ullie Visits

ome time ago Baron Von Lodge was the head of a small country near Switzerland known as Lilliland.

Lilliland was a very sedate and quiet country not given to many celebrations, although it did have some festivals and carnivals, usually in the fall, and winter carnivals during the height of the skiing season.

One day, many years ago, a houseguest of Lady Angela’s brought along a friend named Zullie, who was from a Caribbean Island. She was a very attractive middle-aged stylish woman. She said that she had had many husbands, therefore she preferred to be called just “Zullie.” One thing that everyone noted about Zullie was that she always smiled and had a kind word for everyone. Her clothing was as colorful as you could imagine.

One day during one of Zullie’s visits, the merriment was disrupted by rumors about her. It was rumored that Zullie had been married three times and that was disheartening in Lilliland. The rumor also was that Lady Angela of Alpine Castle was associating with women without principles.

Lady Angela liked to get to the bottom of rumors and asked Zullie had she been married three times? Was Zullie divorced three times? When Zullie was asked about the three divorces, she answered saying that she was never a divorced woman.

Zullie explained that her first husband was through an arranged marriage. She was only 17 years old and her husband was over 50 years old. He died from over-exertion on a hiking trip in the Caribbean. Her second husband like fishing in the tropical waters and a storm threw him overboard and he drowned. The third husband died from bad food he had eaten in a restaurant. The food was not preserved properly and it was served undercooked and he died of food poisoning. Very sadly she was widowed three times, not divorced.

Lady Angela now understood that the rumor was only partly true but should not be a discredit to Zullie’s character or sincerity.

People should learn to mind their own business, but when you happen to be a member of a royal family, everyone treats you as though you live in a fishbowl.