There have been so many cosmic and cool things in my life. And, I don’t care if anyone but me thinks so. But, listen to this one.
The summer I was nineteen, I came back home to San Antonio from my freshman year at Southwest Texas State College. Just for something to keep me occupied, I accompanied my friend, Rosie Gander, to the San Antonio Little Theatre. We signed up to volunteer as stagehands for their big summer show–“Sound of Music”–staged at the old Sunken Gardens outdoor theater.
I met an airman there who was also volunteering as a stagehand. Steve drove a little convertible sports car and was DJ part-time on a local radio station. We spent a lot of time talking and laughing, and smoking cigarettes in the lulls between the our stage duties. He came over to my house for dinner and I think we may have gone to the movies. (I need to ask if he remembers)
At the end of the summer, my family moved, I went back to college and Steve went to Viet Nam. We wrote each other faithfully for about three or fours years. He had quite the way with words, good at sarcasm and funny stories. If you can image any funny stories coming out of Viet Nam. He went back to the states for college when he got out of the Air Force and we lost track of one another.
Forty-four years later he finds me through this very blog site. I told him I saved all his letters because I thought they were such a piece of history. We began corresponding where we left off. Only this time we’re writing via email. He’s just as eloquent and just as funny as he was those many years ago.
Carole, Steve and me
48 years later
In April this year, Steve and his wife, Carole, came to San Antonio (they live in a small town in Nebraska) for Fiesta (admittedly a mistake as it was hotter than blue blazes this year.) My husband and I spent several days with them when they weren’t doing Fiesta things. We had such a wonderful time. I loved getting to know Carole, and Steve…same great guy, just a little older.
Now, come on, isn’t that cosmic and cool?
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