The Fortune-Teller

"Fasten your seat belts it's going to be a bumpy night."
-Bette Davis
"All About Eve" (1950)

Twenty-five years ago today:

April 2, 1985
Tuesday

It was an okay morning. I forgot about cash for my parking lot today. Luckily, Dale was going to pick me up at the Car Pool Parking lot just before the Toll Plaza. Hurrah! As we drove over the Oakland-Bay Bridge into The City I selected a TAROT card for Tim, Al, Dale and myself as a mini-forecast for the day.

The day went rather well. I had a good sales day.
"Hey, Dale! I sold an RCF. The order started with Barbara Griffin who had placed a RECORD order. She discussed the RCF; however, an order never came of it."
"Are you kidding me? You stole Barbara's sale!"
"No, I didn't! The guy asked me for more details on it, so I closed the sale. I don't feel deceitful about it. The only reason I brought it up is because I thought you'd agree that it was my sale."
Dale continued to make me feel that I was being deceitful.
"Michael, you stole the sale."
Dale went on and on about his charitable sharing of an RCF sale with Hank (in my section). I've heard this same story a number of times. He's so proud of it. He was getting steamed, too. I didn't want to talk about sales any more.

Dale brought lunch in for both of us. We sat out by the Bay, eating and gabbing. We rated folks that walked on by via our own creative rating system (QBL, FBL, NMT, etc).

At the end of the day I accompanied Dale in his car and we followed Sue and Mary to South San Francisco. Dale almost took the wrong exit because he was totally disagreeing with my views of the so-called stolen RCF sale. He couldn't let it go. He loved seeing me out-of-control, at my temper limits.
I thought, "I don't and still do NOT feel I was devious over any part of that sale. The customer wanted me to interject and take care of it for him."

Dale and I made it to Mary's house. She has a nifty antique-filled pad across the street from a church. We took a ride in Mary's ISUZU Impulse, visiting a few 24-Hour ATM teller machines. Dale gave me one-hundred dollars in cash and I wrote him a one-hundred dollar personal check. We returned to Mary's and I read their TAROT Cards. I'm a fortune-teller.

Dale left to meet with some business customer to discuss a new telecommunications program. The customer was only a few minutes away. We were all to meet later at TGI Friday's. Mary and Sue got a kick out of my PIBE (Play It By Ear) expression. There was talk of my shyness when I surprised them with a line they loved:
"I'm not shy once I'm under the sheets."

Mary, Sue and I proceeded to go to TGI Friday's. While at TGI Friday's I drank a "Dirty Mother". I love the names of the drinks there. I also had an "Ice-Cream Sandwich", "A Screaming Orgasm" and a "Peaches n' Cream". They were all so good...and tasty too (Like Vit-A-Vega-Min on I LOVE LUCY).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2m1Nubw8XJw

We were all tired (and a bit sloshed). I was beginning to wonder why Dale never showed up. Feeling as tired as we were the jokes surrounding the names of all of the drinks was getting out of hand. It was time to call it a night. We left at ten o'clock.

I thought Mary was showing off her racing tactics in her car. She hit a curb as she turned a corner and it turned into a flat tire. Maybe it was because of the sips she took of my "Screaming Orgasm". I attempted to change her flat tire but couldn't get the bolts loosened. Then, Sue stood at the street side corner, using her sex appeal and persuaded a passer-by to stop.

The passer-by stranger was a Mexican guy. He loosened the bolts and we both put the spare tire on successfully. We were off and raring to go. Mary was ever so depressed and tense. I can relate to that feeling. It kind of reminded me of my slit convertible top night. Another relative moment was the time I received that speeding ticket. It's like, "Oh NO!"

When we arrived at Mary's house Dale suddenly drove up right behind us. Dale and I drove home via the Oakland-Bay Bridge to my house in Alameda. There was an accident on Highway 17. Driving is dangerous. You never know when...

"Dale, it's really no problem for you to spend the night here."
I woke up at 2AM or so. I felt Dale nearby and couldn't sleep next to him on my Queen sized bed another minute. It grossed me out to be lying with him underneath the sheets. I attempted to go downstairs but Dale woke up.
"I need to stretch because I'm used to having the whole bed to myself."
"Oh, I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault. I need to stretch because I'm really sore from my Monday night aerobics class...my ass especially."
He laughed and decided to go downstairs himself to sleep on the couch. That was a relief. I was unsure if his feelings would be hurt. I was really feeling sore at this point because twenty-four hours had passed since that aerobics class, having my entire bed was a big help. Yawn.

You could never be entirely sure of what he'd say or what he was thinking. Just when you'd start anticipating what he'd say or do, he'd throw you a curve and not just for the curve's sake alone; it was just the way he was.
-James Kirkwood
"Good Times Bad Times"