Coffee with Cora at the Grace Place

This is Cora Applebaum again. Thanks for meeting me at the Grace Place. Go ahead and get some coffee and maybe try one of those little pastries that look like cream puffs. They’re called “knee-caps” around here, you know.

OK, you’ve got your coffee now. It smells delicious. And I see you took my advice about the knee caps. Do you really think two, though? Well, it’s not my place to say.

An old woman like myself, I have a lot of time for observing people. But I just keep it all to myself, of course. I’m not one to go around telling tales, you know.

For example, my next door neighbor, Hope Velasquez, has been having an interesting summer. I’ve seen her several times with that new gym teacher Oliver Laurence. Just between the two of us, he’s not hard on the eyes. I see him out running a couple of times a week, in those little shorts he wears. It’s practically indecent, but that’s the way things are today, I guess.

Anyway, this Oliver seems to be interested in Hope, but I don’t think he knows how to show it. There’s been stories…I’ve heard those two snuck off in some corner at a party and then not long after that, he was seen dragging Hope out of the pizza parlor. I don’t know what’s going on there, but I have to tell you, there have been some mighty steamy kisses on her front porch. I only noticed because I was looking for my cat. She usually comes home about the time this happened. You know I’m not nosy or anything.

I wonder what Hope’s best friend Sarah thinks of all this? That girl could use a nice young man to pay attention to her. She’s so sweet, and I’ve heard she’s great with the kids at the elementary. Sarah works there as a speech therapist, you know. There’s just got to be someone out there for her. I was telling Misty Green that the other day and she got this strange look on her face. Now, Misty’s been known to dabble in matchmaking. I wonder if she’s planning something.

Now, there’s no doubt in my mind about how Hope’s brother Joseph feels about all these goings-on. I’ve heard he confronted Oliver about it, in the church building, no less. Joseph’s pretty protective of his little sister. I think Oliver had better watch out.

Unless Joseph gets distracted by those three nieces of his that he took in. Dori, Lucy and Belle are their names, but I hear that at the school, they’re known as the “terrible trio.” It’s a wonder Joseph can handle them all by himself, on top of his own three children. It must be three years or more since his wife passed away. Now there’s a man who could use a wife. But how many women would want to take a household like that? I asked Pansy Parker that question the other day and she said she could think of someone. I wonder who she meant.? To be honest, Pansy is a bit of a matchmaker herself.

Are you finished already? Well, I don’t want to keep you. I know how you young folks are always rushing around with things to do. Who wants to sit around with an old lady like me. I have nothing to talk about anyway.

Thanks for having coffee with me. Let’s do it again real soon.

(Kara’s note: Sarah’s story will be told in Accepting Charity and Joseph’s in Disrupting Harmony.)