Women of the Who's
Women who acquire independent means from husbands who die or divorce them for women less spent join the Who’s. They console each other, share their anger and desperation, and search among the men they corral for those who might restore their sense of reflective well-being.
Some of the women become anxious, settle for men who are less than those they lost, and leave the Who’s. But most of the women maintain their memberships and continue the search.
One man after another responds and then moves on—no more phone calls, no more flowers, no more nights out on the town, no more candlelight suppers, and no more stayovers.
Anger and desperation mount and then subside as the women who remain in the Who’s grow weary of the search and surrender to each other’s company during luncheons in restaurants with ambiance; get-togethers for bridge, golf, and book club; country club galas; and winters of pretension in Palm Desert and Rancho Mirage.
The end for the women who remain in the Who’s comes slowly, whittling away at what little beauty, heart, and self-esteem remain. Yet in their final moments, they wonder if another week, or so, would have made a difference.
Copyright © 2006 Frank Zahn. Published in Black Cat Quarterly December 2006; Alive with Thoughts and Feelings: Prose and Other Poetry, Vancouver Books (Hardcover Edition) 2009; REFLECTIONS: A Collection of the Author's Short Prose and Poetry, Vancouver Books (Kindle Edition) 2019; Alive!: Short Prose and Poetry,
Vancouver Books (Kindle Edition) 2019.