European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - September 11, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse Columns Little Willie Littlefield delivers big satisfaction by John Windrow Sull columnist the baby grand shouldered on the stage with the list chords r City blues still rattling its wins next to the Pitino link Willie Lite Mcfield jumped us and Down tin i i big stage grinning As if he had just Slid inti Home with the winning run in i he last game o i he world series. The crowd let Loose with whistles and cheers while the Little with the big noise hopped about. Thy stage a is perched it an Angle on the rough fir Assy ground of the ruined Castle at Durci Eichheim near Frankfurt. Behind Lille Fielland the stage the sole of the inc enl Castle stood up like an old broken tooth. The ? and the shouts broke on the slacked stones and washed Back Down. Little Willie who in t few Small popped Down the Steps and ran Back around to his Wile Tonny. He was soaked ill Hough Iho weather was Coal. He looked for a moment As if he might shake himself dry like n sleek Happy dog that just sprang out of the water. People came up to get a better look at the blues piano player from Houston. He rubbed himself Wilh .1 Towel look off Tine of his White loafers and tossed it into the air Hughl m and tossed in up again grinning at them All. Are you ?" i said. Tonny smiled at him. Two girls approached him rather timidly incl pushed their programs and n pen .11 him. Of course i will Darlings Lille Willie and gave them autographs. The stage had worried him although in did t show while he played music by artists like Duke Ellington count Basie Bobby Bland Brook Denton and Errol Garner the Sweet old jazz and blues All of it in his own driving ringing style much of in with a swinging Western flavor that he Learned playing around Houston a half hour s drive away to Tell me How formal the reception was and where. 1 had Jutt left the place where i was waiting for his Call and was on my Way Home. Please comment for future Dale of those in bridal parties. Gentle Reader very Well but miss manners promises you will not like her comment even though you happen to have behaved correctly. There is no such thing As the Dale of a member of a bridal party. No one is entitled to bring an uninvited guest to someone else s wedding. Had you been expected you should have received your own invitation. Be grateful that you did not attend because you would have been crashing. Dear miss manners a woman at work who recently moved to this City and therefore has few friends Here has begun to confide in me. I m Happy to tend an ear but now the wants i to spend our Leisure time together. We spend most of our working hours together. I m fond of her but i want to keep our relationship up tonic and Don t wish to Date her. How do i diplomatically say thank but no thanks gentle Reader you might try confiding in her. A confession to having another romantic interest is not even necessary. The general expression of yearning for Romance made to someone who had believed herself to be a candidate has a decidedly dampening effect. Dear miss manners a Friend who has a j month old child called me to complain that her friends have deserted her since her daughter was born. Although i offered sympathy and promised to Call her More often i did not address the general problem. I a childless woman do not feel like spending much time with any of my friends who have recently become Mother since All of them even those who were fascinating people before they got pregnant talk Only about their babies now. As i tee it have three options 1. Listening to endless monologues about infant psychology and development punctuated by a description of the various Slages of childbirth. 2. Taking a leave of absence until my friends come to their tenses and Are no longer preoccupied Wilh their children. 3. Confronting my friends with the fact that they monopolize conversations and thus bore Matt of their audience to tears. The first option hurts me while the second hurts me and my friends temporarily. The third runs the risk of hurling everyone permanently. Is there a fourth option gentle Reader let us nol abandon the first three but modify them to eliminate the Hurt part. 1. Listen to some of this talk but prevent it from turning into monologues by asking questions Aboul what interests you and changing the subject when it goes on so Long that you become bored. Miss manners n that you believe nothing of this inheres is you and nothing eke interests your friends. Bui anyone who is interested in life ought to have at least a mild interest in child development if for no other reason than its influence on the grown child. Here is a Chance for you who Are childless to learn something about ii. Keep your friends from Only reciting facts Aboul their babies and encourage them to generalize a bit. And childbirth does not atrophy the Parent s brain it just seems thai Way. You will be doing them a favor by drawing them Back into conversation about pre maternal interests which Are nol gone just shoved aside for a new interest in tiny toes. 2. Understand that they Are going through a Slage. There will never again be a Lime that they Are not interested in their children up to and beyond when these children have their own children. But absorption in the Miracle of such creatures having come Inlo being is relatively Short lived. It is very much like the Miracle of falling in love. A Good Friend shares some pleasures and confidences at such a Lime but May also safety steal off More often than usual when the Friend is transfixed by All. 3. You can never Tell a Friend she is a bore bul you can Tell her that other people seem to have inexplicably Short attention spans on some subjects. Bul yes there is a fourth 4. Make friends with the baby. Your Friend will be madly flattered to see you playing with her baby and babies can be amusing companions especially when you have someone standing by ready to Lake them away if hey become Cranky wet or tiresome. Have an etiquette question write to miss manners in Are of the stars and stripes Apo 0921us. Forces. 11,1936 it Pitt aft int
