Sitting at Dotties Sea Food Soul Food, I try to ignore the pretense.

Is she deliberately trying to piss me off with the stares that won't seem to reach past the tip of her nose?

Or is she trying to impress me? I respond by not responding. I stare at the conjoined hushpuppies on my plate as if I'm fascinated by them.

She's too young to be dressed like one of my friend's mothers, I think to myself.

And the way she wears her hair screams "I've had my uterus removed!"

I know she hasn't. Makes no difference in the scheme of things.