| Lisa, a Primer
For those not in the know, Lisa is one of my dearest friends from way back. The first time I ever slept over her house (in 8th grade, after an 80's style roller skating session at the Skate Connection) she informed me, in hushed tones, to be very quiet as her dad was a light sleeper and an insomniac too. I subsequently, and as if on cue, fell down the stairs outside his bedroom. Making quite a racket. But all was forgiven. Anyone who went to Cardinal Mooney High School when we did remembers that Lisa, a natural born leader and friend to all, faced off against benign nice guy Pete D'Amico in the most stunning, hotly contested election for Senior Class President ever in school history. There had never been a female Senior Class President at Mooney, and a core group of us girls campaigned for Lisa with something akin to religious fervor. We made signs, we made T-shirts, we adopted "Might as well face it you're addicted to Lisa" as our slogan! She would have won, had Scott Lenhardt showed up for school that day and voted; it came down to just that, one vote. We all still think she might be president one day, or senator, or mayor. After college, Lisa and I set out with a Eurailpass and a Let's Go guidebook to explore Europe. Once on a crowded night train bound for somewhere, I dozed off with Lisa asleep on my shoulder; in the middle of the night I awoke to see she'd moved and was asleep on the seat across from me; the next time I woke up she was sleeping peacefully on the floor. She's a resourceful girl. Lisa (Dr. Napoli in academic circles) now resides in the bucolic hills of Indiana with Bill and their dog and cat. She teaches, dances, gardens, and generally leads an enlightened existence. It's enlightening just to be around her. | |
