Tango Fire
Memoirs
Copyright@L. Hadley 2026
Updated - Mon. Oct. 05 - 2026 - please - go to chapter 203 of the Installment 16th.
Work of Fiction. Any similarity to real people - dead or alive - purely coincidental.
For the new segment of this exciting story - please - click here every Monday - Wednesday and Friday - of each week!
Chapter 114
At the end of that magical summer - Lisa and her family left for the U.S., and I missed her like crazy. She kept sending me her photos in which she looked glamorous like the U.S. teenage movie idol - Sandra Dee - with Lisa's long hair still - of light brown - color.
My family didn't arrive in the U.S. - for at least - seven years after Lisa's folks got there. In the meantime - we lost track of each other but after I finished my third year at huge Ohio State University - I found out that she was also studying there. As I was getting ready to enquire about her in the Admission Office - she called me on the phone. Her voice sounded the same as it did ten years prior to that moment when we were teens at the Polish mountain resort. We agreed that she will come up the very next morning to meet me in the university's campus apartment which I planned to vacate. It was the end of the spring quarter, and I needed some roommates for the upcoming summer quarter.
Lisa entered my university campus apartment and I suddenly saw a good looking, tall and all grown-up friend - still looking like an American movie idol - the way she looked on the photos she sent me but her long, thick hair was bleached blond - instead of her natural light brown, it looked glamorous blond - not the "copper" cheap kind of color. I wondered for a moment - how she evaluated me - after not seeing me for close to - ten years.
She hugged me and smiled with the same dimples which I remembered well. She looked great in her salmon-colored shorts and a matching summer top.
"You look like a damn movie star. I feel like a 'Cinderella' - next to you,"
"Maratchka - 'Cinderella' my foot. You always look like you own the world - ever since you were a little fart - the way you walk - points to your determination."
Many people told me that and I always liked to hear it - but my important goals kept changing.
She and the closest friends as well as my family - called me by my first name used in childhood. Everybody I met in the U.S. called me "Maggie".
We drank a black tea while we ate little sandwiches - which reminded us of our childhood in a posh Polish mountain resort. The three hours went by like a blink of an eye - full of reminiscing what happened to us during the last ten years. Our meeting was not just a simple accident. It was meant to happen. It turned out that she needed a roommate for her last quarter at Ohio State while I needed to find me a place for my last quarter as well - both of us were graduating and moving on.
* * *
It was a gorgeous, fresh summer morning when I woke up early at Lisa's parents' house in the suburb of Cleveland. They had a big ranch style home with a lush back yard. I slept on a large sofa in a big living room - nicely decorated. The soft sounds of a radio played "Sunrise-Sunset" - a big hit that summer.
I walked in my smooth, silk pajama of olive-green color which pleasantly contrasted with my summer tan and my green eyes - towards the big kitchen equipped with all the newest gadgets - known to mankind - where Lisa's mother was fixing us a fancy omelet breakfast which started from freshly squeezed orange juice. The soft, clean white carpet caressed my bare feet. The whole house was clean and smelled of light perfume, luxury and splendor. At the moment - the faint scent of the clean house mingled with the smell of freshly squeezed orange juice coming from the large kitchen.
"What's the matter? You can't sleep Maratchka?" Her mother greeted me as I sat down by the large, new, sun colored kitchen table and started sipping my fresh orange juice from the small juice glass she handed me. She didn't age too much - certainly - not ten years. There were some silver threads in Stella's dark hair, and she put on some weight, but she still looked good.
"I love your home, Mrs. Levinsky. It's beautiful and so clean."
"Your parents also have a nice place in Columbus which is a good city for them."
"Now - things are much better but it was hard for them at first."
"Tell me about it. Before Sasha - finally - got a good job which taps on all his numerous job skills - our U.S. cousins kept urging him to take just any menial and low paying job which was offered - at the beginning."
"The same thing happened to my family with our U.S. relatives. It took a while before my folks - finally - got their decent jobs in research at the Ohio State University."
Lizotchka arrived in the kitchen and started to drink freshly squeezed orange juice. She wore a salmon-colored silk pajama. She loved that color since she knew that it looked good on her.
After we ate omelet with no toast since we were "dieting" - she and I went out to the back yard covered in lush, green grass.
Her mother told us not to diet while we were having breakfast, but we ignored her politely.
I remember that glorious morning as if it happened yesterday. The sun felt perfect as it kissed our beautiful, young bodies. The transistor radio played the hit song of that summer - "You Got Your Troubles - I Got Mine".
"You don't have any troubles. It must feel great to 'rope' a good looking and rich American," I touched a good-sized diamond engagement ring shining in the sun against her strong, tanned hand.
"He's got a nice personality as well. But what's with you? I thought that you are happy for me."
"I am happy for you, but I would like a ring like that on my finger - as well - attached to some good-looking guy."
"Every guy you meet is after you. All you have to do is wag your little finger and they are ready to jump. What's wrong with your confidence?"
"Say - I hear that the Americans - the ones born here - look down upon us - the newcomers," I changed the subject.
"Especially - the American Jews - the ones born here - at times - behave as if they 'grabbed God Almighty by the balls'", I added.
"Some people are arrogant for various reasons. You can't just lump them into groups other than they are 'schmucks' and there are plenty of those in any group of people".
Later that day - in the evening - all of us went out to the drive-in movies to see the newest Tony Curtis comedy. That memorable summer went fast.
At the end of it - both Lisa and I graduated from Ohio State. I met my future husband - Jack Osborne - also at the very end of that summer; he came to visit his friends who studied at Ohio State while he was - temporarily - stationed in Washington, D.C. while finishing his U.S. army duty; they introduced me to Jack who appeared attractive and smart and my - boyfriend at that time was put "on hold" by me - so I went out to dinner with Jack and we "hit it off"; he was almost finished with his U.S. Army duty where he worked as a computer specialist for the top command - instead of "eating mud" - somewhere - at the front lines.
We decided to drastically shorten our engagement and get married - since - for the last six months - he received his last orders for West Germany's American base in Nurnberg - before they closed West Germany bases - where I could follow him - almost immediately - as a military wife.
Lisa - in the meantime - and her new husband Artie - decided to leave the U.S. after their fantastically arranged - big wedding. They decided to emigrate to Canada where Artie had relatives in jewelry business.
Chapter 115
Jack and I moved to San Francisco for several years after we got married in order to complete our university degrees since California offered a lot cheaper university tuition at that time. Lisa and Artie - in the meantime - settled in Canada. We didn't see each other for several years; we talked on the phone to fill each other on the important news happening in our lives.
