EXCERPT FROM "THE LOOKS OF LOVE" BY MARTIN D. GOODKIN

Jack (me)
had met Josh (don't recall his name) the week before and they had gone
to bed, Jack finding Josh as boring out of bed as he was in bed. Leaving  the bar, bumping into Josh, Jack thought it would be funny to set him up with Tom (Bernie) and have the latter waste his evening, knowing that Tom would jump at the chance to go to bed with someone Jack had been with.
As it turned out Tom hadn't found Josh boring in or out of bed. He
loved the way the kid did everything he asked him to and seemed to love
doing it.

******************************************************

I
never saw Bernie after that night I played my last 'game' with him.
Ironically Josh, much younger than Bernie, turned out to the the son
Bernie never had having only daughters. He sent him to beauty school and
as far as I know they may still be lovers. The fact that I wouldn't
play the role of son was the under lying causes of all our problems. 
After I had gone through therapy he had been completely confused at this
strong, independent guy he had been in love with standing up for what
he deserved, and worked for, no longer going along for the sake of
peace.

By the end of 1975 I was no
longer involved with Bernie though he tried in many ways to stay
connected. I was too busy with a new lover, a new business and working
as hard as I did when I first arrived in Memphis.

On February 29, 1976, celebrating my 10th Leap Year birthday I had a big blowout at the Memphis Hilton hotel inviting 300 of my closest friends. We started out with a jazz cocktail hour then went into the main room for a prime rib dinner with a dance band and retired to the dessert and coffee room. I had sent
invitations to Bernie and a few of the people I had cared for at WW and
had made the decision to stay with him. None, including Bernie, even acknowledged the invitations. I had
heard that Bernie had 'threatened' them not to come or they wouldn't
have a job  which might be possible but I don't want to believe. I think
they didn't respond and/or come to the party out of loyalty to him.

I
wouldn't hear from Bernie until the early 2000s and it seemed to me he
was still playing games. At two different times over a period of 5 years
he called me when he knew I wouldn't be home--between 1 and 3 PM
whether I was working or not--and left a message that he would like to
see me while he was in Fort Lauderdale on vacation. He never did leave a
telephone number, or where he was staying, for me to get back at him.

It
is now 35 years later since the last time I saw Bernie and 43 years
since we met. Time does heal all wounds and in many cases erases the bad
times and that has happened with my memories of Bernie. He was a good man, had the best intentions but
it just wasn't meant to be between us. Due to him I moved to Memphis, a
city I quickly came to love, and to have many new experiences and that
would eventually lead for me to learn myself and who I was. In a way he
was also responsible for my meeting the love of my love because I had to
make decisions that set me on my path ro him.

After
being involved with Weight Watchers for 7 years it was time to move on
and I did by opening my own weigth reduction organization: