The Struggle

"I must hide for at least a year."
-Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
as heard in the 2007 film
"Tchaikovsky"

Twenty-five years ago today:

February 28, 1985
Thursday

My last day of February and I had a fair sales day--but one 'humdinger' of a day...

Steffanya called me "seven" times. She gave me the bad news.
"Michael, my cousin Bill of CHICAGO told her he had cancer and that it may be terminal."
I couldn't help but feel sad. She was so upset that he had not shared this with her before. She was more than distraught. It didn't seem to affect our relationship. She made it sound as though this news was going to harm our relationship somehow.

Dale had news, too.
"Michael, I got the dirt on Dennis Reno. Sue Leith told me that Dennis claims he is married to a stewardess, has a daughter, two Mercedes and a lover who is also his twin brother that co-owns an ice cream shop with him!"
My mouth dropped a tad, realizing that it is my brother who is in partnership with him and the ice-cream shop.
"What? No way!"
I was amazed to say the least.

Over lunch I gave Dale the scoop about my brother, Tony, and his relationship with Betty Crowton. I also explained how my dad persuaded my brother to join the Air Force and how the Dennis Reno friendship was odd as I'd overheard Tony refer to Dennis as a "brother" before.
I further explained, "Tony is seeing Helen now...but I did overhear Tony on the phone one day, saying 'I can live a normal life' and I believe he was speaking to Dennis."
Dale, of course, loved and thrived on this gossip.

Dale added something out of context, "Helen, our mail clerk, always thought her Grandma was her mom--but when she died she learned her Aunt was her mom and that the Aunt...her mom...gave birth to her when she was thirteen years old! What a story!"

PHOTO: Nurse Ratched,
"One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest"
Dale pissed me off today. It was during my last break when he was knocking my mystery relationship with Seffanya in front of Mary McTiernan. It pissed me off. Why does he continue to discuss my business with others?
"To get it off my chest", Dale said, "I called her and learned all sorts of things about her that I couldn't believe...like her being a registered-nurse and going for a PHD."
It just pissed me off to hear his 'lah dee dah' opinion.
After my break I telephoned Steffanya and she asked to immediately be connected to Dale's telephone line. I provided her with his supervisor's line and she left a detailed voice mail message for him.

Steffanie told Dale off.
My understanding from Steffanie is that Dale said, "Michael is lying to you. Don't you understand? He almost married Paloma six weeks ago!"
I confronted Dale.
"You had no right to say that!"
"It's true," Dale stuttered. He was steamed and seething. "You know she hung up on me."

Steffanie called me again later.
"You know Michael, if Dale was man enough to lead his own life and not intrude on others he may not be such a wimp!"
It was clear she abhorred this news of Paloma. She continued to believe me--or at least wanted to believe me.
Steff and I have decided to chop Dale as a topic.

I don't think Dale and I are going to the gym tomorrow. I couldn't believe the loud scene he made in the office.
Dale yelled, "I'm glad you think it's funny."
"Look, I haven't even spoken to Steff about you downgrading her reputation," I said, lying through my teeth.
"You lie!"
Dale reminds me of my old friend, Anthony Battu, who broke my arm after pushing me during recess in the seventh grade school yard. That was when I docked my friendship with Anthony. I wasn't going to wait for a repeat of that with Dale. Dale was steamed after work. I saw him as I exited the building and said two words.
"Good night!"

I came home and went to Dad's for my leather pants. I spoke to mom several times today and told her of Dennis Reno's compulsive lying. I tried to take a nap, then went to the gym. I saw Mr. Manhattan Beach.
Mr. Manhattan Beach called me, "Newport." It was my code name for Newport Beach.
He said, "I may go to LA next weekend."
"I'd like to go there, too," I hinted.
"You ought to check out the cheap midnight flights on PSA."
He's a really nice guy, but very much a 'questionable' (?) type.

When I arrived home Marty was upstairs. I telephoned Steffanya.
"I'm going to come there tonight!"
"Sure...come over!"
She was so bluffing. We both degraded Dale Orlando's reputation. She shared more details of the lewd comments he made.
"I never wish to meet him!"
We romanced over the telephone and I chose a romantic TAROT card (the Six of Cups) as a response to the outcome of our relationship. It was a good card, seemingly joyous, fertility, harmonious, etc. It was just like the 'candlelight dinner' card that she had sent me.

Time for bed now. Tomorrow is another day. I wonder if it will be better or worse? All I know is I have no intentions of going to the gym with Dale. He'd best not murder me. He looked contemptible enough today.

While in bed, the phone rang. It was Sue, calling for Marty. It's the gal that sends Marty cards all the time.

At 11PM or so, Mr. Alias Seth (Mr. Bruce Diamond) called me.
"How are you?"
He sounded respectable enough.
"I've been thinking about you."
Hoping to make it a short phone call, I asked, "Well, do you want to meet for breakfast tomorrow morning again?"
We mutually decided against it so we could both sleep in those extra minutes. Bruce Diamond is twenty-five years old, too. He's pretty nice even if he did say, "You don't really resemble Jon-Erik Hexum. You're more of a mixture of Donny Osmond and Erik Estrada."
I couldn't help but laugh.
"After I work out tomorrow maybe we can get together for a milkshake and rap about things."
He seemed very relaxed and said, "I'll call between nine and nine-thirty to see."
I forgot to get his telephone number. I wonder about him.

"Marriage is for those who've given up the struggle."
-Quentin Crisp
as heard in the 1975 film
"The Naked Civil Servant"