"You - guys - must love San Francisco - maybe Jack will get a job there after he finishes his degree,"
"First of all - nobody gets any decent jobs in San Francisco - unless they are geniuses or have big time connections of every kind - secondly - we hate California. It's freaky - not 'normal' like Midwest. We miss change of seasons - among other things. As soon as we are finished with our degrees - we are coming back to Midwest."
"How is your baby doing?" I changed the subject.
"He is gorgeous - fat and cute. I am expecting the second one soon. How about you? Are you planning something along those lines?"
"No - I told you before that the thought of long pregnancy makes my skin crawl."
"Stop talking stupid things. You and Jack are both good looking and good people - you should - definitely - have - at least - a couple of kids."
* * *
It was ironic that Jack and I were leaving California also in the middle of January - the same month we came there - four years earlier. Los Angeles felt hot and freaky to us on our way out of California - since we stopped there to visit with some friends who also "transplanted" there from Midwest and couldn't wait to get back to "normal" - Midwest.
Jack got a job offer for a popular TV station in Chicago so we couldn't be happier to be - finally - getting the hell out of San Francisco. We got to know that beautiful city - up close - while we lived there for four years. It was Leftist - veering city - many years before it became a "mecca" for tons of homeless addicts and petty criminals with some mix of truly unfortunate individuals - seeking help.
In a nutshell - we missed Midwest with its change of seasons - among other things we missed about Midwest. It was a good feeling to cross the border from California to Arizona with a great feeling of "unloading" California. It was hard to think that four years earlier - we were happy to cross the same border - coming to California which appeared like a heaven since we were running from the fierce snowstorm raging in Midwest.
After we drove through Arizona for only a couple of hours - we noticed how the air was fresh while the scenery appeared totally different from that of Los Angeles - which was crowded, hot and "smoggy" (smoke and fog combo - which was - subsequently - cleaned to a great extent).
"Why can't we live in Arizona? It's so beautiful here with the cactuses and other plants guarding the plains."
Jack and I were driving early in the morning - before the sunrise to avoid any possible traffic which was not heavy. We stopped every morning to eat a delicious breakfast of eggs, toast and freshly brewed coffee. The few early hours each morning before the sun came up - felt great as if the world was waking up.
"There are no jobs - to speak of - in those small romantic looking towns - Wild West style. That's why we are driving to Chicago."
* * *
When we parked our rental car in front of our rental - high first floor, big condo in Chicago's - Rogers Park - the big flakes of snow started to fall gently - without accumulating. That memorable, first evening in Chicago had a fairy tale atmosphere. The real estate agent did a good job in terms of renting us some furniture - as well. She put some fresh food for sandwiches into the fridge as well as tea bags and instant coffee - on the clean kitchen counter. We had an electric device with two burners to cook some meals and - she also provided an electric pot for hot water.
"I feel like kissing every fat snowflake that falls. I missed snow," I addressed Jack who got busy unloading our suitcases.
"She promised will get some groceries for us - and she did that and much more. She is a good agent. Does extra work," Jack was all business - unloading our stuff.
"Take some stuff from the car. You will be kissing the snowflakes - later on".
It was getting late. Jack and I were starving so our baloney sandwiches, instant soup and a can of Coors beer tasted heavenly.
All the furniture rented by the agent was of good quality plus we liked that Scandinavian design - we intended to exercise our option to purchase that stuff.
As I was falling asleep - thinking about this first - memorable day and subsequent - evening - in Chicago - I noticed that Jack - was immediately - sound asleep. When I woke up the next morning - rested - after a long day of travel during the previous day - I knew that Chicago will be good to us for many years to come - but even long, long years of love and successes - invariably - change.
* * *
During the month of June of the early summer - our first summer in Chicago - Jack had frequent assignments to do news shoots for the huge yearly Chicago's summer festival - The Taste of Chicago which lasts several weeks - every summer in huge Grant Park from which the splendid, gorgeous looking - Chicago's Lake Michigan - could be smelled if other smells of delicious foods cooked on the outside grills belonging to the finest Chicago's restaurants - "quieted down" a bit.
During our first summer in Chicago - my favorite treat was corn on the cob - cooked on the outside grills - in husks. Everything now - viewed by me - through the prism of time - appears - perfectly perfect that summer.
The legendary Latin musician - Tito Puente - was still alive and played with his excellent band. His music penetrated the Grant Park during that memorable late afternoon.
"He just got barely in time on the main stage; the other so-so - Latin woman performer - didn't want to get the hell off the main stage," said Jack as he deftly handled his fancy Japanese television camera. He loved taking good shots which hi the news studio's editor didn't need to edit much. Jack sported slight tan from frequently working outside. He looked fit and handsome even if big boned. I heard the rumors that his Scandinavian looks attracted the attention of a fiery, Italian looking - a woman star news anchor - who looked great and didn't need any - purported - numerous plastic surgeries to which she - allegedly - subjected herself every year since the news stars' anchors - careers - don't usually last more than a couple of years in a big TV news market like Chicago.
I wasn't too worried about the rumors since I have always had a lot of confidence in myself - plus - most men pay attention to me and many of them - mostly attractive ones - proposition me. It's not as if that factor was ever the biggest and the most important energy of my life - but - of course - it feels good, and I never want to lose it. Another thing was that Jack was always - "one woman - man" even if he liked the fact that he attracted female attention.
My mother always told me - "he has his qualities - but you are also 'no chopped liver'. If he goes - he goes - you will manage."
Chapter 116
That first summer in Chicago was glorious - however - the following summer was awfully hot - after which the winter appeared - that was fierce to no end and if felt as if it will never come to an end. When the following spring - finally - arrived - it felt great. The same thing happened when fall - finally - arrived after that memorable, terribly hot summer - it fell like a cool paradise. As I mentioned before, the mostly happy years in Chicago - went fast. Now-a-days - my lifestyle is much different, but I make it no less interesting - as much as possible at this stage of my life. Pittsburgh's - hilly Squirrel Hill - where I live - offers a lot of interesting activities.
* * *
I am glad that during the last few years - I settled semi-permanently (since one never knows of the - possible - next opportunity) - in hilly and picturesque part of Pittsburgh - Squirrel Hill - a part full of exciting European and international - spirit. Before then - I shuffled back and forth between Chicago and Pittsburgh's - Squirrel Hill. I am glad that Chicago stopped "calling me back" as if it was some "being". The last time I left there to go back to Squirrel Hill - the vivid memories of the evening news on TV - made me miss Pittsburgh which has a lot less crime and generally much less of the - big city - problems.
