Meet My Kenneth

Hutch’s mom, three martinis and a girl next door.

“Hope I’m not interrupting Mrs Hutchinson, I don’t think we’ve met, I- I-m Lisa – Lisa Smithson. I live next door.”

“Don’t tell me, you’re Judge Smithson’s daughter! How nice to finally meet you, Lisa! I’m Beatrice, but do call me Bebe, dear, everyone does… tell you what, you should really meet my Kenneth! He’s such a handsome young man! Do you know that he almost became a movie star? In one of his undercover assignments – or whatever they are called – my Kenneth got a remarkable role in a film by Harry Markham! Evidently he was so good that he overshadowed everyone else and got rudely cut off! But I guess it’s just how the movie business goes these days.… Anyway – am I boring you dear? – my Kenneth is going to be an excellent judge… absolutely excellent… My husband has this fraternity fellow of his on the board of law school and everything is settled as soon as Kenneth just decides to attend… do you know how thoroughly he prepares for being a judge? For eight years now he has been a Detective Sergeant at Bay City studying the life in the streets just to acquire the knowledge to make those rulings… He could have taken the lieutenant’s exam years ago, but I guess he wants this first hand experience… and there’s this partner of his, whom he takes pity…. My Kenneth has such a big heart, did you know dear, that when that partner got shot Kenneth never left his side, not for a moment! I told him to leave something for the nurses to do – he even emptied the bedpans for this unfortunate creature… – Where are you going, dear? – I was just getting at how loyal my Kenneth is… Every holiday he brings with him that limping partner of his – frankly I don’t think he is able to do any police work, or any work for that matter, poor thing – to our home, out of his golden heart…. And I don’t have anything against that person – he’s an exemplary young man for his people – and I even told that to Dr Goldman in my last session and for some reason he looked at me funnily – anyway that poor boy has suffered so much, but to bring him to every family occasion… I actually brought it up with my Kenneth and he started to talk something bizarre about living together and accepting and I guess it’s just something you kids do these days… Dr Goldman told me that Kenneth is going through a thing called survival guilt and we just have to wait for him to get through that phase of his… I just hope that he wouldn’t kiss that partner of his so openly – and straight to the lips! – people might get the wrong impression you know how people are… Lisa? …Where are you dear? Send your father my love! And do come to visit us sometime… I really hope you’d meet my Kenneth!“