Second Meaning

I was just ten when my big sister got married in the ‘60s, and was fascinated by her opportunity to play house for real. I listened as she and Mom discussed her household budget, and what I remember to this day is her mentioning some exorbitant amount for staples. True, both she and my new brother-in-law were teachers and would be dealing with lots of papers. But I’d seen the price of staples in the store, and seen the box at home last forever. Wow, I remember thinking, that’s a lotta staples.

So it is when you live with a term for years, then discover a whole other meaning. And so it was yesterday, when I heard about the many magazines carried by the gunman at the Pentagon Metro stop, and my first thought still flashed, Something to read on the train…