I still like Chicago's lovely suburb - Skokie - which is beautiful in every way, and I love to visit it almost every summer. Skokie's glorious Old Orchard Mall-a Park like - sprawling - mall - full of exciting, well designed - stores and eating venues - is a great place to visit every summer.
* * *
Last summer I took the sleeper train - as I always do - from Pittsburgh to Chicago's - Union Station - then I swing over - using the public transportation to my favorite Chicago's suburb - beautiful Skokie - where the lush/lovely Old Orchard Mall - stands in its summer glory. During the summers - however - the tourists who visit the vast mall's outdoorsy - nicely designed - stores and venues - let their kids run wild. Some summers it's worse than others. I guess - I was lucky in that respect - last summer since there were a minimum - of screaming kids belonging to visiting summer tourists - running wild in the summery decorated - Old Orchard Mall.
The only small "tangle" last summer was in my confusing the posh Skokie's hotels addresses where I made the reservation. It all worked out for the best since the hotel where I ended up with my reservation - turned out to be top notch and quieter than the one - which I thought - I reserved. I love the way they serve a super good, complimentary breakfast buffet which is always included in the price of the room. It was fun to - discreetly - take some tasty stuff served at breakfast - into the handbag - then into the room - to snack on - later.
I was expecting to meet with my Skokie friend - Alice/Alla (her Russian name) during the first part of the weekend - however - she was - evidently - wanting to make sure that my hotel is paid for - so she avoided answering my phone during the first part of that weekend - contrary to what we agreed to - before I got to Skokie; she claimed that something urgent "came up suddenly" with her immediate family - "the unexpected visit from her married daughter who has always had marital problems ever since I can remember". I knew that she was "fibbing" but - OK - I went along with her phony excuse.
The next morning, we met in the lovely restaurant/coffee shop attached to a magnificent Nordstrom store - a big "star" of Skokie's Old Orchard Mall where I stepped out easily from my posh Skokie hotel. I have not seen her for several years and she aged a lot - she looked much older than I expected. I didn't say anything about it - even though Alla - on many occasions - before - "volunteered" her unsolicited - negative comments about my appearance or other critical remarks with which she was - frequently - generous. She surprised me a bit - that morning - by saying some complementary things about my appearance - for a change.
After we had a good apple strudel and freshly brewed coffee - she suggested that we go to the nearby Walmart where she needed to buy some insignificant stuff like an extra bra; I agreed since I didn't have anything more interesting to do - at the moment. She was always a good driver, so getting into to her nice, clean Honda was - kind of fun. I loved to look around Skokie while the weather was still decent - at the moment - since that early June weekend was - mostly - rainy.
Once we got to the huge Walmart - in the suburb close to Skokie - we needed to be asking for some directions, but the store's employees were extremely hard to find. I never liked the big layout of all the Walmarts' since they remind me of huge army barracks - remade into big stores. It took a while to get to the right department, but Alla/Alice finally found two brassieres which fit her big sized - boobs; we could get the hell out of the store which started to get on my nerves along with Alla - but I kept my good mood.
After we got back to the lovely restaurant/coffee shop attached to the glorious "Nordstrom" department store - a prominent "jewel in a crown" of the beautiful, well designed and decorated for each season - Old Orchard Mall - we sat at the nice table in the back part of the big, outside terrace full of gorgeous plants. The smiling, middle-aged waiter brought us a menu offering lots of delicious entrees as well as good selection of beer and alcoholic cocktails.
It was a warm, cloudy late afternoon - the restaurant's sound system played soft jazz. I loved to sit outside. Alla - however - started to complain that she is cold and wanted to go inside in spite of my offering her my jean jacket. I started to silently - dream about getting rid of her earlier than originally planned. I thought briefly that I could arrive early to my gourmet cooking class offered at the fancy gourmet shop located at the other side of Old Orchard. Then I had another idea.
"Let's drive into town. I miss smelling the emerald-colored Lake Michigan which looks glorious - hugging the boats in the summer,"
"I am not driving into the city. The crazy tourists and local drunk nuts are cruising Chicago."
"We can take public transportation. You can park by the Skokie Swift - then we catch Express Bus 147 at the Howard Station. That way we are not 'descending' into 'creepy underground' part of the system",
"I don't know", Alla was finishing her poached salmon and garden salad full of the freshest vegetables. I had the same delicious combo, but I indulged into a half a glass of white wine. Alla didn't drink since she was driving.
"Come on. I missed Chicago. We can have rich gelato since we were so good at our early dinner. They have the best gelato in that scrumptious food court attached to Macy's on Michigan Avenue. Come on - don't act like an old fart."
My favorite Express Bus 147 was not very crowded after we boarded it.
"I love that view of the Lake Shore Drive's huge park by our Lake Michigan,"
"How many years since you have been to the city from 'your' Skokie?"
"It's a great thing that you came to visit so we can do those fun things. When are you coming the next time?"
"Whenever I have a notion - again - to 'flush down the toilet' - like - two thousand American dollars," I made a joke which "didn't land" very well with Alice/Alla.
After we got to Macy's - Michigan Avenue's - glorious food court - the nicely decorated stall displayed all sorts of rich gelato ice-cream; there were - also - some premium spaces to sit down with the view of Chicago's Michigan Avenue on full display.
I was enjoying my strawberry flavored gelato - a single ball - with the spoon out of the dish - the way I liked to eat my ice-cream - whereas - Alla was always getting two balls of gelato - usually - pistachio flavor which she licked. Her ice-cream - invariably started to drip.
"Ask them for a dish and a spoon - they will give them to you - we paid enough," she was still getting on my nerves but less than before.
It was nice to part with Alla that Sunday evening. The next morning I left my fancy hotel room early - then - after packing me some good snacks from the big buffet breakfast table - I got on my favorite Express 147 bus and made most of my way to the Union Station where the ticker holders for the sleeper cars can relax in a nice lounge. I always travel light so I am not held down by excessive baggage. The passengers in the lounge are a true snapshot of the United States's - population. It seems as if everybody and their brother has to - somehow - go through Chicago.
It's tons of fun to travel by sleepers - as if the tiny compartment becomes a mini hotel room for the night. Next time I go - however - I will buy a larger suite for coming back from Chicago to Pittsburgh. The suite has its bathroom and less noise since the sleeping on the train has always been a tremendously pleasant experience. In the small, tiny compartment - the noises of the passengers leaving in the middle of the night while they shut the doors - can get on one's nerves.
