What is That Thing on Your Chest?

It happens from time to time... I run into old acquaintances, ex party friends, former "dates" while out on the town with Arch. It usually goes something like this:

"Rebecca, hey! How have you been?"
"Great, thanks. Busy. Ah.... life, you know."
"Yeah. It's been a while huh? You look... different.(staring at my chest)"
"Oh yeah, I had a baby. ,(looking down at my chest and the baby, attached to it a la 'bjorn) This is Archer."
"What? Shit, that's so crazy. Anyway. I gotta go. See ya."
"Later."

Most recently, while strolling down Larchmont, I ran into an acquaintance and the conversation went something like this:

"Katie,* is that you?"
"Oh My God, Rebecca? Holy shit!"
"Hey."
"I heard you had a kid, man, but I didn't believe it."
"Yeah. This is little man."
"Are you still really young? Last time I saw you, you were, like, ten."
"I'm not exactly ten. And I feel like I saw you last year, no?"
"Whatever. It's just weird seeing you with a kid. Trip. Well, evs. I'm in a hurry and I don't want to get your baby all smoky."

I'm one of those people who change friends like outfits not because I am fair-weathered but because most people make me crazy. The kind of people one befriends in Hollywood are usually people who can "get them" something, whatever that is. Being married with a child leaves me little time to get anyone anything, and unless I sell a manuscript, and regain some control over what small successes may prevail, I can't see that changing.

In the meantime, it's kind of fun: the shock and awe approach to almost-forgotten faces and (don't remind me) experiences past.

GGC

*names have been changed