Tuesday, June 11, 2024

The Unspoken Civil War


Happily, I recently made a new friend. We met kind of by accident and seemed to click, so we exchanged phone numbers and vowed to meet again. About a month later we had a two-hour cup of coffee at a Portland cafe. Again, we got along great and it was clear we were meant to be friends.

Yesterday was our third "date." We went for a long walk in a beautiful waterside park and talked about our past lives, catching one another up on pertinent information: I once lived in Utah, she had lived in Florida, we both have one son about the same age -- stuff like that.

We planned on getting together again to do a variety of fun things. The future looked promising as we both agreed we were likely to remain in Maine for the rest of our lives. Then it happened: She said, "I would never move back to Florida. They have a crazy Governor and the state has turned completely red. Now it's full of those horrible Republicans."

Stunned, I said nothing. We parted: Okay, bye, let's talk soon. But can we? How? She thinks Ron DeSantis is "crazy" and I think he is sane and fair and principled. She thinks Republicans are "horrible" and I am one. Why didn't I tell her right then and there? And then what? End our afternoon together on a sour note? 

Because we "horrible Republicans" are not that horrible after all, I let it go. But it's not going away.


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