The World Grows Ever Smaller
September 2015:
I received an email from an old high school friend, Sal. Haven't seen him in 30+ years. He was looking for an "in" at my company, which I gladly provided. He told me that he was running a monthly trivia night at a bar not far from my home with another old friend, Gary. Sal's known Gary since high school, but I've known Gary since 1st Grade. I attended the trivia night, and we had a great reunion. I started going to trivia with Sal and Gary every month, with Austin and Christina joining me from time-to-time (I find that I score better with one of them than I do when I play on my own. Alone, I usually come in 4th. With Austin and Christina, we come in 3rd or 2nd. One night, I teamed up with a friend of Sal's who wanted a teammate, and we won.
December 2016:
Having been going to trivia night for about a year, I've gotten to know a number of the regulars, and we have a great time, just hanging out, kibbitzing and trash talking in Brooklyn style. During the December contest, one of the categories was about Prince. During a break between rounds, Gary and I were talking about how neither of us had ever gotten into Prince. I told Gary about this fraternity brother of mine in college. Sly was one of my closest friends through four years of college and a couple of years after. He was a big, scary-looking guy in college, but soft-spoken, kind-hearted and musically talented. One year, he was renting an attic room in a house near campus, and I stayed over with him one night after a party. On the sloped ceiling of his room was a 6 foot tall poster of Prince (I can't call it "life sized" because it was bigger than Prince ever was). I spent the night in a sleeping bag on the floor with Prince's gigantic face looming over me. Not scary, really, but it left an impression.
After Gary and I talked, I went back to my table, which was in a corner, for the final rounds. After the final round of trivia, there was one of those inexplicable silences that sometimes descend on a crowd. And, into that silence, I heard one of the most distinctive laughs I've ever known. I looked down the bar, and sitting right there was... Sly! My fraternity brother whom I hadn't seen in 30 years.
I slowly walked over, eyes wide and very shocked. Sly was talking to someone, so I came around the guy he was talking to, and stood there with a stupid smile, staring at Sly. Sly gave me that sideways look you give to someone who has interrupted you. Then he did a Jackie Gleason double-take, and burst into smiles and laughter, as did I. We hugged. As we tried to get ahold of ourselves, Gary walked past. I grabbed Gary, and said, "That guy I just told you about 20 minutes ago? With the Prince poster? This is him!" Sly said to the guy he had been talking to, "That guy I told you about a few minutes ago? The Star Trek fan? This is him!" So, there we were, sitting in the same Brooklyn bar, talking about each other, after not seeing each other for 30 years.
What's really strange is that I almost didn't go to trivia that night. It was the week between Christmas and New Year, and I was tired. Amy told me I should go - that I'd done so much family stuff, and hosting, and cleaning, I should go see my friends and have a beer or two. So I went. Sly, on the other hand, doesn't even live in Brooklyn. He was on his way home to Staten Island when his friend called him, and told him to hop off the train near our bar, and join him for a drink, then the friend would drive him home. He almost said no, but also decided to come out for a bit. Any little thing could have caused us to miss each other that night, but it all came out great.
January / February 2017:
So, Sly let me know that he sings with a trio in local Brooklyn bistro once each month. Last month, Amy and I went on a snowy night to see him perform. The show was great fun, and it was nice seeing Amy and Sly get to know each other a little. Tonight, I'll be going back to see Sly perform again, meeting up with another fraternity brother who is coming in from Long Island for his first reunion with Sly.
I love the strange coincidences that pop up in my life. And I love the friends they always seem to help come back into my life.
A little sample of Sly during the show last month:
Click to view