Secret Shame

I haven’t been to a proper tea since my husband took me to a private one several years ago for my birthday. It was delightful, right down to the crown I got to wear!

Yesterday I attended another tea party. This one was held by friends who wanted to get an eclectic group of women together to share tea and conversation. Seated around a beautifully arranged table complete with silver and china and flowers, the seven of us started with savory tea sandwiches (my favorite being the goat cheese with fresh basil, roasted red pepper, and onion on cocktail rye) followed by scones with jam and cream and blueberries and raspberries with whipped cream served in chilled wine glasses. The last course was lemon tarts, cheesecake squares, mini-cupcakes, and a variety of cookie bars. All of this was served with delicious teas and stimulating conversation.

At one point, these college-educated, worldly women admitted to their secret shame: reality television. Toddlers in beauty pageants, home makeovers, housewives behaving badly, cooks yelling at each other---all the shows I have never seen and never will see. My quietness couldn’t help but be noticed as I am usually anxious to toss in my two cents.

My host whispered, “You don’t watch any of these shows, do you?”

“Um…no.”

But no one thought to ask me if I have a secret shame. I would have had to admit to being obsessed by 1,199 episodes of Dark Shadows. I am currently watching episode #260. Dark Shadows may not be babies in tiaras, but it is shameful in it’s own right.

Maggie is still being held by Barnabas who hopes to convince her that she is Josette. Maggie, dressed in Josette’s wedding gown, listening to Josette’s music box and being kept in Josette’s bedroom, was confused for a long time. That spell has finally been broken and Maggie is longing to escape. She heard her father and Joe talking to Barnabas and wanted to scream for help, but Barnabas told her he would kill her and the men if she made a sound. Because she knows who she is now, Barnabas has locked her in the cellar until he can decide whether to make her his own or kill her.

A new character has arrived: Sarah. She is a ghost (I think she is Barnabas’ sister, but that’s just a guess) who appears to Maggie. Maggie doesn’t realize she is a ghost and begs the little girl to help her escape. The girl offers a rhyme that may lead to a way out. Sarah also appears to Sam Evans and tells him to look for Maggie on the beach in the evening---then she disappears.

Elizabeth’s agreeing to marry Jason causes Carolyn to resort to crazy behavior. She stays out until all hours and runs with a rough crowd. She announces she will marry a motorcycle riding beatnik unless her mother ends her engagement to Jason. She later is in a car accident where she almost kills a woman and is arrested. Vicky convinces Elizabeth to pick up Carolyn from the sheriff herself to show how much she loves her. Elizabeth agrees to leave Collinwood, her safe haven for 18 years, to collect Carolyn, only to have her daughter reject her again.

I am anxiously waiting for episode #261. That (and once buying a whole chocolate cake with thick buttercream frosting at 9:30 at night just because I wanted something sweet) is my secret shame.