The Cast of Characters for Susan Taylor Brand

Susan Taylor Brand is a pen name. I created it so I could write about all the stuff that was too personal to put under my own name. At first, that meant my short stories and creative nonfiction, but later it became my memoir of the COVID days and then the Divorce. Thus, the cast of characters for Susan Taylor Brand’s adventures.

Since my family and friends were so much a part of the memoir work, *they* all had to have aliases too.They’re listed below each with a brief description/bio.

The Family. In Order of Age:

Mom: How can I describe her? Fair weather friend? Still competing with me at the age of 84? How about this: her dog sits at the table? Eccentric character. Not to be trusted, particularly by me.

Leo: My ex-husband. Ancient historian, high school teacher, world traveler, scholar type. But also a narcissist. Ran afoul of me with too-frequent misdeeds in the areas of money, division of resources, domestic fairness and, basically, screaming and yelling.

My Children

Scarlett: Daughter. Currently serving as an officer in the U.S. Marines, previously a biologist.

Tiara: Daughter. A pediatrician, wife, and mom. Very busy woman.

Victor:  Son. Married and living in St. Louis, works in Corporate America.

Brian: Son. A welder in Mississippi. Somewhat an outsider. But touches base.

Joline: Daughter. Recent graduate of U of Missouri, free spirit, computer programmer. That stuff they cooked up about Hunter Biden is not true. (Me, who doesn’t follow politics at all: “What stuff?”) Her: “Oh Mom.”

Andrew: Son. Just out of high school, working as a mechanic. Still lives in the house with me.

Grandchildren:

Ella: Tiara’s daughter, born in 2018. Cross country skier, more than adequate student, discipline problem.

Little Bob: Lover of trucks, his is his father’s mini-me. Sunny temper most of the time, but can throw a tantrum when indicated. His stuffie is “Wolfie,” a Husky.

Other Locals:

Bob: Tiara’s husband, my son in law. Doctor. Good for a trip to Creepy Walk in the Woods once a year.

Emma: The Hairdresser. My much appreciated confidant. Brilliant businesswoman, owns two houses at age 30.

Karen: My friend from work, my carpool partner until she retired. Nickname: VOR, “voice of reason.”

Peter: Leo’s friend from high school where he was teaching. A fellow historian. Infamously asked me if I needed some extra TLC on my birthday after Leo moved out. Two words: the horror.

Aging Hippy Chick: My friend from work, a fellow traveler in the long struggle for student discipline. She chose the name herself, I was surprised … that she was willing to ID herself as “aging.” But Aging Hippy Chick (or AHS for short) does not back down at hard truths. Like us being over 50.

Hiking Group

Gary: The Group’s Organizer. Good time Charlie. Mountain dweller. Never married, not sure why.

Lars: Regular member. Divorced, series of many girlfriends found on Match.com. Triathlete, cyclist, snowshoer.

John: Photographer, practical joker, still married but barely … very tall. A good conversationalist.

Interesting Guy: Must remain incognito of identifying details. Except, at least to me, he’s interesting.

From Farther Away:

Noah, My older brother, the politician

JB: Leo’s private school principal friend from Louisiana. The kind of guy who shows up at your house with a Bunsen burner the size of a truck tire, cooks ten gallons of jambalaya outside, gets drunk, falls asleep on your couch and leaves at 4 a.m.

Barely: The AirBnB host I stayed with in spring of 2024. A conversationalist and man with many friends, at 70, he has a beautiful home and a lot of stories. Also a special relationship with the blue jays in the neighborhood.