Going from Pittsburgh to Chicago - the small compartment is fine because the travel time starts at Washington, D.C. thus the sleeper arrives in Pittsburgh late; it seems as though not that many people get off before the final destinations - Chicago.
* * *
Last presidential elections in November 2020 - barely put Joe Biden over the top after the ex-president Trump was winning left and right - not only the popular votes but the electors' - votes as well - from the majority of states. The Allegheny County - which includes Pittsburgh - where I currently reside - was suspected of stealing the elections for Joe Biden. Another - allegedly - corrupt county suspected of stealing elections for Joe Biden and the Leftists/Democrats - is Philadelphia County which includes the city of Philadelphia - reportedly - crawling with corrupt Leftists/Progressives.
At any rate - the hilly city of Pittsburgh is "shot through" with the ultra-Leftists/Socialists/Wokes who pretend to be democratically minded - while they are - closet Marxists - only dreaming about violent overthrow of the middle and upper classes. They want to install their own - "elites" who "get rid" of the political opposition by using the vast systems of jails/penal colonies - in the U.S. - just like their Communist buddies do in Russia and China.
The area of Pittsburgh in which I live in - Squirrel Hill - is full of beautifully designed, various sized - homes and mansions - I'm sure that they are the subjects of "massive" drooling on the part of barely educated but indoctrinated New Leftists/Socialists/Democrats - which comprise the elements - of all colors and religious persuasions. They dream of their brand of Socialism - which is "closet Marxism" - so they can help themselves to the stuff - they didn't earn and don't deserve.
Chapter 117
I have always liked the long Memorial Day weekends which begin the coming summers. The Memorial Day weekend which stands out in my mind is the lovely long weekend a few years ago when I lived in Chicago area - which I spent with Alice/Alla - my Skokie friend.
We went to a big Memorial Day weekend picnic organized by Skokie Park system - which means that they spent quite a bit of money for lavish music performances of the international nature - since the previously - mostly - Jewish village of Skokie - became an international mixture of - mostly professionals - people who could afford the pricey rentals and other expensive dwellings.
That Memorial Day weekend fest that Alla and I attended a few years ago in Skokie - offered several kinds of other attractions - like inexpensive food and drinks including beer. It was for the Skokie residents only - however - the city of Chicago with its numerous parks - also spends a lot of money for their lavish summer events of many kinds.
Back to Skokie Memorial Day Picnic during which the weather was simply - gorgeous. Alla and I had fun speaking Polish at that event - even though our respective commands of English - are more than adequate - both of us - having graduated from American universities. It was a lot of fun - though - to speak the language which was not understood by the surrounding people. The Chicago Poles were not in attendance - to understand us. We could always tell them by their looks - anyhow - many Chicago Poles speak Polish to themselves - thus we knew that there were none at that event - at least - not close to our picnic table.
The Chicago Poles - are not overly anti-Semitic - at least - not as openly - anti-Jewish - when they live abroad - since many of them - in their own country - "show their true colors". They know that the U.S. is not "their" country. Things are always changing - though - since - currently - Poland has - mostly decent - relations with Israel.
Back to that lovely Memorial Day celebration with my Skokie friend - Alla - a few years ago in Skokie (Chicago's lovely suburb). So towards the end of that fun event while she and I spoke Polish freely as we joked in Polish about the people there - who were passing by our picnic table - we had a surprise; a Latin - totally not Polish looking young woman with excessive facial make-up about which Alla and I commented and laughed - turned to us and unexpectedly addressed us in a correct Polish but with Spanish accent; she said something like "I'm glad that you - ladies - didn't say that I look like a whore" - which was - exactly - what I was going to say but didn't - thank God.
* * *
There are tons of Latinos, South Americans and other foreigners in Chicago area - with a lot of them not - legally - allowed to work or vote - but those things don't keep a lot of the Chicago politicians - from using the illegals - so they vote (for them - naturally) and work which lowers the wages for "normal" workers. The Catholic Church loves the influx of new members and so it goes.
As far as Pittsburgh area is concerned and it's not a sanctuary city - like Chicago - still - the local Progressive/Socialists/Leftists - use the illegals here - for their Leftist political causes - since they always have to have some "victims" - to fight for - as if they gave a hoot about them - other than using them - to gain political power for themselves.
The Allegheny County's - "star" city - Pittsburgh - hilly and picturesque - just held primary elections in May 2023 - in which many Leftists/Socialists - won - for now only - that is. The proper elections are coming in November 2023. Currently lots of moderate Democrats are - suddenly - scared of those Leftists/Socialists - so they are actively "mobilizing" - to give the moderate Republican candidate for a County Executive position - a chance to win. The position of County Executive wields a lot of influence over the investments into the state projects; the Republican candidate has a good chance to win the proper elections - this coming November 2023.
Many Pittsburghers are scared witless that the Progressives/Socialists - allegedly Democrats - many of whom just won the primary elections on May 16 - 2023 - will turn Pittsburgh into another San Francisco - which is currently plagued with tons of homeless people - many of whom actively engage in crimes, openly consume illegal drugs, shoplift - galore. A lot of American cities - in distress - due to "easy on crimes/criminals" policies - have the city/state attorneys - financed by a Socialist billionaire - George Soros whose "easy on persecuting the crimes" - policies - encourage the criminals.
All those factors - make many respectable businesses - run from many Democratic run cities - like a proverbial "Texan out of hell". Most of those distressed cities are managed (many say "to the ground") - by Progressive/Democrats. Those are many opinions of tons of callers - voicing their concerns to the radio talk shows' - hosts as well as onto many social media platforms.
According to many neighbors - here - in our desirable area of Pittsburgh - they don't like and don't trust the newly elected Marxist/Socialists - who - BTW - don't hide their new Socialist/Democrat - way - Left - veering - political agenda.
* * *
The local but nationally known talk radio station has several interesting talk show hosts - none of them Jewish - but who don't hate the state of Israel and the Jews - by extension - the way one of those hosts - does. He also propagates for Marxist takeover of the "rich to distribute to the poor". The aforementioned radio host also digs up the instances of gruesome excesses of the past, "lynching" episodes in the form of CRT theories which are - frequently - intended to propagate for hatred of the white people.
He is a part-time hater who attracts mostly other callers - haters - like himself. He was warned by the management - not to incite to "violence" but he - evidently - wants to get fired so he can scream - "anti-Black" racism - as if he - himself - doesn't actively engage in anti-White - racism - galore. The types like him - are - usually - Leftists/Marxists; they rail against Israel and all the Jews - by extension - as well - while they pretend to "defend" the Palestinians as if they - really - gave a "hoot" about them - other than using them in their warped, half-truths - political arguments against Israel.
