Adam's Apple

"Adam's Apple?"



Love how the plant on the inside
 is admiring the plant outside
and the plant outside
 is checking on the one inside.
Lady friends...



"What?"

"Adam's Apple. Women don't have Adam's Apples; only men have Adam's apples. The first night that you came to town, I noticed that you had yourself an Adam's Apple."

"Then...then you know?"

"I know that I'm very fortunate to have a lady friend who just happens to have an Adam's Apple."

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If you're a little lost, prepare to find yourself in the middle of one of the strangest, but curiously thought-provoking movies of the 90's - To Wong Foo (Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar). Patrick Swayze, Wesley Snipes, and John Leguizamo (all in drag) drive from NY to Hollywood to a national drag queen competition. Drama ensues (of course), none of which I'll get into here except the expected car failure. The car failure leads them into a small rural town reminscent of Tex Avery (in Ms. Vida's/Patrick Swayze's) opinion. There they meet a host of colorful characters, including Stockard Channing, brilliantly playing the role of the battered wife, Carol Ann. The quote from above came from Carol Ann, who Ms. Vida mistakenly assumed didn't know she was really a man in drag. It made me think about friendships among women.

When I was a high school teacher, I would cringe when I heard girls say they "didn't mess with females" because girls caused too much drama. They would rather hang around "dudes" because "dudes" weren't "with all the drama." It's a sad statement on so many levels, the most fundamental of them being that one would disregard an entire sex (and their own sex at that) because of popular (and ultimately self) perception.  

One of the best things about taking a new job is meeting new people. One, in particular, shed similar insight on this "female-on-female" criminal act of not trusting one's own sex. She said that women often judge others by what they do to others. Simply profound. And this made me want to pay homage to the women who play important roles in my life.

The first way I plan to pay them the utmost respect is by first acknowledging them as women. They are not "females," a title that offends me more than the word "bitch," but we'll save that for another post. The women who play important roles in my life deserve that much. The next point of tribute is to highlight how they contribute to my life as "lady friends," as dear Carol Ann calls Ms. Vida. It's a title that transcends being "girlfriends." Lady friends see each other beyond the many layers they put on. Lady friends ignore the "adam's apples" and hurt feelings. Lady friends appreciate and embrace one another's strengths and flaws. Lady friends rock!

I've already written about my lady friend with the bowling hand, and lifted a half-filled mug of orange juice to my friend since first grade. There will definitely be more to come...