La Bomba

‘When a man is a mystery to himself you can hardly call him mysterious.”
- Abraham Verghese
CUTTING FOR STONE

Twenty-five years ago today:

June 12, 1987
Friday

Carla wasn’t at work again. Why? I’ll never know. She’s so irresponsible and I even ‘told her so’ yesterday. She was supposed to have lunch with me. She cancels out on me at the last minute and I don’t like it.
“Michael, I have to meet with my attorney about that police harassment problem I had a couple of months ago.”
Like I said, she’s irresponsible and unreliable.

I went up and had pizza at my old SDC office. They invited me. Dale Orlando was there on a visit as well. It was almost like ‘old home’ week.
Cedric said, “I’m focusing on an Account Executive position now.”
I didn’t say it aloud but thought, “Give me a break.”

I took off on my bike once I arrived home. A bit later I was upstairs and naked when I heard the front door open. It was Stacey with her mom! Yikes! I quickly put on some pants and a shirt just as they came upstairs. I greeted them and shook hands politely with Stacey’s mom.
“It’s nice to meet you,” I said courteously.
Stacey said, “I’ll probably be moving most of my junk in this coming Sunday.”
“Great, I’m looking forward to your company.”

I called Suzy Miller.
I asked, “Are you going to our TEN-Year high-school reunion?”
“Yes, I guess I’m going.”
“Great!”
“Aren’t you nervous?”
“Not really, why don’t we go together?”
“Okay.”“Come to my house at seven-thirty and we’ll leave from here.”
“All right…I’ll be there.”

They’ve been playing LA BOMBA by Richie Valens on the radio a lot lately. I just LOVE IT! It reminds me of three specific things that I LOVE:
1. That scene in the Nicolas Cage/Matthew Modine movie BIRDY.
2. Paloma
3. Just plain dancing or bicycling ‘really fast’.

Eileen phoned and left a message on my recorder: “I guess you don’t want to talk to me (sigh). Call me tomorrow morning.”
I thought and asked myself quietly, “But why? Why am I wasting my time?”
I think I’m INTO Stacey now.

What counts in science is not being the first to do an experiment but being the first to publish the results.
-Bryan Sykes
The Seven Daughters of Eve