Wednesday, May 23, 2012
1973 Rich & I became Oswego roommates, after graduation I moved to Kew Gardens; soon after he did too. We had many great episodes-some we can't remember; others we can't mention.
For the good times...
Stories:
- My favorite: We were enjoying summer school in beautiful OSWEGO taking a music course in the “evolution of Jazz & Rock,” when I see the face of Rich’s Father peering in through a small window in a door behind the professor when we were (actually) in class (that day.) I leaned over to Rich and said, “Richie, I think that’s your Father!” It was!
Rich’s parents hadn’t heard from him in a while, and so they came up to find us, and Mr. Reilly, ever the Captain just hunted us down.
- Rich intuitively understood the mechanics of bureaucracy even as a student by deftly scheduling (by definition) all of his courses exclusively on Tuesdays and Thursdays. All of our courses were either M-T-F, or T-Th, of course.
- As young college lads, after a reasonable Friday evening of socializing with the young ladies of downtown Oswego… were retired to our apartment – only to be abruptly awoken at 6AM by our landlord busting through the foundation beneath Richies’s bedroom window with a bulldozer. Amazingly we hadn’t done anything wrong in that episode.
- Kew Gardens… Even though Richie lived 3 buildings over, and Maribeth in the apartment above me, Mr Mike Chang was our landlord. But Mr Chang always had problems with the furnace, and it was either broken – so we all froze, or it was so crazy hot that we would open up all the windows in the middle of winter.
Of course nothing bothered us and we affectionately (to this day) call it Chang-rala.
- Sailing… Initially Richie was not fond of sailing at all. It took him quite a while to become comfortable with the way that a sailboat heels over in the wind sailing, or rocks side to side in a wake. However, we (Tommy & John) were out there one very windy afternoon, and we were really sailing fast. I noticed that Richie was actually ok, and that he had “gotten it” realizing that we were actually under control, and going fast.
Later on I awarded him a computer printed certificate for being the first ever “White Knuckle Sailor” which he kept framed for a very long time.
- My last story:
Last Monday evening we video conferenced. I asked if Gail was home because I wanted a favor. Richie said she was in the Hamptons picking colors etc. for the new bathrooms. Of course he asked what the favor was.
I’m still cleaning the boat for the new season, and I simply leave everything onboard that can freeze without damage. I wanted to ask Gail if I could “borrow her dishwasher” to clean my dishes after being left on the boat all winter. Richie said just bring them over one night and then we’ll have dinner.
I called him Tuesday, brought over the dishes and loaded up the machine. I had a drink; he a soda, and then we went to Tony Roma for Ribs…. Had a dinner that couldn’t be beat, and returned to the apartment. He drove. We sat a while longer… talking about the world as we always did… until almost midnight, and then I went home… never to see my friend again, but very grateful to have spent one more time just being friends.
For the good times...
Rest in Peace Richie.
