A Home for Homecoming Queens Discovered

“Where have all the homecoming queens gone. Long time passing”… sung to the Pete Seeger song “Where Have All the Flowers Gone”.

Thursday I had a dental appointment.

I met Dr. Excellent Dentist my first year of teaching on Hospital Hill when he was a member of the faculty at the UMKC School of Dentistry. He was impressive and he became my friend and my dentist.

However, unable to be confined within the stifling clinical parameters defined by the SOD administration, he left for private practice. Of course he established himself in the goldfields of Johnson County, Kansas.

So several times a year I venture into the Jayhawker state to have my wonderful smile checked and buffed into a brilliant shine. Actually it is easier for me to go to his office from Hospital Hill than back to Barataria (where I am sure there are many excellent dentists also).

Anyway, it was a wonderfully mild almost winter morning when I cruised down Mission Road for my 9 am appointment. I was early so I decided to grab a café latte grande at a nearby Starbucks.

When I first entered I thought maybe I had stumbled upon the finals of the Mrs. Norwegian contest, all blue-eyed, blondes and beautiful. I was the only male there. I timidly got in line for the barista and listened carefully.

This is what I discovered.

This is the place that high school and college homecoming queens come home to roost. One table of about twenty gorgeous women all had their day-planners out and were busily preparing for the coming social season. The best I could tell from the conversations, while waiting on my latte, were that other than being a mommy the number one occupation of these Queens of Days Past was real estate.

Later, out in the parking lot I think the small Lexus SUV beat out the BMW almost two to one.

I always wondered where had all the old Queens gone.