed so passe.
Alan's mother Millie had a sister, and we all called her Aunt Gerry. I guess short for Geraldine. Aunt Gerry would often visit Alan's family, and she would stop in across the street to say hello to my parents, my brother, and me. She was very friendly. She never came with anyone, no kids or husband. I liked Aunt Gerry but noticed that she, unlike most other women her age, had very short hair and always wore a black leather jacket. It was one of those thoughts you don't even know you're noticing, just something that would sneak to the back of your mind and reside there for years until the thought decided to advance a few paces. I was in my 40's before I realized that Aunt Gerry was a lesbian. It just occurred to me one day out of the blue. I brought it up in conversation with my mother, and she had come to the same conclusion many years ago when we actually knew Gerry. But nobody spoke of such things back then. It was the 1960's, and yet it might as well have been the 1360's.
Often I have wondered what it must have been like for Gerry, a very nice, kind lady living her entire life in the shadows, never being able to be who she really was. Never knowing if the people who she had always said hello to in the neighborhood, all those who engaged in small talk with her, would ignore her or worse if they knew who she really was.
2 comments:
Had a similar story with my Uncle.
My Uncle came out when I was about 13, and it didn't matter to any of us. Pretty sure we knew already too. It just never was an issue. Still isn't. Not to say that he hasn't had issues with others.
Thats the shame for Aunt Gerry and him.
If Bush wants to redeem his presidency for history, he should pull a Lincoln and emancipate the gays on his way out the door.
Hell, I wouldn't care if he pardoned his whole administration if he did that.
In the 1950's my parent's bridge-playing partners were two women, Blanche and Eleanor. They had short hair and always wore pants and these lumberjack-type shirts. They were both engineers at the local Square D plant. The little gardening I know about [but rarely use] comes from helping them w/our backyard when I was a kid. I asked my mom about why they looked like men--can't remember exactly what she said--something about how some people are more comfortable when they can dress in a way that reflects who they really are on the inside when they can't always show that part of themselves on the outside.
Years later it occurred to me like an ephinany--yeah, B & E were lesbians. I think it was when Eleanor was dying and I saw how Blanche took such loving care of her. It still wasn't very acceptable for two women who dressed "like men" to openly show such devotion and closeness...but by then I don't think either of them gave one damn.
Made me think, too, of my parents....they didn't much of a damn either about Blanche & Eleanor's relationship...after all, they were just looking for good bridge partners.
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