Inge gave me a pedicure and a manicure yesterday. I had the pleasure of spending two hours with this extremely interesting and very lively 63 year old German immigrant. Within 20 minutes of our meeting, she began telling me her life story, personal turmoils & triumphs, and hopes for the future. By nature, I am pretty private. So, it always amazes me when you meet someone that will share everything with you within just a few minutes of knowing you. I am always fascinated by other peoples lives... especially those that have a good story to tell. My life is pretty boring, which is a good thing. The more boring your life is, the better your life is. If you don't have a story to tell, then you should be thankful.
Inge was born in Neuremburg Germany. She lived with her mother and sister. Her mother told her that her father divorced her and didn't want to have anything to do with her. She used to watch her father in town from afar. She never got too close because her mother had warned her that he would kidnap her if she did. Her mother was a very selfish and unkind person. She had a very cold and lonely childhood. She married an American intelligence spy when she was 16 and moved to America when she was 18. She has lived in more states than I have visited. She has been married to 3 men... and divorced 3 times. She never had any children. Her husbands were awful people and she believes most men are evil. I couldn't even convince her that my own husband was a "nice guy". She said that I was too young to know any better. Her mother killed herself 2 years ago and since then she has found out that her mother kept many secrets from her. Her father did not leave her... she left him and he was denied the right to see her. He tried for years to have a relationship with his daughters... and Inge never knew it. Her mother told her that her father had no siblings or family members that she could get in touch with. She has since found out that her father had 7 siblings and that she has 80 living relatives on her fathers side, most still living in Germany. She has met 18 of them. She is glad her mother is dead. She was raised Catholic, but now is Baptist. She thinks Joel Olsteen is the holiest man in this country. She loves George Bush. She is a patriot. She believes in the war in Iraq. She is afraid of going places alone. She thinks Clinton is the trashiest of the trashiest. She would move back to Germany if Mrs. Clinton ever became president. When she was a hair stylist, she did Ivana Trump's hair. She said she was an awful woman. She did Margaret Thatcher's hair twice. She said that she was a true lady and a wonderful human being. She looks forward to retiring in 2007. She doesn't have much and has a had a life full of peril, but has an unbelievable faith in God and is grateful for her many blessings. She was recently reunited with an old boyfriend from 40 years ago who lives in Virginia. She plans to visit him soon, but will not sleep with him unless she knows his intentions are pure. She is too old to come down with some kind of STD. I didn't know that older people worried about STD's?... I don't think that I will ever forget Inge.
1 year ago
