The Beginnings - Part 124: SO ULTRA-SWEET

Touch teaches us that life has depth and contour; it makes our sense of the world and ourself three-dimensional.   Without that intricate feel for life there would be no artists, whose cunning is to make sensory and emotional maps, and no surgeons, who dive through the body with their fingers.

-Diane Ackerman

A NATURAL HISTORY OF THE SENSES

The Beginnings – Part 124:  SO ULTRA-SWEET

The day sped by.   It’s too bad I work on Saturday.   It’s only from 8:30AM until 12:30PM, so that’s not so bad.  

BASS Tickets didn’t have any more tickets for the TORCH SONG TRILOGY play on Saturday night.   I tried to call the THEATER ON THE SQUARE directly.

The Theater rep said, “I’m sorry.  We’re SOLD OUT on Saturday night.”

It’s too bad.   Perhaps Jim and I can figure out something else to do.

Paloma wasn’t home this afternoon.   Was she asleep again?   

When I was home at 5:45PM I crashed on my bed.   I needed sleep.

Nici called.

“What about our hors d’oeuvres evening?”

“Oh man…I think I’m going to have to cancel out because I’m too pooped.”

She was nice enough to accept my excuse.

I telephoned Paloma again.

I was pleasantly surprised when Paloma said, “I tried calling you at seven-thirty yesterday.”

“Oh…I spent the night in Walnut Creek.”

“Well, I had to have surgery and stitches on my mouth.   Now I have a FAT cheek.”

I laughed but reassured her, “You’ll recover.   It will heal fast.”

Now we will probably go out on Monday night.   I agreed to call her on Saturday or Sunday so we could talk more.   She’s so ultra-sweet.   I was so thrilled because she called me back again.   We talked longer this time about where she lived and her friend, Monica.   Monica is the blond girl she was with on Halloween night.  Monica reminds me of that blond girl I dated in Sacramento named Michelle Von Thaden (from Loomis, CA).

Paloma said, “I just called you back to find out what you decided to do tonight.”

This line flattered me so much.   It made me realize that she was wondering what I would be doing.   I really like this one.   I slept soundly and straight through until 6:15AM.  

Her voice remains as lively, wise and encouraging as ever.   As she would say, “We had such fun!”

-Julia Child

MY LIFE IN FRANCE

Read More

The Beginnings - Part 123: AN ANALYST

When you do something, one never knows whether you intend a courtesy or mockery, an honor or a rap on the knuckles.

-Hermann Hesse

THE GLASS BEAD GAME

The Beginnings – Part 123:   AN ANALYST

Paloma called tonight with an explanation, “I have a dentist appointment.   And I can’t make dinner on Thursday night.”

I don’t know how the dentist had anything to do with the dinner…whatever.   Oh well.

I turned in my four job transfer requests to my supervisor, Sue Reppert. 

Sue said, “I like the up-to-the date Net Credited Service plan.”

She knew I wasn’t wasting any time.   I submitted all three transfer requests for Directory Yellow Page SALES and one for an ANALYSTposition in San Francisco.   Now I have to sit tight and wait.

I telephoned Jim, inviting him to dinner since things didn’t pan out with Paloma.   He forfeited his jazz class to be with me.   We ate at NATIONS Burgers and then stopped by to see his sister and Dad in Concord.   We also dropped by another friend’s house named Dick.

Jim said, “I owe Dick five-dollars from skating last Tuesday because he paid my way.”

I like how he felt a need to immediately pay his debts.

I ended up spending the night with Jim at his house in Martinez.   We talked about how he wants ‘this and that’ from me in terms of a relationship.     I couldn’t hold back and had to share with him about my feelings for Paloma and my semi to non-recurring memories of George.   It was unfortunate because I think I made Jim feel depressed.   I learned that he was depressed because he was so hurt from his last relationship.   There seemed to be more to his story.

I said, “Well, the last thing I want to do is hurt you.   That’s why I feel a need to tell you what I’m thinking.”

