Everything that happens to anybody happens because of chance. However, one does have to take some responsibility in the way certain introductions to life’s myriad episodes are followed through.
One of my intimate relationships started out thusly: One Saturday back in the early ’80s, and as per my usual weekend routine, I was loitering around in a noted hip record store in Philadelphia. Then I spotted her… a woman who had caught my eye before in fleeting moments as I walked the downtown streets of Philly. Physically, she was my ideal. Now here she was just a few steps away from me. But being your typical introverted mess, I was at a loss about how I would actually do something about this infatuation. I walked out of the store, feeling like a loser. Moping towards my next destination, I suddenly stopped myself. “No, Jeffrey, this time you’re not going to run away from Fate!” I forced myself to run back to the store. She was still there! I introduced myself with some inane small talk about music. She obviously thought I was a creep, but I was persistent. When a shy person finally gets some courage, he or she becomes totally committed to the cause.
It was the beginning of a three-year relationship that turned out to be, for the most part, a pretty unhappy experience.
WE GET PEOPLE TALKING.
