The Silver Stilettos Wom-Man (70+)
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My husband is a basketball official, and after his game we decided to grab a bite before we traveled home. It was late, in fact the clock on the restauran wall read eleven o’clock. We grabbed a booth, looked at our menu, and waited for our waitress.
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We were both seated on one side of the booth and although far away from the entrance, we
could see the top of the door to the restaurant open and close. What caught my eye was a
bevy of color that flashed into the restaurant. I was intrigued.
Balloons! As they turned the corner, the owner of the balloons, holding the rainbow of
colors, was a little gray-haired woman standing about four and half feet tall. She wore an
apron that read, “The Balloon Lady.” The balloons were to draw attention to the
exceptionally large helium tank she pushed in and her trade. Hanging from the pocket of
her apron were hundreds of magic skinny balloons used for sculpting animal and various
shapes. She would go around each table and make balloon animals for anyone
that wanted one, but her greatest thrill was making them for the children. She would
create these magical shapes and then give them away. If they saw it in their hearts
to make a donation, she would gladly take it.
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My question was, why is this eighty-year-old woman doing this at eleven o’clock at night?
To top it off, she was there with her sister, almost the same age and doing the same thing
on the other side of the restaurant. I wondered why they were both out so late. We were
approaching the midnight hour. My first thought was, why were they not at home with
their feet propped up, enjoying a cup of hot tea, retirement, or simply - in bed! I had to find
out, so I waited until she approached our table.
She was so sweet. I asked her name and about her balloon journey and she said, "May I sit
down?"
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"Of course, please join us," responded my husband.
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"I'm the Balloon Lady!" She went on to tell me, "Well, my sister and I...."
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Her name was Elizabeth (name has been changed per her request), and what a life she had! From working at a bordello at the age of fifteen as an office as a clerk, to marrying a stranger just to get out of the house, caught my attention. She went on to tell me she divorced him shortly, thereafter, finding the love of her life, and starting a very successful real estate business. Elizabeth said, "it was at a time when women were not even thought to be involved in business, much less as an owner, negotiating, selling, and purchasing real estate on my own."
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Elizabeth was a character. We sat down as she shared her life with me. We talked
about major decisions, making a name for herself at a young age, her strength, her
fears, men, fighting for her life in a man's world, loneliness and love.
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"You won't believe what I went through. I needed to get out of the house so at age 15, I
crawled out my window and never looked back."
I began to capture her story. She was in her 70's when I met her, but she would begin her story when she was only 15 years young.
"I just didn't know where to go, I had no one!" She went on to say...
Short quips from "Wom-Man, Sometimes I Just Get Tired of Being the Man!"
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