Carol introduces you to her bridge friends

You pulled up to a stereotypical 50’s house: white picket fence, immaculate lawn, white shutters on the windows. After Carol parked, you got out of the car, carrying your purse, and meekly followed Carol to the door. She knocked on the white door. It almost immediately opened.

“Carol!” A blonde woman said, excitedly. She was wearing a robin egg blue dress with a narrow white belt around her trim waist. White heels and a white headband matched and completed her ensemble. “Right on time! And you must be Erica!” She picked up both your hands, holding them as she looked you up and down. “Carol has told us all about you! But she didn’t tell us how pretty you are!”

“Well, I wanted you to meet her for yourself, Lois,” Carol said with a smile. “Can you believe she’s single?”

Lois’ mouth dropped open with false surprise. “A pretty thing like her?” She said.

“Uh... I’m not...” you tried to say, not really liking where this conversation had taken a turn.

Carol cut you off. “I was thinking that perhaps our little bridge club could help her. But I wanted you to judge her for yourselves.”

Now you really didn’t like where the conversation was going. “Carol? Lois? I’m flattered, but...”

“Let’s introduce you around, shall we?” Lois said, ignoring everything that came out of your mouth, ushering you and Carol into her living room. There were two card tables set up and 5 other ladies in there. They all rushed to meet the “pretty young girl that Carol had been talking so much about!”

Before you knew it, and before you could stop it, you were three games of bridge in, and the ladies had decided that you would come over for dinner to meet someone for the next three weekends at three different homes, and had been told by two other women that they’d arrange blind dates for you.

The creepy thing, they all kind of appreciated your being there, but semi-gossiped about you while you were there.

“Poor dear is working as a shampoo girl!”

“She should see about secretarial school!”

“Oh to be that young and have that figure!”

“She’ll be a beautiful bride!”

You slumped in your chair as this went on. This wasn’t a bridge club as much as it was a gossip and matchmaking club.

You needed to quash this stuff now before things got any further out of hand.