Chapter 118
The Summer 2023 - so far - has been glorious in many ways - but mainly - it feels good since - thus far - it's been a cool one - the kind of summer which I have always loved. The 4th of July 2023 - promised to be fun - and it was - since the neighbors were not shooting all sizes of fireworks - too much. Every year Pittsburgh puts on magnificent fireworks display - which is totally on par with Navy Pier fireworks splendidly presented - on every 4th of July - during the summers in Chicago.
* * *
Pittsburgh, Pa. - the hilly, picturesque city - "the heart" of the Leftist veering - Allegheny County - has several talk radio stations - for its third of a million - population - not counting the suburbs which - B.T.W. are not as Leftist slanting as the city itself; the talk radio station which we will be highlighting - will not be named. It's sufficient to say that many Pittsburghers listen to it on a regular basis. The talk radio hosts develop their own respective followings of listeners depending - mainly - upon the political persuasion of any given host.
Usually - the Leftist veering hosts - are disliked by the "Middle of the Roaders" - crowd and so on; however - the station's Leftist host - frequently engages in hostile speeches which - they know - will annoy the other listeners who don't subscribe to their Leftist/Socialist brand of politics. The case in point being that - often - the same callers call their favorite hosts with the same kinds of - mostly political - talk/propaganda - "script".
Sometimes the Leftist hosts behave like Louis the 15th - the absolute ruler - the Sun King. They know how some callers - are simply - dying to get on the air - to talk to vast audiences - to experience - their moment of fame - thus the Sun King - Louis the 15th of talk radio - for his shift - might not take their call that particular weekend - thus the disobedient radio talk caller/"courtier" - will be punished by the Sun King. The King knows that the unruly "courtier" - will "lick their King of Talk radio for a shift" - boots - anyway.
There is one - particularly annoying woman caller - an obvious eccentric (and that's being kind to her crazy conspiracy theories) - who frequently tries to insult the radio hosts but mostly she tries to "get under the skins" of the Republicans, Ukrainians, Jews - mainly but almost everybody else - can't stand her "lecturing" listeners as if she had several Nobel prizes to her name. However - she "worships" the Leftist host - Louis the 15th - the Sun King - for his weekends' - talk radio shifts. He can "walk all over her face" - in his - understated - ways which are - however - easily discernable - upon prolonged listening to their exchanges. They had a falling out recently - though. He didn't take her call last time - before he went on his long vacation, which was a big, well-deserved rest for tons of listeners who can't stand his voice, his pushy, on air - demeanor and his Socialist/Leftist/Woke - political stances/agenda - which he crams down everybody's throats - galore.
The woman caller - we are highlighting - loves to spew her anti-Semitic, anti-Israel verbal venom which is her most favorite/repetitious/nauseating - repertoire - but she spews her verbal venom against other entities/persons - as well - who disagree with her; she can be a classic "equal opportunity - verbal venom - sprayer" - on occasions. No wonder that all her activity of that nature - gets on many listeners nerves - galore. Thus - she is also equally - frequently - annoying to the radio hosts who - at times - entertain her crazy calls - on occasions.
The Socialist/Leftist - talk radio host with whom she just had a big falling out - has not been mentioning her - so far - on the air -after he returned from his long vacations - which could be much longer; however - as we mentioned before - even her favorite Leftist radio host - at times - "spits" in her direction; it's done in many subtle ways which are obvious to the listeners who "figure stuff - fast". Nothing seems to discourage her as she appears obsessed with calling every radio shift to inject her "three cents worth" of her - pseudo-sophisticated - crazy conspiracies' theories - which impress - mainly - her.
She recently acquired a Leftist - "friend" - a caller - equally extreme Leftist - whose voice sounds abrasive, aggressive and nasty - to the listeners who disagree with his extreme - Leftist/Socialist take on the current U.S. and global - politics.
* * *
So far, the Summer 2023 has been - mostly - cool with less of the violent rainstorms than the Summer of 2022 which was bothersome for that reason - in addition to being much hotter. One way or another - I always wait for the fall - my most favorite season which - every year - goes entirely too fast.
I love to go to my favorite, beautiful community center which is attended by a lot of people - I know. Still - I prefer to look at some cute, well taken care of - children who come for their lunch - every summer. I would rather glance at them - without any staring - causing suspicions - than look at some "old farts" - older people to whom I say a quick "hello" and leave the area. Some older folks - though - look good - since they take care of their appearance, act in a decent manner and smile which makes them - look warm and attractive. They might entertain negative thoughts in their minds - but - at least - they outwardly - behave in a good way.
Back to the talk radio callers who - at times - frequently - in fact - "spew" their extreme, political positions - perhaps - trying to convince the listening public to come to their political stances - while - their chances of doing that are that of the "snowball's - in hell".
The one - relatively - new male caller - we mentioned above - calls the Leftist host - all the time since the aforementioned Leftist host wouldn't openly "spit" the Leftist propaganda over the air - thus aggravating thousands of the listeners - whereas the caller - we highlight - can spew his exaggerated Leftist fare; he simply loves to quote an "avalanche" of many warped Leftist statistics plus he "digs up" - allegedly new - additional Leftist info from his Leftist sources; he also likes to exaggerate a lot - no doubt. The Leftist talk radio hosts - use him to "spew the political venom of many kinds." He is - relatively new - to the local airwaves.
The two talk radio hosts do not have pleasant radio voices - to begin with - but to the listeners who strongly disagree with their Leftist propaganda - both of them sound like "tons of nails down the chalkboards - non-stop."
The same goes for a woman who has been - addictively - trying to call almost every radio host of the popular talk radio station - we highlight. She attempts to be a famous authority on every kind of everything - especially politics - by quoting some obscure sources - to back up her "theories". In another words she wants to appear "an Alpha and Omega - Know It All". She does get on many listeners' - nerves - big time - of which they inform the radio hosts.
* * *
Last summer in June 2022 I visited Chicago for a week and had a great time in Skokie (the northern suburb of Chicago) which has a magnificent open mall - Old Orchard; its fabulous open mall designs and many nice venues have always been my favorite places to hang out - especially during the summers and early falls - even though the winters - are also beautiful in many ways - at Old Orchard Mall.
Whenever I visit Chicago - I always love to walk down Michigan Avenue's - Magnificent Mile full of lovely, upscale domestic and international storefronts. This year - however - my Chicago friends tell me about the strange caravans of Chicago police cars with their flashing lights - without the sirens - which are guiding the Magnificent Mile stores - to prevent the young hoodlums from breaking in.
