Humans of Cleveland

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After a day of trudging to classes in the chilling rain, we sought shelter in the coziest Cleveland spot we could think of'Inman Street Coffeehouse. Greeted by the aroma of warm vanilla and espresso, chalkboard tables, and a slew of Lee students who apparently had the same idea as us, we ordered lattes (the black tie affair is my favorite) and sat down to find a human to talk to.

Mary and Ginny were nestled at a tiny table of their own, cups in hand, earnest in conversation. This was interrupted when we approached and asked to sit and talk with them.

Reluctantly, they began to tell their stories. Mary had lived in Cleveland for several years with her husband, while Ginny moved here only a few months ago.

'How did you end up in Cleveland?'

'We decided it was going to be Texas or Tennessee, and we opted for Tennessee because the thought of my living on the flatlands. Dry. Brown. I thought it would be depressing. I had to come to the hills.'

'How do you know each other?'

'She is married to my brother.'

'We've known each other since 1979. Probably before you two were born, right?'

'What is something you can tell us about each other?'

'She's a world traveler.'

'I wouldn't say that.'

'You've been to Italy, Denmark. You've been to Norway, Australia, England, Spain.

She also was in the Navy. And she also was in the Air Force. One of the first women.'

'You sound like I'm a dinosaur.'

We laughed.

'I wanted to travel. And I wanted to meet people, honey. And, you know, that's what I did.

I ended up in D.C.'that's where we met. I was eight months pregnant. And then I thought, no more service. And I joined the reserves.'

'What was it like being one of the only women in the service. Was it difficult?'

'No. You do your job, right?'

'What can you tell us about Ginny?'

'If you want to know anything about an attorney, she's the one to ask.'

'I worked in the legal field for ... my whole life. I have some very, very good friends who are attorneys, but I've also worked for some attorneys that, it's very much an ego trip. I think they do this to prepare themselves for battle. But they forget that it bleeds out into the day-to-day regular flow.'

'And believe it or not too, she worked at the Watergate building.'

'Is that what brought you to D.C.?'

'It was the opportunity for work period. Because the area where I grew up was so depressed. If you didn't want to work in the factory, you had to leave. So as soon as I was old enough to leave, I left. I ended up in D.C. where I got my first job as a legal secretary.

I ended up in just the right niche for me. Had to come to terms with things as they changed. Especially when computers were introduced. I came from the days of a manual typewriter. And coming to an electric typewriter was ... awesome. One day my boss brought in a computer and set it down, plugged it in, and said use it. I didn't even know how to turn it on.'

'She can type pretty fast too!'

'Not anymore, not anymore!'

'She can go over 100!'

'Those days are long gone.'

'Do you have any advice for college students?'

'Moderation. Anything to excess will sidetrack you; can impact the end goal.'

'Honey, enjoy life. That's the way I look at it. Life's too short. It really is.'

'Mary has just recovered in this last year from a massive heart attack that almost took her life. And then it was immediately followed by a stroke that almost took her life. So she's a miracle just to be sitting here.'

'God just had other plans for me, I guess.'

'Yes, he does.'

'Just watch what you eat, okay? Because I love chocolate and salt. I shouldn't have done what I did.'

'She's not meant to leave my brother behind ... she's supposed to aggravate him.'