the ex
There was, of course, the presence of an “ex.” Her name was Kathryn Kawano. She was half Japanese. Quite reactionary, I gave Mark a judgy look for his propensity to be attracted to Asian women. He sensed it and immediately added that he liked women of all races and “even dated a black woman.”
Kathryn was tall and long-limbed, and everything about her face was big. Large eyes, thick brows, high cheekbones, wide mouth, and strong jaw. Even her facial frame was rather broad. She had flamboyance in her looks but with just a tad of frumpiness. Her short-bob length hair was permed (or naturally wavy) made her look like a youthful middle-aged lady. She also dressed funny. I was no fashion icon myself, but one time I saw her in purple suede boots and a sheer scarf of the matching color. I was probably too critical of her looks because I looked for her flaws to make myself feel better. But any of the efforts were crushed by Maya when she said, “Kathryn kind of looks like you, although she is pretty.”
Kathryn was a theatre major. Mark took me to one of her plays because he was still a good friend to her. She played the leading role and was by far the best actor on stage. Her voice was strong, and her body moved about the stage with grace and vigor. Even when the spotlight was on other actors, she acted with her facial expression. She was talented and accomplished without question.