So, Who Is She?

There are people who have people who strive to keep their name out of the paper. These are usually quasi-public, private people from financial, entertainment, sports, and political walks of life who try and keep negative stories out of the media. "Just keep my name out of the paper." How many times have we heard that line in a movie?

The woman in the middle must be one of those such people. Her name is not part of the caption that identifies Mayor deBlasio, on the left, shaking hands with Governor Andrew Cuomo, on the right. Pardon my reach? Is she there to pass the salt, or to just keep the boys from slugging each other?

Is the woman former Mayor Mike Bloomberg's date? Mayor Mike is divorced, and can be seen with different traveling companions when the photographers catch him at a function. Certainly the woman's placement between New York's top politicians would lead one to make a good guess.

And maybe she was Mayor Mike's date. The former Mayor is said to have quipped, "sitting between the governor and the mayor for the next two hours might feel like 40 years of marriage." So, maybe the woman in the middle is divorced as well.

I've been married 40 years and still have a decent memory. Nothing about being married 40 years would compare to being stuck between those two rascals for any length of time.

The omission has to be deliberate, I would think. The NYT does not want the dinner to appear to be a People Magazine photo op. Okay, but put her name in the text? No, that doesn't happen either. She is certainly the most nicely attired woman to appear in a photo that we can't identify.

We know the woman is not the mayor's wife, and she is not the governor's girlfriend. We do know she likely spent a fair amount of time getting ready for the annual Al Smith dinner held at the Waldorf Astoria,. She might have even taken the day off and spent it at the beauty parlor. The dinner raises money for Catholic Charities, and offers safe haven for zingers against the ranking politicians of the day.

Her hair is coiffed. Her makeup is impeccable, Her necklace is retrieved from a lock box. Her gown is stylish and age appropriate. She is certainly not a slut.

So, who is she?

A response from an alert reader would be appreciated.

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