Barbara Bush told me something in private.

I am not a writer. Everytime I reread its another day and I wanted the people to know what she said.


Tavin Reiter, my college roommate was from Miami and his first girlfriend in life was Noelle bush. She came to stay with us in 2001 while living in Denver. We got along. A few years later she invited me to join her and her grandparents for a day trip to the George Bush presidential library in College Station. It was a day they were honoring the top ten authors in the world, according to the Barbara Bush literacy foundation, with a private tour and luncheon. My mom dropped me off at the Houstonian Hotel where I met Noelle and boarded a shuttle van comparable to a Hertz rental car shuttle at IAH. The ten authors were already seated along with a few of the Bush's I did not know. Noelle and I sat in the last row. Barbara Bush boarded and made a B-Line to the back. Just the three of us for 2 hours. She had a springer in the White House and I had one at the time. Mind you it is just us and the authors, no guests of an author. It was the morning after the foundations yearly gala which I did not attend. George stayed home. When we arrived at the library Barbara immediately left to go prepare for the luncheon in their private apartment. We were greeted by the curator of the library who was leading the tour. Noelle and I broke off after the second exhibit and went wondering. There were maybe 50 tourists walking around. At one stage we decided to go to the apartment and Noelle asked a guy doing the yard where it was. He didn't want to tell us. We finally made our way there, It is like a large two bedroom condo. A private residence they build at every library. Next thing I know We were sitting at the foot of the presidents bed chatting with Barbara who was resting on a chaise lounge a foot away. I was about to go to China for the first time ever and she was telling me about their time living in Beijing while George was the ambassador. She spoke highly of her experience there. I gave her a knitted table cloth with bluebonnets on it, our state flower. The next thing I knew she was escorting Noelle and I outside circled by secret service, they had just installed a new lake which Noelle had never seen. She told us to go check something out on the other side of it. We get there and it was their grave stones. We took selfies in awe. We go back to the apt and as we walk in everyone was seated, two tables of ten. I was sad when I saw my seat assignment was at a different table as Noelle's. I then realize that the empty seat next to Barbara's had my name on it, literally the first one to her left. ALL Barbara spoke about was the fact that her church in Houston had just ordained a lesbian minister and that the "mother church" was threatening their charter (not far off from that but can't quote), was the only subject I remembered that night when asked what happened. Her feelings were clear. She said "I would lay down my body before they took away her church". I didn't even get a photo with her. Noelle was visiting from Florida staying with her and prior to boarding the shuttle back as she was skipping the Hertz van and riding in a black suburban) i asked her if I could bring Noelle to my house 2 meet my family. Barbara looked at me and grabbed both hands with a huge smile and said yes and gave me her address & thanked me. RIP gorgeous. thank you.