We ‘got off’ eventually (hand-to-hand).   I just couldn’t do it to his ‘TA’ for some reason.  I am still trying to figure that out.  Whoops.

Jim made an excellent Hawaiian punch with orange juice.  It was good.   I still didn’t fulfill my Root Beer float craving.   I despise Jim’s snoring.   I had to nudge him all night to stop.   We are still going out to see the TORCH SONG TRILOGY play on Saturday night.    

I had to drive to work from Martinez.    Ugh…that was a tiresome drive.

“Whoops.”

“Whoops?   Did you say whoops?  No.

Whoops is when you fall down an elevator shaft.

Whoops is when you skinny-dip in a school of piranha.

Whoops is when you accidentally douche with DRANO!

No.   This was no whoops.  This was an AAAAAAAH-HA-HA.”

-TORCH SONG TRILOGY

Read More

The Beginnings - Part 122: I'M A SPY

You measure people first by their kindness and their capacity for devotion.

-Michael Cunningham

THE HOURS

The Beginnings – Part 122: I’M A SPY

I had an excellent sales day.  I accomplished over five-hundred dollars in new revenue.   I received an award pin because of it.  The pin has an imprint of five words: PACIFIC BELL, WEBSTER, THE ANSWER.   No, it wasn’t a bad day for me at all.   There was also a free Pacific Bell Celebration Luncheon.  

For dinner I had leftover lasagna.   It was the homemade dish that Jim had made the other night.   It still tasted quite good.

I called Vicki Perata while I was home this evening.   The truth came out.

Vicki said, “I’m just hesitant about beginning a new relationship because I’m still ‘sort of’ seeing an ex-boyfriend.”

I caught her drift and figured ‘such is life’.  

I called Lynne Major, an old flame.   There was no answer.   My notion to call her is beyond me.  

Then I telephoned Paloma once again.   She wasn’t home.  I later learned that she claimed to be at the dentist.

I telephoned Howard Edelstein.   My notion to call him is beyond me.  He had just left the house, so I never spoke to him anyway.   Some unknown guy gave me this information.  Could he have a new roommate?   Did his roommate, Seanne, move out?

Jim called me back. 

“I did get your two messages and I tried calling you up until twelve-thirty on Halloween,” Jim said.

“I guess I just missed you.”

“I also missed you on Tuesday because I didn’t see you at the skating rink.   I thought I’d see you there.”

“Oh well, I, for one, don’t really like that joint…and I don’t skate.”

“I understand.”

We rapped awhile and we made a date for this Saturday night to see a play in San Francisco called THE TORCH SONG TRILOGY.  

I explained to Jim about my Halloween night in San Francisco.

“Yeah, I met this French girl named Paloma.”

He didn’t seem very interested and switched on a subject that he thought would interest me.

“I learned about some of the extracurricular activities of George for you.”

“You did?” I asked most curiously.

“Yes, he was at the rink Tuesday night, flirting around as usual.”

“Well, I sent him a postcard because he owes me some money.”

He didn’t seem very interested.   Suddenly, Jim started rambling on in a blunt sort of way about sex.   He cracks me up about how he so openly talks about sexual subjects.   I felt a need to close the subject.

“Okay, let me watch DYNASTY now and I’ll call you back.”

Jim said, “Okay…but only if you promise to call me back.”

“I will.”

I sat on the sofa and munched on some candy when the phone rang.   I thought it might be Nici Maurino.   I wasn’t feeling too thrilled about the possibility of Nici calling; however, it wasn’t Nici.   It was Paloma!  

“I really enjoyed talking to you last night,” I stated as I sat upright on the couch.

I was so excited by her reply, “I felt the same way.”

“I want to invite you out for dinner.”

“Why don’t you call me tomorrow night about dinner?”

“Okay, I will do that.”

