Our Song

We were in college. We were roommates. Okay, he lived on one side of a polygamist house duplex with 4 other guys, and I lived on the other side with 4 roommates. But we slept in rooms that were the mirror image of each other, so it's like we were roommates.

And besides, he was dating my roommate.

We liked each other fine, and he made me laugh a blue streak, but when friends suggested that we should try going out, we would laugh/cough/ahem and set them all straight. I usually said something like: 'we'd kill each other'. He was a very intense young man. He wore suits to church (which was a tad bit much, most guys wore khaki Dockers and no tie). I was a very intense myself. I couldn't stand being late for ANYthing. He was studying communication and political science. I thought those were 'soft sciences'. I was a biology major. I was 20.

After the summer of '93, (a magical summer for all of us in the tiny neighborhood we called the 28th ward), we had become VERY good friends. His on again, off again girlfriend had gotten engaged (to someone else). And he just wasn't too upset about it. I had been through a string of not quite boyfriends...'nuff said. I had just married off our mutual friend (a guy) who had palled around with us all summer completing our foursome (including the now ex-girlfriend). I set him up on a blind date, and they were married 3 months later.

It sort of left the two of us, to range around the couch cushions for frozen yogurt money. Left us to find our way to the local dollar theater. And we became best friends. I still dated guys, but usually never let them even get to the hand holding stage. And he kept saying things like: 'I'll know her when I see her'. We might hold hands while watching a video with the gang of people who often showed up to the duplex apartment house we called home. But we didn't think anything of it. He was my best friend, I can hold his hand if I want to, I thought.

You have to understand, in our culture at that time, finding someone, and getting married was a HUGE pressure held over our heads. He was 23, and that was old.

Around this time we saw the movie, Benny and Joon. Johnny Depp at his best. There was a song in it. I was mesmerized by it. We waited until the end of the movie credits to find out what it was, who sang it? It wasn't there??? Now this is WAAAAY before internet as we know it. We had to wait until the video came out, and we watched the credits and finally found out where that song came from.

I needed a ride home from the airport after Christmas vacation that year. And who else would I ask? My best friend, of course. He surprised me when he picked me up. He had found the song! He had bought the cassette (see, ancient times), and had it cued in his car radio. I was so happy, finally THAT song. I had broken up with the latest non-boyfriend just before Christmas (this one gave me a friggin' BLENDER for crying out loud!)

Around President's weekend I went to visit a friend at another college. When I got back there was a note for me, from my best friend, he wanted me to call him when I got back, apparently he didn't know where I was. There was a little tickle in my tummy at the thought of him not knowing where I was? He was the only one who knew anymore. I ran over and gave him a hug. I think we stayed up most of that night, talking. Things moved fast at this point. We went to neighborhood gatherings together, which wasn't strange, since we always did that. We held hands, again, not weird. But then we started kissing, and while not weird for us, it was a little hard for the gang around us to figure out!

Here's the song. Our song. (let's all give a collective sigh, AHHHHH)

I would give anything to be able to play this on the piano. If you know where to get the sheet music...please share! Over the years, we've gathered a few other 'our songs' and I might share them with you, but not today.

And this is us...today.