Irresistable Kisses

"I can scarcely bid you goodbye, even in a letter. 
I always made an awkward bow.
God bless you!"
-Ian McEwan
"ENDURING LOVE"

Twenty-five years ago today

March 16, 1986
Sunday

I did finally telephone Chad at 9:30AM this morning. Larry answered the phone.
“Oh…he’s still asleep.”
“Okay, I’ll try later.”
And so I showered and went over to mom’s house to have breakfast.

I escaped on an exhilarating bike ride. It was very cold though, so I turned around. I watched a tape movie that I really, really liked called DRESS GRAY, starring some new actor named Alec Baldwin who is a year older than me. He shows off his hairy chest in the movie.

Chad telephoned at around one-thirty this afternoon.
Chad asked, “So what happened yesterday?”
“Oh…I was with Amy and Karen.”
“Why wasn’t I called?”
I replied nonchalantly by saying, “Well, it was so spur of the moment.”
I could tell he wasn’t very pleased. There was silence.
I asked, “Why don’t we just go out this evening to CROGAN’s in Walnut Creek?”
“Okay.”
“Do you want to come over now?” I asked.
Chad replied, “Well, I’m off to the gym and then…”
“Yeah?”
“Well, I’ll call you when I get back home.”
“Okay.”


I telephoned Chad three times. Finally the clock ticked at six-thirty and I decided to head for Walnut Creek.
I left a message for Chad asking politely, “Why don’t you just meet us at CROGANS?”
I had fun with Amy and Karen as we had escargot, Cajun popcorn, bread, clam chowder, Bailey’s Coffee, a daiquiri and a Brandy Alexander. In the middle of the drinks and food we talked about sex, and strange sexual happenings. It was fun.


I was home by almost midnight and I found that Chad had been by and wrote me a note. He also left my house key along with some casual shorts and a shirt that he had borrowed from me.


Chad’s NOTE:
I had finals this week and hoped we could meet up to “work things out”.
There is no one else and I hope you will return the key with one of your irresistible kisses.

I didn’t quite understand—but then again—I did.
I telephoned him at precisely midnight. Once again he was sleeping.
Larry said, “Let me try to wake him up.”
When Larry returned to the phone he said, “He just mumbled nothings. He’s asleep.”

The stupid neither forgive nor forget;
the naive forgive and forget;
the wise forgive but do not forget.
-Martin Booth
"The Industry of Souls",
a novel