He also watches, in his mind’s eye, his graceful classmate Constance Delaney flowing in the grace of her youth.
A tardy disclaimer: Some of the names of people mentioned in this blog have been changed. Partly to protect their innocence, but mostly to keep them from suing me.
A few years ago I got a call from Phil Prince, self appointed scribe for our 1960 graduating high school class. According to Phil, Constance had dropped off the radar and several of her classmates were asking him about her whereabouts.
Phil contacted me because someone had tracked Constance to Scottsdale, AZ before the trail went cold. Although I was intrigued at the prospect of running Constance to ground after all these years, I figured she would eventually get the message and reveal her own self. Unless she had stolen from the Mafia or was escaping a Fatal Attraction of cosmic proportions.
For reasons unbeknownst even to me, this stream of thought surfaced in a recent workout ritual with Dave: the pre-workout coffee walk-around.
Garry: Ok, I gotta confess. I lied to my readers. Dave: You mean our readers. So how did you lie? Garry: It was more like a fib. I just said in the first blog that I never got up the nerve to talk to Constance. Dave: But you did? Garry: Not exactly. Dave: You either did or you didn’t. Garry: Well, it wasn’t so much talking to her as it was an incident. Dave: That you’ve never forgotten, after all these years. Garry: Exactly. I mean there was talking but mostly incidental, you know. Dave: (I did tell you he was pragmatic, right?) You mean accidental? Garry: No, but close enough. Dave: We’re not getting any younger. Garry: Ok, so you know I grew up in a small town. Dave: Ok Garry: So I’m walking down the street one day. By myself. And Constance comes riding up on a horse. Dave: What kind of horse? Garry: What kind of horse? I’m trying to tell you about a girl and you want to know what kind of horse? (Dave is unapologetic) It was a full sized horse, ok? Dave: Ok, so she’s riding a full sized horse and she speaks to you? Garry: Yeah, something like “Hey, Garry.” Dave: And you were speechless. Garry: Now why would you say that? Dave: Because you’ve already said you had a crush on her, and you graduated high school without talking to her. Garry: Ok, I might have stretched that a bit. Dave: I can believe that. Garry: (ignoring the gibe) You remember I told you how pretty she was? Think ‘lithe’. You know, like thin, supple, graceful. Now think long blond hair, pretty face and no makeup. That was her. But that was just how she looked. I had no idea what she felt like. (I can’t prove it but I think Dave is giving me a lascivious look). Constance: Hey, Garry. Can I give you a ride?
Garry: Now, it wasn’t my first time riding double on a horse. I knew you had to hold on to the person in front. But the person in front was never a girl before. And this wasn’t just any girl. This was Constance Delaney. And just what part of her was I supposed to hold onto? Her shoulders. Her waist? She must have felt me squirming when the horse started walking. Constance: You’ll fall off if you don’t hang on.
Garry: I’m telling you, Dave. I don’t know which was more heavenly. Her voice or her waist. I can still feel her blouse sliding over what had to be her perfect skin. I was on tactual overload. It was a toss-up which would explode first, my head or my heart. Dave: That’s a great story, but why do I feel there’s more to it? Garry: No more to the past. But there might be something more in the future. Dave: Well tell me fast. Our warm-up lap is over. Garry: Ok, think about it and get back to me. How would you go about finding a person you haven’t seen in 55 years?
Back to Maverick Coffee, the gift that keeps on giving. Garry: So we’ve been talking about Dan (Pfaff, ALTIS) and his many qualities. You have some pretty interesting qualities yourself. One of them I’ve picked up on, you’re a pretty good trash talker. Is that something you’re aware of? Steve: No, I think I’m just British, man. It’s kind of normal to have fun with your mates in England. And out here everyone thinks it’s hilarious because now everyone just says nice things. Garry: I thought it was refreshing, but I didn’t know whether to mention it or not. Steve: Yeah, we like talking trash a lot. It’s just what we do. Garry: You think its cultural? Steve: I think so, yeah. Because in England, you’d never say anything nice to anybody, but that’s almost being nice, you know? Because I wouldn’t even talk to you here if I didn’t like you. But when it comes to the American culture, it’s a lot more polite, especially here in ALTIS. I think there’s just a lot of respect for each other and that’s the kind of people it attracts. I think that’s the sense, you know. There’s a lot of folks here with really religious backgrounds who have a lot of faith. They want to do the right thing every day. And then you’ve got a clown like me turning up. Swearing and stuff… Dave: You just want to do the right thing every other day. Steve: Yeah, exactly. It’s not like I don’t want to do the right thing. I just want to stir up the pot a little bit.
Please join Steve, Dave and me for a glimpse of the darker side of being a professional track & field athlete.
Also, coming up in Living a Dream
Dave & Garry, Ace Detectives, hot on the trail of Constance Delaney
Steve in competition
Interview with John Godina, Founder and CEO of ALTIS