Evidently many of those Soros (Socialist billionaire) backed - D. A's in the big cities - do not enforce the laws against looting and against many other crimes - barring obvious - killings and murders.
* * *
At the end of every summer - I love to look forward to the coming fall and winter since I like cold weather and hate the summer heat waves. Still - summer feels like a "mini life" which just passed - according to the lyrics of the song - popular on the European radio stations - around Chicago and the suburbs.
A lot of traditional ethnic groups like Poles, Russians, Latinos - have "migrated" to the suburbs outside the city of Chicago - as soon as they could afford it. Even the previously - beautiful/traditionally - mostly Jewish - but international - suburb of Skokie - lost many families to the more upscale suburban clusters like Northbrook or Glendale.
Skokie - has always been - my favorite suburb - it's very nice and clean with a pronounced European/International - vibe - thanks to the Skokie police "keeping order" as opposed to the Chicago police whose "hands" are frequently - "tied" by the Progressive/Socialist mayors' politics - effectively running the beautiful Chicago - "to the ground" - according to many political commentators.
* * *
Back to the local talk radio for a little bit. There is a female caller - a Leftist - the way she talks in a condescending manner - with her cockamamie conspiracy theories - always - her topic - she offends like crazy - all the Jews, all the Ukrainians and all the Republicans in the listening audience.
The Leftist radio host wouldn't be talking in that outrageous fashion - knowing well that being - kind of known - in this area - everybody would criticize him - galore; that - however - doesn't keep him from - frequently - encouraging that female caller - to "spew the verbal venom" - galore.
She never - ever gets discouraged - no matter how many listeners - tell her that "she makes their skin crawl, and she fully deserves it" - on the contrary - once in a while - she brings onto the radio waves - some gruesome and disgusting episodes from her own life - evidently - wanting some "warmth and sympathy" from the audience whom she repeatedly - "hoses with venom". Her chances of getting some warmth from them - are that - of a "snowball - caught in hell."
* * *
Each year whenever the summer ends - I start looking forward to the coming fall and winter - then spring and summer come again - the seasons appear to follow each other faster - as I get older. However - I don't look back with the wishes of turning back - the time. It's always good to look ahead to new things.
The winter holidays - have always been my most favorite times of the year - since I have always loved the New Years' Eves' - celebrations - ever since I can remember. There are several memorable New Year's Eves celebrations which turned out to be defining and important - as it later turned out. As I mentioned before - I love New Year's Eves of any kind - it feels like the new beginnings will bring good changes. Needless to say - the Jewish New Years every Fall are equally joyous.
Chapter 119
I remember one gorgeous fall several years ago during which my oldest sister was visiting me from Israel - thus we celebrated the Jewish New Year together with my Chicago friends who own a big, spacious townhouse in Skokie - a nice, northern suburb of Chicago - one of my most favorite places in that area. It was a lovely, cool and sunny early fall day - which felt great after a hot Chicago summer that year - which didn't feel awful since my Chicago apartment was close to Lake Michigan which offered a nice, cool breeze most of the time.
My best friend - at that time - whom I have known since our childhood in Eastern Europe - Millie (Milochka was her name from our childhood) - cooked a fabulous dinner as every fall.
"Let's buy her some good wine," I suggested to my older sister Tina who dressed up for the occasion to look like a Versace model. "You look like a millionaire", I commented.
"You look good - too - you always do," she said as she handed me a bottle of my most favorite French perfume by Dior - "Dolce Vita" which always reminded me of Tina's luxurious townhouse overlooking Mediterranean Sea - in the beautiful Israeli port city - Haifa.
"Put some on and talk some 'business' with Milochka's brother later tonight - don't waste the occasion to 'close some sales' - you know our family's maxim - ABC - always be closing."
"I told you before that he must be gay. He's never been involved with any women - that we know of. I don't need him to be proving to me that he is not gay."
"He has always been good looking - though - even as a little fart," I added as we were leaving my nice apartment in Chicago's - Rogers Park.
On the way to Milochka's townhouse we stopped briefly at the big food store down the street - to pick up some good wine. I have always liked that feature in the Chicago area - while in Pittsburgh area - still - only a few grocery stores offer wine - while the state stores to buy most alcohol - may not be conveniently located.
Upon entering Milochka's townhouse in Skokie - the smells from the kitchen were delightful. She - expertly - cooked the dishes we knew from our childhood.
Her brother - all dressed up and looking good - was watching the football game on TV in her living room. He smelled good of a good male cologne.
When my sister and I entered the living room - Maurice introduced himself and kissed her perfumed hand. I had thought briefly about how the years went by. I have remembered him when Maurice was a chubby little fart trying to "catch" the waves of the Baltic Sea on the beach where we went dressed in sweaters since - the summers were - frequently - cold at the resorts where we ranted summer vacations cottages by the Baltic Sea.
Milochka stuck her head from the kitchen and laughed evidently surprised by Maurice's gallant gesture.
"Those Polish people he works with have 'instructed' him in some extra manners," she laughed towards me and my sister. Milochka also dressed up nice for the evening.
My sister was impressed with Maurice and she told him that anytime he comes to visit Israel - she and her family would be happy to show him around the beautiful harbor city Haifa where she had a big townhouse overlooking the Mediterranen Sea - where he could stay - instead of choosing a hotel.
"The Polish people are - usually - very nice when they are in foreign countries - while in their own country - it varies; however - they have been visiting Israel - lately - we love for them to spend money," she said as we got ready to leave Milochka's townhouse to have a tour of beautiful Chicago at night. Lake Shore Drive looks spectacular at night with the lights of various vessels lighting up the starry sky.
* * *
The three weeks of Tina's visit went fast like a blink of an eye. It felt as if the time "rushed" since I was meeting her at an international terminal of huge O'Hare Airport. On the day of her departure - we went to the airport several hours before she needed to show up at the international terminal.
We were sitting at the nice restaurant with the view of the runways.
"God - the time goes fast when you visit," I glanced at her; she looked spiffy and elegant - as always. I took a sip of red wine. We had an early lunch of baked chicken and salad.
"Now - it's your turn to come to Israel."
"You know that I love to visit you and your family - but it's a costly trip. Time for me to start thinking of investing some money - for later."
"Sometimes I think that I would love to come to Israel to live but it would be difficult for me to be starting over - again," I added.
"Nothing is difficult for you."
"I wish that it was true. Israel needs young talents - with the energy and money to invest."
"What are you saying? Tons of American Jews retire in Israel".
