Vivian

A friend invited me to dinner at their church for Easter. I'm not a religious person, but I'm not about to go insulting people in their own domain. So I dressed myself nicely and headed out, feeling a bit anxious about being surrounded by people I don't know who all believe in something I do not.

Halfway there, I spotted a couple coming toward me. The man faded from view, drowned out by the woman's attire. She had a black and neon pink, orange and green poncho. As one who has taught herself to both knit and crochet, I was automatically distracted--even after the gorgeous colors were comprehended.

Before we passed each other, she paused to tell me about a dinner at a nearby church--the same one I was already headed to. Her smile that I would be joining them was stunning. That someone could be so happy over the choice of a complete stranger boggled my mind. I thought about this as I continued on my way to the church.

My friend wasn't there when I arrived, so I stood around, hands clasped in front of me, hoping for a little show of friendship. That's when I saw the poncho again. She saw me and that smile reappeared. She came right up to me and invited me to sit on one of the sofas (the church didn't have pews, it had sofas--some of which reclined) to talk while waiting for either my friend to arrive or the food to be ready.

Her name was Vivian. In the church, she removed the poncho. She was originally from San Diego, but moved to Forest Grove just a few years ago when her husband was offered a job. The climate change may put others off, but Vivian couldn't love the cooler, damper climate more. While we talked, her eyes constantly flitted to the kitchen, looking for any task she could help with.

She spoke in a soft voice, the kind whose laugh isn't obnoxious, the kind used in TV shows as the kindly, advise-dispensing grandmother or aunt. Her light brown hair was short and naturally curly. Many things about her were natural; I was impressed that she didn't wear makeup beyond lip color.

That's probably why her neon poncho stands out so much in my memory snapshot.