307. Seanie
Seanie was the most plastic man I ever met. Tall and lean, he moved his body in rubber-boned waves. His face was silly putty. After uni, he bought a van and drove around the US. Now he’s a Manhattan realtor.
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Seanie was the most plastic man I ever met. Tall and lean, he moved his body in rubber-boned waves. His face was silly putty. After uni, he bought a van and drove around the US. Now he’s a Manhattan realtor.
I locked myself out of my first apartment. The woman next door called a neighbor away from his game to help me. Burly, bearded, beer-swilling, biker neighbor carefully lifted me to the window and boosted me inside. Then he chuckled.
Lynda was a natural mentor, gathering promising women under her wing for advice and challenges. Busier than anyone on campus, she juggled the demands of opposing IT camps. She recovered from an inevitable stress-induced breakdown; now she owns show dogs.
Yuri is a woman who you look at and either feel jealous of because of her slim dancer’s body, or sorry for because she works in an industry where she has to keep herself beautiful. She doesn’t talk about it.
Chip, Tod’s “second-cousin-once-removed-in-law,” saw Tod’s potential very early. He loaned Tod money to invest in a technology venture; gave Tod a job when the venture didn’t pan out. I’m certain Chip’s generosity launched Tod on the path he still follows.
Skip was a chemistry innovator. He jumped on the Internet bandwagon early, incorporating connectivity into the tools he was building so that scientists could share results. He asked me to author the Internet how-to chapter in his book.
Dad’s doctor had once been Mom’s boss. When the chemo failed, he called Mom to break the bad news. He brought us all together and gently explained the options. His compassion and professionalism made those terribly painful moments almost bearable.
Doug’s chat persona was horribly rude so we were curious to meet him. IRL, he was a decent person, very smart, and creative as hell in the kitchen. In 1991, he & Tod formed Telerama, America’s 3rd public internet provider.
Mike bought old houses, renovated them, then moved on. He followed the same pattern with women. His troubled teen daughters had revolving faux mothers. In one of Mike’s stunning kitchens, I conceived the rinse cycle dishwasher method of cooking crabs.
Joan was a dishwater blonde, butch-looking schoolmate who enjoyed making quizzes. When I answered "True" to “Would do something kinky?” I discovered her definition of kinky didn’t match mine. I was labeled a lesbian for the rest of high school.
David was the “toy boyfriend.” Five years younger than me, youthfully handsome and nice smelling, he kept my bed warm but didn’t engage me intellectually, emotionally, or any other way. He said I broke his heart when I met Tod.
Razor seemed older online. Offline he was a gawky fourteen year old, so smart and bored that he did stupid things. Testing boundaries, he got in trouble frequently. He grew up, straightened up, and founded a mysterious data security firm.
Long limbed, lean and wiry muscled, with long seldom washed raven hair, Brett was the opposite of me which is probably why I lusted after him so badly. He knew music. He knew films. He smelled like cigarettes and beer.
HotRod was Razor’s online sidekick and real-life protector. Dan wasn’t much to look at; his twenty-something face pocked by acne, but his heart was so beautiful, so completely in the right place that it hurt to be around him sometimes.
I suspect that there is an extremely mocking TV cartoon character based on John. He was a tall, wide, red-headed toady to the boss. I’m sure he was more than that, but all I ever noticed was him sucking up.
I can still hear Mike’s voice echoing in the office. Trained for radio, he was the most enthusiastic help desk employee, ever. Even when he didn’t understand what he was explaining. He rode a recumbent bike to work every day.
Troy needs his beauty sleep and straight people seem to bore him, so he almost always exits our parties early. But while he’s in the room, he’s entertaining– either geeking out about stereo gear or telling funny stories about everything.
I don’t remember Aunt Lucy, but I’ve been told that I’m like her in some ways. She married for love but didn’t have children. She and her husband lived in a stylish midtown apartment. I inherited her beautiful 1930s watch.
I'm not sure she ever visited her sister, my grandmother. Aunt Margot lived in Florida in a gorgeous home with her rich family but wealth doesn’t equal happiness. She died young and I only recently learned it was a suicide.
Patricia was in over her head and her boss didn’t like her. She wanted to succeed and tried hard, but the personality clash was too great. After an important project was delayed, she was cast down and shortly after, out.
Wendy was who I wanted to be in 1996 – blonde & professional with a terrific figure. And she was able to keep a secret. Personal crisis opened her heart to a coworker and they dated for months before anyone realised.
Sheldon bought a1930s bungalow and turned it into a modest showpiece for his family by opening up the hallway. His architectural redesign work was beautiful but a bit too DIY we discovered after we bought it – wiring was not to code.
Monika cooked an annual Easter ham, decorated the table with Christian lambs and crosses and used that as a statement about her Judaism. There was more laughter than statement, perhaps. Monika was always laughing in a worldly, offbeat, joyful way.
Thea was raised by her father and his bevy of women, but only a few of the step-mothers ever connected with Thea. As a teen she lived with her aunt and uncle, but even their love didn’t fill the gap.
Barb is the only mum I know who'd follow her kids to Japan, find a job and settle for half a decade. She adopted all us Tokyo “kids” through invitations to Sunday dinners and family holiday gatherings. Thanks so much.