"All of them - probably - have limitless resources of every kind - but I love the U.S. more - I have lived here most of my life."
"You may love it - but you should know that you belong in Israel."
"I belong here - in this country. You know that I have struggled in every way - to finally - be in this position. It wasn't easy. I know that I contribute to this land, and it appreciates my contributions."
"You are not the only one who struggled in every way. You think that I and my family 'glided' easily? It's much harder to live in Israel but we have lived there a long time - my children were born there, and we love our country - we would never live anywhere else."
"Well, now - it's time for you to relax and enjoy your 'dolce vita' in Israel. May God bless you, Israel and everybody there - I'm sad that you're leaving, though. The time went too fast."
We hugged "goodbye" - both of us kept from crying. Then I watched her - as she walked fast towards the International terminal to catch "Lufthansa" the airline she like to take in a comfortable business class - to LOD Airport - Tel Aviv.
She walked confidently with her - usual - swagger - always fashionably dressed and brave like a Warrior/Queen. When I would give her my impression of her as a Warrior/Queen - she would always happily agree and always tell me that I am a Warrior/Princess - her little sister.
* * *
I missed Tina - like crazy - for the first few weeks after she left - but time does its "job" so after several weeks - things started to be getting back normal.
My "bestie" - at that time - Milochka (Millie) and I were having lunch - big salads - at the gloriously decorated for coming in 6 weeks - Christmas Season - Old Orchard Mall - located in Skokie - (Northern suburb of Chicago) where Millie's nearby townhouse appreciated in price - quite a bit.
"I still miss my sister, but she needs to be with her family - where she belongs,"
I expected Millie to say something rough. She - frequently - indulged in being direct to the point of being rude.
She surprised me - however - when she stated that she knows how I feel even though she never had a sister - having two brothers - one younger and one older.
I wanted to broach the subject of her brother - Maurice - the younger brother - who was "all grown" up - as we were walking briskly towards her townhouse to have a desert, but I changed my mind about asking about Maurice.
After we got there Maurice was happy to see us since he didn't like to be left with Millie's/Milochka's - little, one year old grandson - his grandnephew - while her teenage daughter - Maurice's niece - was working. Maurice left Milochka's townhouse - as soon as we got there.
He mentioned quickly that he loved meeting my sister and he was - definitely - staying at her townhouse when he visits Israel. He made a pound cake for us - while we were away at the Old Orchard Mall's restaurant having our delicious fresh salads' - lunch which was light, so we had plenty of room for dessert.
Her townhouse smelled good of the recently baked cake; Maurice left quickly - I was glad that he did - so I could talk to Millie - some more - before leaving - not that he was ever interested in our "girl talk". He usually - watched the sports while he played old Polish or Russian hits - for us - which reminded us of mostly good times of our growing up in Eastern Europe.
Her little grandson came up to me, so I picked him up and we went to the big, bright kitchen where Milochka was fixing tea for our pound cake which she sliced into thick slices.
"Can you fix me coffee?"
"Isn't it getting too late in the afternoon for coffee for you? It will keep you up.
"I can stay up. It's a weekend. I might catch a late movie on T.V."
Once we sat down at her nice, high polish, big table in her dining room - her little, year old, stocky but not fat grandson - pointed his little finger at our pound cake then he pushed away his animal crackers.
"He always thinks that the big people's food tastes better," said Milochka as she gave him a fat slice of "our" pound cake which made him happy, so he laughed while he spread the cake over his face - on the way to his mouth which "sported" two bottom teeth.
"Do you even regret not having any children?"
"No - not really. I had a great time all those years when I worked my demanding job which I loved," I said.
"Can't have everything - all the time," I added.
At that time, I had a close friendship with Milochka/Millie whom I have known since we were in grade school. However - a few years later - our long-time friendship - hit a "fork in a road" and we went our separate ways - mainly - because - I decided to move - again - from Chicago area - back to hilly/picturesque Pittsburgh's Squirrel Hill part - which is a fashionable, trendy, "she-she-poo-poo"/cool area of Pittsburgh - where my older brother Max had lived for many years with his family and owned a mini mansion which he divided into several rental units - after the kids left home and he got divorced for the second time.
Chapter 120
I shuffled back and forth from Pittsburgh's - Squirrel Hill back to Chicago several times in the last few years - since I used to miss Chicago a lot with its national and international splendor that makes any smaller town feel like a "provincial hole in the mud". However - the last time I moved to Pittsburgh's beautiful - "she-she-poo-poo", trendy Squirrel Hill - a few years ago - Chicago stopped calling me back like some kind of a "being".
After "George Floyd's" riots in the spring and summer of 2020/2022 - Chicago stopped calling me there - as I mentioned before. Currently - the city suffers even more since the D.A. Kim Foxx - supervises - read: handcuffs - the Chicago police so the annoying criminals have a "field day". The crime is - presently - a bigger problem in Chicago - than before; it's because the Socialist billionaire Soros's financed - Progressive/Socialist District Attorneys allow the criminals - to roam around the city with a few - if any - legal consequences.
Another big problem in Chicago which has gotten much worse - lately - is that tons of people with phony or non-existing - legal statuses - have no jobs, no skills and no places to live or hang out.
Last summer - before I left the windy city - I was disgusted to the max with Chicago's politicians - because the lovely, small park in my neighborhood was taken over by mostly - young men - of different nationalities - who started to hang out in the beautiful small park next to which I needed to catch the bus to work in the Downtown Loop. The transient men were making lewd comments during the late in afternoons after the women like me - got off the bus - but in the evenings they transients were always getting more aggressive in their verbal "expressions." At nights - they slept in the small park on the mattresses they brought and covered during the days; thank God - they were gone most of the mornings and days since they had "food cards" to get food.
The Chicago police - was - evidently - instructed - not to bother them even if during the nights there was a wide use of drugs. At times - they Od'd so - on occasions - the corpses were visible lying inside the main entries to the small, adjacent apartment buildings which - no doubt - were losing decent tenants - galore. The unit which I rented that summer was in a dwelling - away from the park with the doorman guarding the entrance and the small apartment complex. Thank God.
At the end of that summer - in the beginning of that fall - the Chicago police - finally - at the long last - moved in and cleaned out that filthy encampment so that nice small park could be a park - again. It only took the whole summer of complaining.
