Frankfurt

  We had left Israel in 1973 with our lives.  It had been a scary few days with threats from terrorists, who we originally thought were our friends.  After we left Tel Aviv, we could relax on the plane as we flew onto Germany.  Our college History tour had already been too eventful, but we didn't know what was to come.  Our next stop was Frankfurt Airport for a layover before going onto Berlin.  

 When one has a lengthy wait in an airport, there are some things one can do to pass the time.  Sleep, eat, play games, stare at others, shop at overpriced stores, walk around, or just sit.  We got to Frankfurt just before lunch and looked for the food court.  We hadn't had hamburgers, since we left the States, we found a restaurant that made them.  They were a little expensive for 1973 food, but it really didn't matter.  Hamburgers, French Fries and Cokes were like heaven for the five of us students.  

 As we were hanging around in the food court, our tour director Mr. Vivian suggested that Talula, Sandra and I recreate a scene from our college play "Blithe Spirit" to entertain the others in our group and the passengers around us, so we did.  It was a little weird without ghost makeup on Sandra and Talula, but we did it.  When it was over, everyone clapped.  I wasn't sure if the other passengers around us understood our language, but we drew a crowd.  The airport police came around and dispersed everyone.  We were just trying to relieve the boredom of waiting in a strange airport for several hours.

 Eventually, the plane for Berlin was waiting to leave.  We found out why the delay was so long.  They were waiting for East German pilots to fly us into Berlin due to the security around the airport.  I guess I can say that I have acted in Germany, at least for a few minutes.  

Toilet

  When Ted Turner was visiting the Soviet Union, he was staying at a hotel in Moscow.  He was very worried about listening devices in his room.  Upon checking in, he found a bump under the rug in his room and figured it was a device, so he raised up the rug to find a metal plate screwed to the floor.  He got a knife and unscrewed it.  He heard a crash from the room below.  It turned out that the metal plate held the light fixture to the ceiling of the other room.

 I told that story, because of something that happened to me while staying at Ravenwood Apartments in Forest Acres.  One night, my toilet overflowed in the bathroom.  I was trying to sop up the water with towels, when I heard a knock on my door.  It was the apartment manager.  She had gotten a call from the people who lived below me.  The light fixture in their bathroom was filling up with water and was about to burst.  I had no idea that the water from my toilet had seeped through the tiles of my bathroom and into their light fixture.  I learned that night that my tiles shared a ceiling with their apartment.  I apologized profusely to my neighbors, and we got everything fixed.  

 I can't say they were as gracious as me.  I had to pay for a new bulb for them.  I suppose it could have been much worse, like my toilet crashing through the tile into their bathroom.  Watch The Three Stooges episode about them being plumbers.  You will get the idea.  Thankfully, my apartment now only has one floor, and the tile doesn't leak.

Diamonds

   After I was caught shoplifting at J. B. White's at Richland Mall, and I told my parents it was the first time I had stolen something (which it wasn't), I told them I would never do it again.  I lied.

 Soon after that, I saw the Ian Fleming book "Diamonds Are Forever" in the store, and I wanted it.  For some reason, the paperback cover was sticky.  I took it anyway.  When I got home, my mother asked me how did I get it, if I didn't have any money?  I told her that I had found $3 in an envelope in the mall's parking lot.  I said that it was outside of a bank.  She asked why I didn't return it to the bank, and I said that it was finders keepers.  I told her that I used that money to pay for the book.  She didn't believe me, so she asked me again.  I told her the same story more than once.  Since it had a sticky cover, it stuck to some of my other books and damaged some.  I guess that was meant to be.  

 That still wasn't my last time stealing books.  Mother's Day was coming up, and I needed a present to give to her.  I found a Zip Code Directory at the store and took it for her.  When I gave it to her, she asked why I thought she would like it?  I told her that she wrote a lot of letters, and maybe it would come in handy.  She thanked me and gave it to me saying I needed it more than her.  I still have it.  I stopped shoplifting after that.

Stalking

  Another story where I hope the statute of limitations has run out.  When one looks at the core of my being, you will see that I am painfully shy.  It is one reason why I have never married.  I have loved girls from afar.  Some of the time, they may have an inkling of my feelings, but not to the extent that I have for them.  That is except for the 1st and 2nd grade.  Those two girlfriends don't really count.  In fact, when I left my 1st grade girlfriend for my 2nd grade one, my 1st grade girlfriend didn't speak to me anymore.

 Moving on to high school, I met this girl who didn't go to my school.  She was nice to me, which was something I lacked to have with other girls.  She was also very pretty.  I couldn't tell her how much I liked her because of my shyness, but I had butterflies in my stomach every time I thought about her.  So, in order to get close to her, I would call her house on the phone.  She would pick up and say hello.  I would hang up without saying anything, but I heard her voice.  It was nice.  I would drive by her house many times with hopes I would see her.  As time went on, we actually did go out a couple of times and still remain friends.  

 In college, I met this girl, and we became great friends.  In the beginning of our friendship, she was dating someone else.  She worked after school in Anderson, but she lived several miles out of town with her parents.  I knew what her work schedule was, so I would run the few miles to catch a glimpse of her car, as he was driving home.  It was very helpful to do this, because the run got me in great shape physically.  Later, we became very good friends.  Some might say lovers.  If a couple of things hadn't happened, I could have married her.  It wasn't meant to be.  I did gain confidence with her, mainly thanks to my acting experience.  I found I could be someone else with her despite my shyness.

 Then came Fort Worth.  I started liking this girl.  She lived a few blocks from the seminary.  Rather than walking the straight path to the mall, I would walk by her house.  Sometimes she would see me, and I would make up an excuse that it was a quieter walk to the mall that way.  She was kind of shy, too.  We hit it off and became drinking buddies.  We also worked together.  I stayed out in Fort Worth an extra year after graduation, because I was in love.  It was a love triangle.  She also liked another guy at the same time who was kind of abusive to her.  Life goes on, so I had to move back to South Carolina.  One of the saddest days of my life.

 In Columbia, there were two girls that had two things in common.  They both were very creative, and they both lived several miles from me.  I met them about ten years apart.  During each relationship, I would drive by their houses a lot.  I used up a lot of gas, but just to be close to them was enough for me.  One of those two actually worked for me, and I would change her schedule so that she and I would work the same shifts.

 I really don't think I was stalking these girls.  I was obsessed with them.  They made my life worth living.  Except for the last two, we are still friends.  I cherish that friendship.