One Of My Best Moments As A Forty-Something

I went out with some of my friends from college the other night to one of the Bats baseball games (I'll refer to them as School Friends).  They're a small group of men and women that I became friends with while attending Webster University.  Most are about my age, but there are a couple that are younger and a couple that are older.  It was a fun evening - the Bats won, and there was no internal drama among the School Friends, as there sometimes is.  And I was quite the hit at Slugger Field that night, too.  I was wearing my cool pink faux sequin hat and my cool pink sunglasses and, I think a dozen people - most of them strangers - said to me "Wow - what a cute hat" or "You look cute in that hat."  Even the two Indianapolis Colt cheerleaders that were at the game that night said that I looked cute in the hat.  I felt like Rudolph did when Clarice told him he was cute. 

After the game, we were heading back to the School Friend's house where we all left our cars and carpooled to the game, when one School Friend said she needed to stop at Rite Aid on the way home.  We all said no problem, and we all went in the store with her to look around while she shopped.  She was checking out, and had a twelve-pack of pop and a fifteen-pack of bottled water, and a cumbersome large bottle of laundry detergent and a few other items including a bottle of Absolut vodka that was on sale.  When she had paid and was picking up her bags, we all grabbed for a bag to help her out.  I reached over to the counter and the closest bag to me was the bottle of vodka.  I grabbed it and the clerk behind the counter stopped and said to the School Friend "Is she old enough to carry that?"  We all stopped in our tracks and turned toward the clerk in disbelief.  School Friend said "What?" with a quizical look on her face.  The clerk said "You have to be 21 to even pick up a bottle of liquor.  Is she old enough?"  Believe me when I say I almost dropped the bottle of vodka on the floor.  Everyone else in the group was cracking up; I felt ten-feet tall.  I got in my purse and showed the clerk my drivers license and told her "Ma'm, I'll be 44 my next birthday.  If I had any cash left on me I'd sure give you a big tip for saying that."  School Friend was not very amused by this.  Maybe I should have said "Oh sorry, Mom - you'll have to carry that yourself."  Not only did the pink hat make me look cute, it also apparently made me look younger.  I think I'll wear it all the time.