Smiling Without You

        Not long after the Crest Figure was gone, a summer student arrived at the lab. Four weeks into L's eight week stay in Buffalo, there was going to be a lab picnic, and I asked L if I could ride along with him and some other folks. We ended up dating for the next four weeks.

          I would highly recommend everyone have this kind of relationship in her or his life at least once before marrying. A preset, accepted by both parties, finite time in space for two people to be together. That way, you can concentrate on just having fun and sloughing off any baggage! When it was all done – there were no hurt feelings and there was no new baggage. A great experience with only happy memories even after all these years.

          We went out almost every night – and such a good time! I was exhausted, but I didn't care – sleep would be caught up when the summer was over. I remember we saw the movie Fletch together – front row of the theater because it was so crowded. And we hung out at a bar called the Library on Bailey Avenue – how cool is that? It is closed now. I met a few more of the summer students who were from all over the world, and getting to know them was a great experience. Among L's many talents was his trumpet playing which he practiced every day in between work at the lab and hanging out with me. So one night we drove all the way to Chautauqua – where I showed him around all my old haunts, and then we saw Chuck Mangione in concert at the amphitheater there! We must not confuse Chuck's flugelhorn with a trumpet, however – there is a difference.

          One night we were going to UB – University of Buffalo, the Main Street campus, to hang out with some other summer students. We pulled into the parking lot, and Barry Manilow came on the car radio singing Can't Smile Without You. I started singing and bopping along. But when the car was parked, I told L we did not have to finish the song, it was okay to turn the car off. He smiled at me, turned up the volume and sang to me – all the way to the end! I could not believe this was happening to me – especially after the Cherish and Send in the Clowns incident just a couple of months earlier. I looked at his smiling face that was looking at mine and told myself to never forget the moment. It really happened.

          When we had to say goodbye, it was actually at the lab at the end of L's last day of work. There was a party for the summer students that night at Roswell, so I was just going to take the bus home. L met me at the elevator with a long stem rose! We said all kinds of goodbyes, and then in the elevator, L had big tears rolling down his face! My insides all hurt so bad as I clutched the rose and looked at him. I had caused those tears! I actually had that kind of effect on a guy at least once in my life! And I told myself to remember that moment always.

          As I rode the bus home, people smiled and pointed to my rose and commented on how special I must be that someone gave me such a beautiful gift. I was too choked up to explain otherwise!

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