Dr. Ruth is my new BFF!

I spent last weekend in New York. My friend’s nephew was getting married, so we traveled up to Westchester County, about an hour outside of New York City. There were three reasons for going: a. The couple had been dating for nine years so we needed to see if they would really pull the trigger. b. It was an opportunity to spend time with my friend’s family who don’t live in our town. And, most importantly c. the bride’s grandmother is Dr. Ruth Westheimer.

Yep, you’ve read that correctly. The little woman with the funny accent who talks and writes about orgasms and body parts that fit together is a huge part of the wedding party. It’s a truth is stranger than fiction thing.

I’ve known I was attending this wedding since March. In the last couple of weeks, I’ve been telling people about it and that Dr. Ruth would be there. The reactions ranged from ‘Wow, that’s cool’ and ‘Are you asking her for any advice to ‘Didn’t she die years ago?’ and ‘Who is she?’ That last one came from my children who weren’t even a thought when Ruth (yes. we’re on a no need for the title basis) was in her heyday.

Because many folks in our circle had previously met her, I was prepped as to what she was like. The words used to describe her included talkative, friendly and gracious. When I first met her, it was at a Shabbat dinner (you did know she’s Jewish, right?). I was part of a group that went up to her and she greeted us with a huge smile as we were introduced.

Here’s the thing, everyone wants to take a picture with her. You would think that might be more than a little overwhelming for a ninety-five-year-old woman, but she’s extremely accommodating about this. I never saw her say no to anyone requesting this.

My chance with Ruth came on Sunday afternoon. We came to the wedding site a few hours early to take pictures. Before we headed down to the chuppa, we were in a waiting room. I saw Ruth sitting on this bench alone. I pounced in to get the photo you see at the top. After taking the picture, I stuck around and we chatted for a few minutes. I have no idea what we talked about, but not once did the word clitoris come out of either of our mouths.

We then noticed that the room was clearing out. I figured I better help her get outside. I started to give her my arm to hook onto, but she said to just hold her hand. Since I was already doing that, we just stood up and strolled out of the room. Her family took over and my time with Ruth was over.

Yesterday, I posted the picture of us on Facebook. The reactions included “That is so cool”, “Any tips?” and “I thought Dr. Ruth passed away.” Oh man, nothing has changed.

That’s the story of me and my new best friend forever. By the way, if you want to read more about her and the lovely wedding, check out People.com. But, I was thinking about giving my new friend a call…”Ruth, it’s Howie. Can you tell me about this G-spot thing that I hear is a myth?”