Judi asked me, “So what hotel do they have you staying in?”

“The Hilton.”

She nodded as we headed through the parking garage in search of her car. She wasn’t too talkative that day, that’s for sure. Judi usually had a lot to say. She was heavy into philosophy.

I got curious and asked her, “What’s on your mind this morning? You seem to be in deep thought over something.”

She took a breath and said, “I’ve been doing a lot of meditating about my life lately, Terrance. I mean, there’s just so many things that we all could be doing for the betterment of ourselves and for others, you know?”

That was another reason why I liked to call her Essence. Judi was the one woman who could bring you back down to earth with her talk about one’s responsibilities to the common man. She just would not allow herself to enjoy her blessings without feeling guilty about those who were less privileged.

I asked her, “What do you want to do, a nature walk for charity?” I was trying to lighten her mood. Frankly, I wasn’t in the right frame of mind for hearing any let’s-go-save-the-world speeches. I was in Miami, and outside of my photo shoot, the only thing I was thinking about was hanging out at the hot clubs that lined South Beach.

My quip at least got a smile out of her.

She said, “You just keep it light, don’t you?”

“Heavy only holds you down,” I told her. “That’s why I like traveling light and living light.”

She grinned and nodded.

When we reached her car, a yellow Volkswagen Bug, I started grinning. She used to drive a black Corvette.

“I see you’re downsizing with cheerful colors,” I commented.

She faced me and smiled, while opening the rounded trunk to toss my bag in.

“I wanted to surprise you. I traded in the Corvette over a month ago.”

“I see. And are you satisfied with the trade?”

“I’m very satisfied.” She sounded very confident in her answer, too. I guess she had had to tell a lot of people that.

I climbed in on the passenger’s side and found it a lot more spacious than I imagined. In fact, the yellow bug had more room than her Corvette had.

Judi climbed behind the wheel on the driver’s side and said, “I find it very liberating. I have similar start speed, plus I can get in and out of spots with ease.”

“You have similar start speed?” I questioned. I could believe the in and out of small spots part, but there was no way a Volkswagen Bug had similar start speed to a Corvette.

Judi smiled at me. She pulled the gear into reverse and backed out of her parking spot. Then she righted the wheel and gassed around the corners toward the parking lot exit.

I asked her, “Are you trying to prove something to me?”

She smiled and shook her head. “You always seem to bring the badness out of me.”