Green Bay - A Road to Regret

Whenever anyone tells me they're getting divorced...I always say, "Is there any way you could stay together?"

We talked it out, and talked it out, and talked it out.  I was leaving on a business trip for London.  I was not coming back.  Instead, I was being transferred to Philadelphia and that was as far west as I was going.

A car from Amm's would pick me up for O'Hare.  After 13 years of marriage, it all was over except for, "What airline, what hotel, where do I send the divorce papers?" The car was on time and pulled onto the driveway I had blown snow off of for 11 years.  We said good bye, I turned to the door and quickly walked to the black town car.

Less than a mile later, at 176 and Green Bay Road, I realized my cell phone was in the living room.  I asked the driver to turn back.  When I walked into the house - I could hear her washing dishes and crying in the kitchen. At the sound of the door, she poked her head out of the kitchen, looked at me and smiled. I said, "I forgot my phone,"  picked it up and walked out to the black town car.  Today would've been our 25th anniversary.

I've always been envious of those who have no regrets.

On A Road: Panty Hose for Men

North Michigan Avenue, 1993

Walsh and I cut through Henri Bendel on our way to a little Vietnamese place where you could get two entrees, soup and a drink for just under six bucks with tax. We were stopped dead in our lunch break by a display of panty hose. Black, white, red...all of it in wild designs and patterns on forms standing tall on a glass display counter. We stared wordless at the legs until Walsh broke the silence, "How much?" I looked down at a package and saw a sticker, "Fifty bucks." Walsh blew a respectful whistle.

We stared at the display for another wordless minute until Walsh said, "We should buy a pair for Stacy." Stacy worked in our Fine Art division and had great legs. "We could split it," I said as my neck started to tense up. Walsh said, "Shit, she'd probably sue us," and with that, we turned from the panty hose and walked to lunch. I had the double calamari.