The suburbs of Chicago - however - like my favorite one - Skokie and other suburbs - as well - are beautiful in every way. The Skokie police does not follow the ridiculous, politically motivated - "coddling of the criminals" - the way they do in the city. I love to visit Skokie during the summers when the gorgeous Mall/Park - Old Orchard - offers tons of exciting venues of all kinds. As we mentioned before - it's especially nice in September when all the kids are back in school and stop "descending" onto the Mall's grounds - for days - non-stop while the parents who drop them off there - don't properly supervise their - frequently - highly mischievous - behavior which gets on normal people's nerves a lot.
* * *
After I came back to Pittsburgh's - hilly and picturesque - Squirrel Hill - from Chicago that last time - I was able to - finally - afford to rent a small, third floor unit in my older brother Max'es - small mansion located at the very heart of Squirrel Hill - which he divided into three rental units - following his second divorce.
Before that last time - I needed to rent an apartment in a much less nice apartment building in a so-so - rated neighborhood - not nearly as posh as Squirrel Hill neighborhood. He has - subsequently - divested himself from that dwelling since it needed a lot more preventative maintenance - than he was willing to pay for - while I lived there - and in general; he can be "stingy".
At any rate - still - my first apartment in Squirrel Hill at Max'es - mini mansion after I came back the last time - appeared super nice - at first - even if a tad smaller than my other living accommodations in Chicago area and before. The location and the character of Squirrel Hill - are all "she-she-poo-poo" - trendy and cool - since it has a lot of international vibe about it - while the beautiful homes are well designed - as to not appear presumptuous or gaudy.
* * *
Subsequent to my fulfilling all my yearly rental obligations at Max'es mini mansion's unit - I found me a better unit in Squirrel Hill - much better maintained than Max'es rentals. He was upset - for a while - that I dare to be moving out of his mini mansion. That passed after some time; my older brother has always had a mercurial personality - which didn't get any softer with age and that - no doubt - contributed to the break ups and subsequent divorces which ended several of his marriages.
My little nephew - (technically - a grandnephew) - the only son of my favorite niece - was a cute little boy - when he was little - however - since he turned to be a teenager - he loves to hang out with his friends - as much as he can - while his family - was put - way on the "back burner" of his priorities.
I remember well how a few years ago - he was still little - when all of us celebrated a memorable Thanksgiving which - that year - had Hanukkah holiday - fall at the same time - which is rare. It was a good, memorable Thanksgiving - in many ways.
It's not that I don't like every Thanksgiving holiday every year - but some are - memorable. They stand out in my memory.
* * *
One of the Thanksgiving's which I will never forget was the one in which I first met my future husband - Jack Osborne with whom I would spend - half of my life. However - when I first decided to go on the date with him - I never imagined that my fate and his - will be bound together for a very long time.
During that Thanksgiving holiday I was dating a good looking and smart - teaching assistant at Ohio State University who was working on his PHD in International Studies for whom I had a lot of feelings. However - I was trying not to take our "thing" seriously since I knew that he was - absolutely not ready to commit to anything past the fun of it - "friends with benefits" could be a version of our "friendship".
Anyway - I knew that a lot of attractive coeds were throwing themselves at him - the way they do with any good-looking males in teaching positions - wanting "the experience" from college. Thus - unless a young instructor (immediately - a big status) - had three eyes across his forehead - there would be no shortage of various tempting "propositions". Still - I liked him even if I tried not to treat him overly seriously.
My three college roommates/girls - and I rented a big old house close to the university campus. Each one of us had a big bedroom upstairs - while we shared a big kitchen downstairs. There were two bathrooms upstairs and one half a bathroom - downstairs. We got along well since it was our last year before graduating. I needed to spend my last summer at the University - past that - since I needed some extra credits - to graduate. Luckily - my childhood friend - Lizotchka found me at Ohio State that summer - so both of us could be roommates and finish our respective degrees. Later - about that memorable summer - our last one at Ohio State.
* * *
The three of us - girls - had plans to invite our respective "love interests" and have a fun Thanksgiving meal - early - then some of us who lived close to Ohio State University - would drive to visit our families.
"I don't think - you're inviting Jim," said my roommate Mary casually as we were fixing a light meal for ourselves in a big kitchen a few days before that memorable Thanksgiving.
"He said that he can't avoid spending the whole night with his family who counted on him."
"He lies to you. He is involved with a pig looking coed. I saw them all 'cozy up - kissy, kissy' the other day."
"So - maybe you can fix me up with that old childhood friend of yours - Jack Osborne."
"It's a great idea. He is dying to meet you - anyway. He will be happy to come to our Thanksgiving 'thingy' - then he has to go back to Washington, D.C. to finish his U.S. Army duty: he will be back for Christmas - though - he has quite a few friends in this area".
I didn't really feel like going out to dinner with Jack Osborne on a night a few days before our Thanksgiving for us - the "roomies" but since Jim wasn't calling - I decided to do it.
On the night when Jack was going to pick me up - Jim called so my heart "jumped" as he asked me to go out with him - to grab something to eat. I wanted to see him that night - but I knew better than give in to my feelings.
"Not tonight - I got some plans with friends,"
"I can't believe that I hear you right. Who are those friends?"
"Why are you asking me that? I am not asking you about this pig looking coed hanging out with you."
"Maggie, don't be jealous - please. She doesn't mean anything to me."
"I have to get going. We will talk another time," I hung up the phone quickly - knowing that he will be pissed off.
Things - frequently - happen in my life - especially when some important passages - take place - as if the events have already decided - no matter what I might decide.
I frequently think that during the dinner with Jack Osborne - whom I barely knew - on that November night - the decision which would decide about the half of my life - was already made - somewhere.
"Mary was saying that you're dating some Ohio State instructor. Is he your boyfriend or something?"
Jack wanted to appear casual as he asked me this question while we were eating our delicious, charbroiled hamburgers in an Ohio State campus restaurant - known for their charbroiled goodies. I knew that he was nervous and that he liked me a lot.
He appeared attractive and smart - though - the more I talked to him that first night.
I was - vaguely - aware that a lot of my future will depend on what I will answer to Jack.
"He is not my boyfriend. We're just friends. That's all."
"So - when I come back here during Christmas break - will you go out with me - again?"
The first snow of the season started to fall softly onto the trees of the Ohio State's nicely designed - campus. The sound system played the hit of that year Santana's "Black Magic Woman".
"I felt a lot of magic when I first saw you walking across the campus. You walk with tons of confidence as if you know exactly how to get there and it must be a very exciting place."
"I cry - sometimes - too, but as far as me - knowing exactly where I am going - it varies. My goals change."
For the next segment of this exciting story - please - click here - for sure - every Monday, Wednesday and Friday - of each week!
No comments:
Post a Comment