COFFEE

This past week, I’ve enjoyed a cup of coffee with others twice, the first since Governor JB Pritzker issued his Executive Order to stay at home during the pandemic. I’d forgotten how much fun it is to just sit and visit while drinking coffee.

Last Tuesday morning, I met Loraine downtown at the Center Street Creamery. It was the first time I’d had a cappuccino since before COVID-19 changed our way of life. She was a former Durand area resident who liked to return to the village from time to time. She never knew me but had read my memoir and wrote me a letter suggesting our get-together. I love to meet anyone who has enjoyed my book. She was about our kids age, but we seemed to have a lot in common.

Yesterday, Ken and I enjoyed coffee, delicious Bundt cupcakes and conversation with Mary Ann and Tom, another retired cop like my husband. There’s a special joy in visiting with couples in our age bracket. We’ve all been there, done that, and are dealing with similar problems and rewards today. It was a beautiful day for a convertible ride to Rockford unless we had to spend a long time sitting at a stoplight. We also brought along a copy of my memoir for them.

Many of my friends are married to retired cops. When we were young, our husbands assumed we women had a lot in common because most of us began marriage as housewives and mothers. With our husbands rotating schedules around a 24/7 job, it was hard to socialize with our non-law-enforcement friends from the old days. Our social life was often limited to other officers working the same shift and their wives.

Are you seeing others for coffee?