Her house was quirky and filled with stained glass that she made herself. Including a house height colorful glass giraffe that adorned a window adjacent to a two story atrium dining room.

Susan was a psychiatrist. And she often took me to what we called "drug dinners." Dinners that sought to entertain and interest doctors in prescribing certain brands of psychotropic medications. We loved the food; they all took place in top-notch restaurants.

We walked in the evenings and we talked. We had great lives but life wasn't particularly easy for either of us.

A couple named George and Tina bought her house. She begged me to be her attorney in her transaction. I agreed--and like every other time I made a friend happy and took on what should have been a simple closing, complications arose. George and Tina used a lawyer with whom I went to law school. So it was old home (and hell) week.

In a more dramatic coincidence, George and Tina, who I inherited as friends simply because they were living in Susan's house--which they completely and thoroughly gutted, removing all the quirky cool touches Susan had added so creatively--had a party and invited me. At the party (where the guest of honor was someone I had known well many years before), I overheard a guy in the kitchen talking to someone about "Valjean." He kept saying "Valjean this" and "Valjean that." In Chicago not many women are named Valjean--and I was really good friends with a Valjean in grammar school and hadn't seen very much of her since; I'd lost complete contact with her about 30 years before. I turned and asked him if he was talking about my Valjean, which he was and I gave him my card and asked him to ask her to call me.

She did. And we renewed our little girl friendship as adults. And for five years, she was once again a fabulous friend--until she was diagnosed with lung cancer and died a few months later.

In the meantime, George and Tina moved east and sold the house once again--to a nice young couple who now have two little kids. They decided to close up the atrium and add another bedrom on the second floor. And also to finish the part of the basement that George and Tina didn't. During this construction they uncovered three pieces of glass that Susan had made and somehow had left in the house; and so did Tina and George leave it in the house. Katharina, who now lives in the house, found out that the former resident of her house Susan and I had been very close friends and that Susan made stained glass.

And today, during our homeowners assocation garage sale in our alley at Plymouth and State, Katharina gave me the stained glass. In honor of my friendship with Susan. Another sweet and sentimental coincidence. Of course, I picked it right up and brought it right home.

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By Richard from North Carolina
Posted: 08/22/2012 12:04 PM

You can't have our Susan and Roy back. And their home in North Carolina is filled with quirky art and Appalachian forest views. A green home designed mostly for her cats.

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By Ann from New Orleans
Posted: 08/21/2012 0:40 AM

Hey Bonnie! Nice article! Don\'t let Susan take those back. Finders keepers and all that. They are cool, and would look great in your house. I miss her too since she moved away from New Orleans a million years ago!

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By Paul Brown from NC
Posted: 08/19/2012 5:29 PM

We are the recipients of Sue and Roy 's friendship now. Sue and I worked together at a counseling venue in Murphy; NC. Great folks!

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By Susan from Mountains of NC
Posted: 08/19/2012 3:53 PM

Bonnie- What fun. I sort of remember them (barely). Think I was using up some extra glass. And the 8 ft. giraffe was donated to an animal clinic in northern Ga. where he helps take care of things. And yes, we moved to a golf community but left there (soulless, horrible place) and went to the mountains to a nature community and knew we were "home" but have a replica of Sears Tower in the back. So come to the mountains of NC and return the windows to the rightful owner. Enjoy them til then!