Meet Carolyn

I thought of you, my readers, the other day. Because I met someone, and I knew you’d like her. She was real, and I knew right off I wanted to introduce her.
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Her name is Carolyn. She came into the salon, where my mom and I were getting pedicures. She said she was from out of town, had some time, could she squeeze in for a pedi?

It was a rather curious thing. What was she doing in this small place, on this casual afternoon?
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As we waited—my mom for me, me for my toes, Carolyn for her turn—we began to talk, as idle women do, and the question came up. So what brought you here?
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She was so sweet, so unassuming about it, but honest and real about it, too.
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“I’ve brought my little girl,” she said.
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A little girl, we learned, who lost her mom nine years ago. Whose dad didn’t want (or even claim) her. A little girl—in her teens now—Carolyn took in, making her family, and who'd wanted a summer trip to her hometown, to see her childhood friends.
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So they’d traveled from one midwest state to another, for the weekend. And while the little girl had time with her friends, Carolyn had time to herself.

First on the list? A pedicure.
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...A woman worth meeting, don't you think?
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**I asked Carolyn if I could take her picture, because I was so taken with her, and her story. Could I write about her, too? She was so kind to humor me. Thank you, Carolyn. Best to you and your family.