An Old Friend Calls

Yesterday I got a call from a deep voice that said, "This is one of your old boyfriends, George Samuelson, remember me?"  Of course, we send each other birthday greetings each year, if nothing else, as our birthdays are on the same day.

George and I were pretty inseparable from second to 7th grade and we had our first real date in sixth grade but went to Rec together a lot also.  He had the Put Put car and shared a Hershey bar and the most sought after bubble gum in WWll with me.  I remember our first kiss in 2nd or 3rd grade through his hanky and his sweaty hands when we held hands in the movies in 6th grade.  We have quite a history after that also.

In 7th grade Norma Kay moved to town and became a best friend and also interested George in other girls as well.  We dated once or twice in high school but it just didn't go anywhere.  We both dated other people.  I went out once with him on a college break but we really did not have any chemistry at all.

When I moved to Billings to teach school and try to make it or break it with Harry he called and asked if his girlfriend Suzy could live with me and my roommate as she was working there.  And she did, and she became involved with another guy and married him.  I remember most the long telephone conversations she had with him.  George wanted a few answers from me, he was heart broken.   When I broke up with Harry for the last time in May of 1956 and took the bus to Port Angeles, WA to take a trip with my old roommate Colleen to look for teaching jobs in CA, George drove my car and took the rest of my stuff home to Glendive.  (He took over his Dad's Auto Parts business and did very well financially after graduating from Missoula (where he had met Suzy). When I took the train to San Diego in August he was also on the train with the National Guard and we sat together and commiserated about our losses.  Harry came up to our train car and talked to us both, too for a minute.

George in high school, on the right.

I never saw Harry again except in 1958 for a minute at a basketball game in Glendive when I took Bill home for Christmas until the reunion in 2000.   I saw George once more when I went home for my brother's funeral in the 70's and have not seen him since.  He had married someone else and eventually divorced and Suzy also divorced and he and she reconnected in 1990 I believe in Flathead, MT and married and have been happy and well since I think.  They go back and forth between homes in Arizona and Montana.

Suzy and George, a few years ago

He called to say they were still in Arizona and were going to San Diego for a trip to get out of the heat and wondered if I knew of a hotel near the beach who took dogs.  He had just started looking and of course, I did not know as I never take my dog to a hotel but we chatted.

He said he had recently talked to Andy and Andy had throat cancer.  Andy was my sort of boyfriend when I was a sophomore.  He also said Curt Milne's oldest son had cancer, he lived in Arizona, how said.  Patty J is at a home in  Coeur d'Alene, ID and Hal has an apartment there and visits her every day. He likes living there, but how sad. Sad to here what is happening to all of us in our old age.  Couldn't think of any other recent news about anyone but will keep me posted.  I shared with him my latest adventure with the Big Storm.  He asked about all the family.

Andy behind me, on the right side, I am in the middle

Norm (Andy) at 2000 Reunion

I told George I did not recognize his voice and kept waiting to hear the "George" I knew.  He said I sounded different also.

Hearing about Andy reminded me of the cartoon that was done about us when I was a Jr.  Harry had moved to town and I had been going with him all year.  It is a picture of me sitting on a couch and Harry taking Andy out by the collar and says "Taking Out the Interference".  Then I saw another cartoon which I do not remember noticing before.  It is a picture of four cars parked near the airport with the initials under the cars.  We used to park and neck, like all teenagers I guess.  Although today they do not stop at necking.  The last car has the initials D. K. & B.M. H. and H. B. & J.A. which would have stood for Dean  Kampschorer and Berta Mae Huebl and Harry Becker and Janet Anderson.  I surely do not remember that.  Anyway funny how things make you remember something from so long back.  Andy and I talked a lot at the 2000 Reunion.  He was having problems with his marriage and told Marilyn he thought it was such a waste I was living alone in the mountains.

Cartoon about Harry and Andy (me on the couch)

Parked at the Airport, Harry's car on right

Harry at 2000 Reunion