My cell phone rang in the middle of the day today. Usually it is my husband checking in to see what kid needs picked up where. Today, it was the person I should have gone to Senior Prom in 1984 with... but instead I sat drunk in a hot tub with him and we sang "It's raining on prom night" from the musical "Grease" while we laughed our asses off.
I love professor Bobby K.
Anyway -- Bobby called me to say he was listening to Cat Stevens, the quoted song of the day "Sitting," and he thought "where is Christine? She's here, talking to me. I wonder where she is?" So he pressed a dial button on his phone and got Professor Clifton D. Rocker, Professor Of Rock (that's me!) and we had a nice chat about life, and doors that open only from the side you are on, and the War (endless or not, Vietnam or not) and we really had a few moments together that made this smile on my face last all day. And we all float on alright...
I love me some Bobby -- and I love talking to him and hearing from him, unsolicited, and unexpectedly in the middle of the day. It made me so happy and so high to talk to him. There are so few people in this world that I would just drop motherfuckingeverything for and just talk to, and he's one of them.
And after I hung up with him, I missed Aaron. The other person that I'd drop motherfuckingeverything for to talk to.
So I called his brother's house, and he's there. I left a message and tonight we talked for about an hour. And I float on. Alright.
Oh my God. I miss him so much. Everything that I want to share with him and talk to him about. I wanted him to see my daughter in the play. I want him to see my son, all hugeness of him getting ready for football. I want to walk him through my house and say "this is the room for you to sleep in, if you stay here."
I had discussions today with two of my favorite people who aren't my husband, and you know? You know... I'm happy.
My Bobby K and I go back to middle school (JTF! Is the BEST!) to marching band and other stuff... to saxophone and Shoemaker, to all kinds of heartbreak and friendship.
I elected him president of our senior class by phoning in my ballot on the day I was out sick (yes, he won by ONE vote -- MINE!).
He has been Snoopy to my Woodstock (or vice versa) and is the ever present best love of my life since we crossed the double digits of age.
Bobby is the best.
And I can't imagine life without hearing from him periodically. Bobby and I talk about once a month, or so... depending on the dramas of life. I always KNOW I can call him and say "aw shit. I'm so sad" or "Dude! This was the best!" or he can call me and say "Cliffy, I'm rock solid sad because ..." or "I am sitting in the parking lot at George Mason University and ...."
I had called him in the middle of the day after I found out our classmate had passed away, and he instantly called me back. A call from me in the middle of the day with a "Dude, can you call me back?" elicited a panic response from him. He was afraid that something was wrong with the kids, with the husband... with my life. When what it was, was just a loss from 1984 rearing its head to us in 2007. He had so many lovely things to say. So many logical and funny responses that set me at ease and made my horrible sadness a tiny bit less so.
And today he called me just to say hi. And the smile on my face does not fade. I love and live for this kind of thing. To hear "hey, Duck Rocker, Doctor of rock!" on my phone just makes me 17 again.
I am Harry Potter. And this is my Ron or Hermione... yes indeed.
Similarly, I hadn't talked to Aaron since the Guster Concert on August 20, 2006. I was in the bathroom at the Fleet Boston Pavilion when my cell phone rang and it was him -- and that was the last time I talked to him.
Since then, my heart has been rather empty. He was such a part of my life... not just MY life but my KIDS! I mean, Geoff actually pines for him. "I wish Aaron could see this ..." comes out of his mouth every once in a while and ... my heart? it falls to my Tevas.
So tonight I got to catch up with him. He's alive. He's well. He feels guilty. He should and should not. I mean -- it's his life. Where it overlaps with mine I should just deal with it. But after what I went through in losing Clayton... damn. I felt over the last year the same devastating loss as if he'd died on me and I had no opportunity to say goodbye or that I loved him.
That sucked.
So right now -- right this minute. I'm happy. I talked to both of them tonight. And as PG Wodehouse says "God is in his heaven and all is right with the world," or some crap like that.
I have talked to my boys.
They both live and progress. There are difficulties, as we all have and know.... but we all float on, alright.
In other news... my inlaws, my niece, my parents, my sister and my best friend from college (ole Bubbles, you!) and my Amy came to see Jess play Nick Bottome. And all were amazed.
Video of two segments are to be found here:
first: Bottome is translated to an ass.
second: Bottome is no longer an ass, but is Pyramus... and thinks his Thisbe is dead.
Apologies for the quality of the video. My camera picked up some sort of feedback/transmission thing from the harbormaster's office. The characters often spoke softly (except our Bottome, who channels Marlon Brando, Groundskeeper Willie, and Eric Cartman at times). Turn your volume up and down as needed. My favorite part is when she tells Titania that "me thinks, mistress... ye shall have little reason for thinkin' that..." when the fairy queen says that she is in love with Bottome.
Ha! Comedy gold. All told -- a truly unbelievable performance by my girl. One that I so wish everyone I know could have come and see. Especially Aaron, especially Professor Bobby K.
Alright then -- I'm off to bed. I cannot believe how late it is. I only got 100 pages into the Harry Potter book. My nerdy street cred doth plummet.
Goodnight sweet friends.
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