I
met Steven around March 1980. He had a lover, Arnie, who was an
alcoholic,(maybe part of his attraction for me was that I drank) had an
invalid mother who he took care of but he lived with Steven. I'm
not sure but I think they had been together for a few years. Steven had
been married and had 2 children and recently bought a home in a
fashionable, old neighborhood of Fort Lauderdale. We got along great and
I think he was ready to leave Arnie for me and then, November 11, 1981,
I met Bill! The picture above was about 2 hours before we went to
dinner and I had to tell him about Bill.  After Bill and I split we
bumped into each other, tried again but 'it' just didn't work and then
he did the unforgivable--he forgot 2 Leap Year birthdays in a row! I
would see him one day around 2008 and I am sure he is still puzzled why I
ignored him and his "Hello"---hey, I can be petty, too. Haven't seen or
heard from him since--?!? He really was a nice guy but let
this be a warning--don't forget to acknowledge my Leap Year--you don't
have to give me a gift but call or send a card or an e-mail!

Many
people come and go through your life but some you just never forget.  I
met Bob Barry in Memphis who was there with his lover but I have no
recollection of who I met them through or even who the heck was his
lover but I have never forgotten Bob. We kept in touch over the years
and though he lived in Dallas and I lived in Memphis and then Fort
Lauderdale we had a bond. When he died I felt a darkness come over me.

The
story of Mark is very strange to me and the only way I can explain it
is that I didn't realize he cared a lot for me, more than I cared for
him but we did have something special going. I met Mark through an ad I
had placed in The Advocate when I lived in Memphis. I got over 300
responses and invited them to Memphis either Memorial Day or July 4th or
Labor Day weekend. Out of the 300 about 200 showed! I don't remember
which weekend Mark came if from Dallas where he lived at the time but he
stayed an extra week and had a lot of fun. When he left we kept in
touch including when he moved to Santa Fe which he loved.  On February
29, 1992, celebrating my 14th Leap Year birthday with a party at my
place from  1-9 PM, without any warning or hint that he was coming, Mark
walked through the door. It was one of the biggest and most pleasant
surprises I ever had. I heard from Nina and Jean in Dallas, Ginny in
Minnesota, Perry who I hadn'theardfrom in awhile and who would lead to
my staying  here at Gateway. He stayed until the 5th and we went all
over town, introduced him to everyone I knew and he even met Richard
from Phoenix! He left Fort Lauderdale for Orlando and I never heard from
him again.

I
sent Mark a snail mail birthday card but it was returned with addressee
unknown. I called and the phone had been disconnected. He was one of
the many who 'disappeared' in my life never knowing what had happened
though I suspect Mark has died.

Ah
Andy. I will talk about him in another post but the picture of us was
taken in Julius's, the oldest gay bar in New York, and it was to be one
of my last times going to New York. Andy was/is an unexpected joy in my life --another one who 'disappeared' from my life  with no communication. He
lived with his family in the Bronx and lived up to the reputations of
all redheads. As I said, more about him later.

I
know most of you have no idea of who this people are and most won't
care but they have all been part of my supportive 'family' through the
years and have helped me get to where I am today.

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