Meta-Lilith

"His father gave her a Biblical name," the woman told me, who'd asked if I have any grandchildren. (It was one I didn't know.) The little girl had a bright purple shirt on, with a black bow tie to the side; she wore white sandals and colorful socks.) I said that Lilith is a Biblical name, except she's not in the Bible, and told her the story of the first woman who didn't require Adam's rib. Across the road, another older woman beckoned with her small dog. We crossed over. She thought I'd like the movie, "80 for Brady," about old women who like the quarterback. I watched the Super Bowl, I said, but no other football because of the brain injuries. She'd told her son he was not allowed to play football for just that reason, but he did. And now he's a psychiatrist, or is it psychologist? "There's a lot of demand for mental health services," she said, gesturing toward the parking lot. Her son had bought a car (not the cheapest one, mind you), which was parked outside their unit. I mentioned today's _Washington Post_ article about teenage girls and suicide. "They're trying to grow up too fast," she said. As Lilith and I started uphill, we turned to say good-bye. A large black BMW stood out in the parking lot of smaller Japanese cars.