I think I did, once

Memory is a funny thing

     As I was standing under the hot water in the shower, I had a memory surface.       It was about a time when Steve owned a two flat, or a three flat, and his sister rented one of the floors.
     This was years ago....and I had buried that memory.  I thought I just learned that he had a sister, but I guess I knew.  Just wasn't on the top floor.
     I also remembered an incident with Marc....whom I have not seen for 50 years until Saturday night.
     We were maybe sophomores in high school and decided to go to the Riviera, a movie house up near Lawrence and Broadway in Chicago.  Now it's a music venue, but back then it was a theater.  It wasn't opulent like the Uptown, but serviceable.
     It must have been a James Bond film we went to see.
     There were two cute girls working the concession stand.  I tried flirting, but I was not very good at it.  It's hard to flirt when you are shy.
     After the show, Marc and I opted for the L to Belmont, where we would change for what was then the Ravenswood.  Now it's the Brown Line.
     We were sitting on the first train when the two girls got on and sat at the other end of the car.
     It was either early fall or late spring.  Jacket weather.  I remember because Marc had these white gloves in his coat pocket.  It was not glove weather.
Anyway, I got up, went to the back and started talking to the girls.  I told them we were nice guys, blah blah blah.
     Before we got to Belmont, I told them that my friend wanted to join us.  Then I cautioned them that he was a little strange, but not to worry unless he put on gloves.
     We all got on the Ravenswood train and were sitting across from each other.  Marc and I were doing our best but it wasn't going well.  All of a sudden Marc reached into his pocket and pulled out his gloves!
     The girls got silent and I just leaned back and said, "Uh oh...now you've done it.  Marc, stay calm."
    The girls had a horrified look on their faces, Marc had a confused look and I just started laughing.
     The curly red headed girl captured my heart.  Sure, her stop was two after Montrose, but I rode with her and then walked her home.
     She did give me her phone number and as we stood in front of her house, I knew this was the girl I was going to spend the rest of my life with.
     The next day, when I called her, I figured she must have mixed up the numbers because nobody knew her.
     And when I tried to find her house, they all looked the same.   But somehow I feel if I recognized it, the red headed love of my life wouldn't be there either.
     I don't remember going back to the Riviera after that.
     I just wish I had remembered that while talking with Marc......