There
are a lot of things I don't understand and a lot of things I can't
explain. Reading about such things is really boring, and, unless you
have the curmudgeon attitude of Andy Rooney, the pure writing skills of
Mike Royko, and the new age wit of Dave Barry, it's even less fun
to write about them. Once in a while, though, even I can't resist
the temptation, especially
when the subject is women.
I first met Nora almost a
year ago; A chance-type meeting. You know the kind. The kind where you
bump into someone in the produce section of the supermarket or in a long
registration line at night school where you both are trying to find a
class that fits your work schedule. Well, Nora and I met under kind of
similar situation. We met on a sleigh ride.
It was your typical type sleigh ride; night time, clear sky, very
cold. There were the horses (wouldn't be much of a sleigh ride without
them -- unless, of course we could have raided Santa's barn and made off
with the reindeer), the sleigh loaded with cold dirty hay, and of
course, many inches of fresh New Hampshire snow blanketed the ground.
We
had little snacks to munch on; cheese and crackers, and homemade
cookies. All the people huddled closely together under warm blankets
drinking hot chocolate. (It's hard to tell if it was spiked --- Cold
numbs the senses.) If this was the forties
and we were making a movie, we definitely had the setting for a Mickey
Rooney/Judy Garland flick.
You all know that part of
the protocol for all sleigh rides is they must have singing and ours was
no exception. This singing is why I remember this particular night and
why I remembered Nora. I don't know many people who sing really well.
Most of us can pass in the shower when the shower massage is set to
pulsate and the water is rapping out a rhythmic beat against our backs,
drowning out the sounds of our unmelodious discord. But, aside from
that, all of us almost always pass at song time unless we are with
family or really close friends who have popped the cork on the champagne
just once too often.
On this sleigh ride Nora
and I were with strangers! We didn't know them from Adam, yet, Nora felt
compelled to sing. It wasn't just that she wanted to sing that was so
amazing, but, she wanted to sing old songs and she started right in with
a loud rendition of "Bicycle
Built for Two. "(I told you this could be a Mickey and Judy
flick.)
So, I happen to be very
happily thirty something. I know a lot of songs and like most of my
contemporaries, I know just about all the lyrics to all the Beatles
songs. But, I don't know anyone who knows all the lyrics to
"Bicycle Built for Two." Nora not only knew the lyrics,
she could also sing them. (Mostly on key!)
Now, there are a lot of
reasons why we like the people we like and dislike the people we
dislike. Some people we meet we like right away. With others it takes
some time, they kind of have to grow on you (or someone has to pay
them or you off). I'm not sure why that is, but, like I said when I
started this little yarn, there are a lot of things I don't understand.
There is one thing I do
understand, though, and come to rely upon. That is my first impression
when I meet someone new. Call it chemistry for lack of a better
explanation --- even though I failed Chemistry.
And,
like any male with a
body temperature that reads 98.6, I do like the ladies that are pretty
and cute and attractive. (Don't ask me to define those terms because
I can't -- and besides, it all changes with the tide!) I also like
those that enjoy tennis, play the piano, love the mountains, and don't
think the Three Stooges are disgusting. Those that are thirty something,
enjoy sleigh rides, are not self-conscious when meeting new people, and
know all the words and can sing "Bicycle Built for Two"
without missing a beat hold a special charm and appeal.
Nora and I had our paths
cross recently for the first time since that sleigh ride almost a year
ago. As soon as we saw each other we smiled, pointed to one another and
said, "SLEIGH RIDE!!" We had dinner together and spent most of
the night laughing, giggling, pondering, and getting to know each other
over a nice Chianti. My second impression of Nora confirmed my first, I
like this girl!
There are a lot of things I
don't understand. Nora and I may not be starting a happily every after
movie, but, the possibility is there, that, as Ric would say, “this
just may be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.” And, that my
friends, is one thing that does not need any explanation and is
pretty easy to understand!
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