GOOD TIMES AND A SAD TIME

I accidentally deleted this, my very first blog. It's kind of sad but sharing made me feel somewhat better.
It was a few months ago when I'd just learned of the demise of a very special friend of 39 years. His passing was such a shock and I was saddened even more when I learned that he died all alone in his house.

We met and became good friends in New York City when I went to work for Trans World Airlines. He had a great sense of humor and was always laughing. He was very kind, gentle, sweet and caring with a big heart. He frequently brought gifts back for me when he took trips to exotic places.

Back in the 1970s when he learned that we were going to Rio, he contacted a friend of his who lived there and told him that we were coming. His friend met us for dinner and took us clubbing and to the infamous Ipanema. Years ago when Lena Horn was performing in NYC he had bought tickets for him and his mother, but for some reason she couldn't make it so he took me instead.

In a sense, Charlie reminded me of "Dorian Gray" because of his remarkably well-preserved youth. He never seemed to age.


I don't recall what year it was or what was happening in my life at the time, but he gave me a note that he had been carrying in his wallet for many years... When he was quite young, his mother had written it and gave it to him. It was written in Spanish and I couldn't read it, but he told me that when his mom gave it to him, she said to always carry it and it would protect him so nothing bad couldhurt him.

We remained friends even after he relocated in San Francisco.

Once when Sanford and I went to SFO, he met us for lunch at the Embarcadero Hotel and brought me one of the largest and most beautiful roses ever. Another day, he prepared dinner for us... using all of his beautiful china and crystals...That's when he lived up on Telegraph Hill.. What a view he had..

He joined us when we celebrated our 25 wedding anniversary. I knew that he was coming down from San Francisco to help us celebrate again... however, the week prior to our 50th wedding anniversary, much to my surprise... one day he sent me flowers and a couple of days later he sent me chocolates... all of which he said was to relieve some of the tension that he knew I was experiencing. When we opened his gift all that we could hear were many ooohs and ahhhs...it was the most magnificent Waterford Crystal vase I'd ever seen... The day after our celebration, he left to return to San Francisco and that was the last time that I saw him...


You never know who's heart you will touch when you share a piece of your own.