A friend of mine had been taking lessons for a while, but never made it out dancing anywhere. He felt rejected every time he went. He said to me, "I can tell. The women run away from me." I danced with him. He was a good dancer and he was a nice looking guy. I tried to get him to go Contra Dancing where he would have a positive experience, but he was too discouraged. He had taken lessons for a few years and it was ashame he quit.
Last night was a long, crazy night of dancing, first Richard's Swing party at the Boltin Center and then the Tango Milonga at 308 West. After 5 hours, I was, as my dad would say, "a little punch drunk".
When I got home, I was too wound up to sleep, so I cut up an organic apple, doled out some local blueberries from Wards, topped with whip cream and my secret ingredients and put on the TV to settle down.
TCM host Robert Osborne was interviewing Ernest Borgnine, which was a treat and then Marty came on, my lucky night.
Angie (Marty's best friend): "How about calling up that big girl we picked up in the movies about a month ago up in the RKO Chester?...You know that big girl that was sittin' in front of us, with the skinny friend...Remember her name was Mary Feeny - we took 'em home all the way out in Brooklyn. What daya say? Think we ought to give 'em a call? I'll take the skinny one."
Marty: "She maybe got a date already, Ange...I didn't like her. I don't feel like calling her up."
...
When Marty gets home, he goes in his room and makes a phone call.
Marty: "...Oh, hello there. Is this Mary Feeney? Hello, there. This is Marty Pilletti. I-I wonder if you recall me. Well, I'm kind of a stocky guy. The last time we met was in the RKO Chester. You was with a friend of yours, and I-I was with a friend of mine, name of Angie. This was about a month ago - The RKO Chester on West Farms Square. Yeah, you was sitting in front of us, and we was annoying you, and - you got mad and - I'm the fella who works in a butcher shop. Oh, come on, you - you know who I am! That's right, and then - then we went to Howard Johnson's. We had hamburgers. You hadda milkshake. Yeah, that's right. Yeah, well, I'm the stocky one, the heavy-set fella. Yeah, well, I'm - I'm glad you recall me because I hadda pretty nice time that night, and I was wondering how everything was with you. How's everything? That's swell. Yeah, well, I tell you why I called. I was figuring on taking in a movie tonight, and I was wondering if you and your friend would care to see a movie tonight with me and my friend."
The camera zooms in slowly. Marty closes his eyes, he already knows he is going to get rejected.
Marty continues: "Yeah, tonight. Why, I know it's a little late to call for a date, but I didn't know myself till - yeah, I know."
Might as well make the rejection complete.
Marty: "Yeah, well, what about - well, how about next Saturday night? Are - are you free next Saturday night? Well, what about the Saturday after that? Yeah. Yeah, I know. Well, I mean, I understand that. Yeah. Yeah."
When Marty comes to dinner, his mother starts up with him.
Mrs. Pilletti: "Why don't you go to the Stardust Ballroom?"
...
Marty: "I chased after enough girls in my life. I-I went to enough dances. I got hurt enough. I don't wanna get hurt no more. I just called up a girl this afternoon, and I got a real brush-off, boy! I figured I was past the point of being hurt, but that hurt. Some stupid woman who I didn't even want to call up. She gave me the brush. No, Ma, I don't wanna go to Stardust Ballroom because all that ever happened to me there was girls made me feel like I was a-a-a bug. I got feelings, you know. I-I had enough pain. No thanks, Ma!"
...
Mrs. Pilletti: "Marty, put on the blue suit, huh?"
...
Marty: "All right, so I'll go to the Stardust Ballroom. I'll put on a blue suit, and I'll go. And you know what I'm gonna get for my trouble? Heartache. A big night of heartache."
While I was writing this newsletter I made this delicious bean soup, all organic, from stuff I had gotten from Wards. Yum. It is really good. Did not need to use any seasoning. If you have good ingredients, you do not need to add anything else.
Where was I? Oh, yeah.
Marty meets his wife that night. He says to her. "I don't know what's gotten into me. I can't stop talking."
Save yourself some worry. Your life can change in a moment and you cannot predict the future.