Past Tense, Imperfect I picked up my close friend Leon for lunch. We both have homes in similar communities in Delray Beach. We decided for a change of pace to eat at Poppies rather than at either of our community cafes’. We were shown to a semi private area in the rear of the restaurant. I slid into the bench close to the wall and Leon sat opposite me. We looked at the menu and ordered. Just then the hostess sat a woman at the table directly next to me. As she slid into her seat I made some quick observations. She was a nice looking voluptuous red head. She was on the style of Arlene Dahl. It was evident that she had some excellent facial plastic surgery. Her left hand had a plain wedding ring and the back of her wrists had many liver spots. She wore a scarf around her neck. I devised this all from a cursory glance as she was being seated. I guessed she had to be somewhere in the neighborhood of seventy six to seventy nine years old. Leon and I were aware that our conversation was no longer private and we never addressed each other by name, not by plan but that’s what I always do in restaurants when I feel my conversation is being monitored by a non speaking couple or a solo diner. We spoke about small family matters indicating that we were family men, and both wearing wedding rings. I noticed Leon averted his gaze from her. She looked straight ahead as she ate. We discussed at length our reactions to the highly acclaimed and touted HBO show “Kings Point” which had aired the night before. I found it very interesting and commented that the participants represented themselves to be much younger than what they appeared to be. Many people would be upset or depressed by it. I found it to be a well done documentary. Leon then excused himself and went to the men’s room for an inordinate amount of time. He sometimes does that so I was not alarmed. The lady at the next table was gathering up her belongings after checking her bill. At that time I said to her “I hope you enjoyed the conversation between two gentlemen, who had a nice conversation without profanity of any kind on topical issues”. She replied, “The part that interested me was that “Kings Point” show. I am so depressed by it. I am no kid either and my husband still works. I have no idea about finances. I can’t use a computer, have no patience for it and if anything happens to him I will be helpless. I married when I was very young and had no time for extra learning. God forbid I should ever have to move to a place like that Kings Point”. I told her that she has to have a serious sit down with her husband and get educated. I advised her to make a list of questions and she wrote down what I told her to learn. She went on to tell me what she called her “life story”. She dropped out of the University of Maryland in mid semester of her freshman year and went home to marry her high school sweetheart. They had four sons one after the other. They live in various states with their own families. She went on to say she lived in an ungated community in Boca. I told her about my background as well. She was in this area today for a medical appointment. She remarked “how we shared life stories in just a few minutes”. I told her, “my name is Bernie” and she said, “I’m Gail, a pleasure to meet you”. That’s when Leon came back and we said goodbye to her. He asked me a few questions about her and then came “the rest of the story” as the late Paul Harvey would have said. Leon said that he thought he recognized her voice more than her looks, as someone he knew years ago. He wanted to know if she spoke about herself, where she came from, attended college or anything else. I answered, “as a matter of fact she went to your alma mater, Maryland and she may have been there when you were based on the ages of her sons which she mentioned to me”. I told him he doesn’t look like he did then either. He turned the proverbial white as a sheet and said. “I left the table for fear that she may recognize me. I haven’t seen or heard about her since she quit school freshman year”. Her name was Gail Feintuch or something that sounded like that. We went out a few times and stupidly had unprotected sex. We were not exclusive and I think one of my fraternity brothers might have been intimate with her as well. She called me one day and told me she missed her period. I asked her what I was supposed to do about it. I was just a stupid scared kid. For all I know she had an abortion or gave away the kid”. I did not tell Leon that she told me her name or anything else to create anguish for anyone. Chances are she married her unsuspecting boy friend, had her first son early or she married a good sport who carried it off for her as a good man who loved her very much might. We will never know. The oldest son, who she said was the most successful, lived in Seattle Washington. He is an actuary. Strangely enough Leon was an actuary as well. The apple may not have fallen far from the tree. These details were not wasted on, nor repeated by me. The only reason I can write this now is because my dear friend Leon suffered a heart attack last Friday evening and died Saturday morning. I hope this encounter was not a contributing cause. I lost a good friend. How sad for everybody!