Ok, I sat down to write tonight about Suzanna after “Ready to Run” (Thursday, Feb. 22), when I realized something.

I need the story to take place before 9/11, maybe even before Y2K. So waayyyy back at the turn of the century (‘the back times’, as my daughter likes to call the distant past), people didn’t have ipods or mp3 players. It looks like they came out in October of 2001. So I have to go back and change that post or part of the story. No ipod, no docking station, no freaky looking Nikes. Does that leave the poor girl with a walkman? Or does she go for a jog with a boombox on her shoulder? And how is she affording all these high-tech gizmos anyway? And what in the hell am I doing having her go for a run? I don’t know anything about running! You could put a gun to my head right now and command me to run, and I probably would only be able to get out some panting and stumbling.

When I was in lower school I took piano lessons from white haired old Mrs. Estmann. She was about five feet tall and had an iron-grey bun that was attached to the top of her head with rusted hairpins. She was convinced that Ragtime music was still just getting off the ground and was determined I should have “The Entertainer” ready for Mr. Joplin when he stopped by. I loved playing the piano, but absolutely hated practicing: if I could fake my way through something easily, I much preferred it to having a piece memorized and accurately played. (We’ll call it “improvisational” instead of “lazy”). Also: it didn’t help that when I did play a jazzy piece for her, she’d belt out the lyrics or shake her index finger to the tune like a drunken flapper at a speakeasy.

So, when I hadn’t practiced, I’d keep her chatting about Rhythm and Form and Major and Minor keys, shifting my glance down to her delicate gold plated wristwatch every few minutes. When the big hand got down to the 5, I’d interrupt her gently and say that I really thought it was time I played my piece for her! And so I’d stumble through, and she wouldn’t have much time to do anything except put a slightly lopsided smiley face on the page and let me go until the next week.

Well! That’s all the time we’ve got for today. See you tomorrow!

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