We may just go out.   After hanging-up I wondered if she was going to change plans with another guy in order to go out with me.   I couldn’t be sure.   It thought it a bit strange that I had to call again tomorrow about the hopeful dinner date.  

I also said, “I want to give you a tour of Alameda on Saturday…since you don’t know the area.”

After I said it I had forgotten that I am committed to working from 8:30 until half passed noon on Saturday…but so what.   

I asked Paloma, “Do you know that restaurant called Hs Lordships or Spengers?”

She seemed to know but no date was arranged.

I mentioned that show called BEACH BLANKET BABYLON.

Paloma said excitedly, “I still want to see THE ROAD WARRIOR movie.”

Maybe we will see that movie together on Friday night.   Who knows?   She’s an okay gal.  

I explained, “I know that you live with The Walsh Family.”

I could hear that she was amazed that I knew that.   I had to explain that I looked up her phone number while at work and saw that the telephone number was listed under the Walsh name.   She probably thinks I’m a spy now.

When I hear the UB40 song, RED RED WINE, I can only see Paloma.   I can hear her laughter.   I see her smile.

 “Do you know what the FRENCH call a beauty spot, a mouche like that, high on the cheek?”

“They call that one ‘courage’.”

-Thomas Harris

HANNIBAL

Read More

The Beginnings - Part 121: THE CENTER OF MY THOUGHTS

"Not many people are capable of forgetting their worries for the second it takes to marvel at this extravaganza.  It seems that the thing that we all seem to be least aware of is our own life."

-Marc Levy

IF ONLY IT WERE TRUE

The Beginnings – Part121:   THE CENTER OF MY THOUGHTS

November 1, 1983

I neglected to mention that the mishap at work was settled without any penalty involved.   There was just a mere documentation made of the incident, giving me the questionable ‘shadow of a doubt’ on the case.   I’m in the clear.

I left a message on Jim’s answering machine.

I asked, “When are we going to start working out at the gym?”

I haven’t received a response from him about it yet.

I have plans to send George a post card.   I feel a need to remind him of the one-hundred and fifty bucks that he owes me.   What a creep!   I hate to have to ask about shit like that.

I telephoned Paloma.   She wrote my number down.   She was asleep when I called her.   I guess she had a longer night than I did.   We didn’t talk for very long.  Maybe I’ll get lucky and she will call me back.

I feel tired tonight.   I want to rest.   These last few minutes have been pretty active.

I guess my brother, John, will be moving-in to the Townhouse today.  I noticed there is a new recliner here.  His bed and desk are here already.   It looks nice because that room looks sort of ‘lived-in’ now.

I spoke to Bunny Berney yesterday as a customer.   She is living with Elisa (her sister) now.  I graduated from Alameda High School with Elisa.   I gave Bunny my new telephone number.

I said, “Tell Elisa to call me!”

I turned in at around 8:30PM and decided to call on Paloma one more time.   She was home and we had such a nice talk.   We talked about the thirty parties Elizabeth had set-up for next Saturday night.    We were talking about that song that I love by UB-40 called RED RED WINE.   It was a funny coincidence because the song came on the radio as we were discussing it.  

“Where exactly do you live?”  I asked.

“In the Berkeley Hills,”she said with the sexy accent.

We spoke of the KABUKI CLUB in San Francisco and discussed how self-conscious she felt about her accent.   She’s still trying to learn to speak better English.   I learned of her two elder brothers.   I explained about my two brothers and I teased her about being older than I because she was born in January while I was born in May (of the same year).  

“Maybe we can go out next Saturday,” I hinted.

“Maybe,” she answered.

Was she playing hard to get?

We talked about the modeling scene and the ELITE Modeling Agency in San Francisco.   She could certainly be a model.   I liked how she went on about how she loves the little girl that she babysits in the Berkeley Hills.   She’s a sensitive, loving gal.   I really like Paloma.   She is the center of my thoughts now.

There aren't too many second chances in life!  This is gonna take everything you got!

-Sebastian Junger

THE PERFECT STORM

Read More