"I DON'T GET IT"

Buff. Her name is Elizabeth. I never asked but assumed she pronounced her name Elizabuff when little and the name stuck. Very few times did I ever hear her referred to as Buffy.

Pretty and smart, Buff became known to me in the 7th grade. Bright eyes but dense, I think. That's why I thought of her when I found the Einstein button pictured.

She never got a joke. Not the first time anyway. Ever. You could tell. Sometimes she'd smile and give a cute little laugh, but I knew her, I knew when she was faking and laughed when she didn't get the joke. Yet she didn't care; that is, the joke or funny story didn't interest her.

But when it did, that's where the Buffiness took over. "I don't get it!" She'd almost plead. I or the teller would go over it again. You'd see the light go on, the eyes grow and she'd laugh. Sometimes kinda covering up her mouth. An act of embarrassment. An act of "Why didn't I get it," though I never heard her confess.

There was some disconnect there. It was no act of playing dumb. She really never got it for whatever reason.

I've lost track of Buff over the years. But if I think I'll ever encounter her again, you can bet I'll have a joke ready. And I'll be ready to explain it.

THIS OLD HOUSE

makes me think of the Hamilton house near our grade school. Believe it or not, the Hamiltons sent 11 kids to Field/Hall School back in the day.

On the next block were the Hayes kids--6 or 7 of them if I'm not mistaken. Across the street from them lived the Echols. They had 12 kids.

And they all lived right next to the school. Can you imagine?

I had the last of the Echols (and a few others, too) when I taught. She was very well dressed and a sweet gal. Actually the whole family was that way. But I wondered if she ever had any new clothes. I'd think hand-me-downs were big in all 3 families.

How you'd even keep track of that many puzzles me. But what relationships they could have. What closeness could develop.

Or I guess it could go the the way. With little privacy, you might just get so tired of them being around all the time. Seeing them day after day.

Of course there was a Hamilton and an Echols in my class. I missed one of the Hayes by a year on each side of me. What stories all three families must have had.