Meeting Max

by Richard Brumer

  Julie told Rick about her life and how she grew up in upstate Newark, New York, emphasizing the New York part to distinguish it from Newark, New Jersey.

  “I didn’t know there was another Newark. Where is it?” Rick asked.

  “Not far from Rochester. It’s a small town, a nice town. I loved growing up there, but didn’t want to be stuck in Newark for the rest of my life. I was restless. I knew there was a more exciting life in New York City and I wanted to be part of it, which is why I’m studying nursing here.”

  “I like small towns.” Rick pulled up the collar of his jacket to shield his neck from the cool breeze. “People seem happier there with uncrowded streets, small shops, everything cozy.”

  “That’s true. People are content in Newark, if that’s where they want to be, but I guess I didn’t want to be a small town girl anymore.” A faraway look manifested on her face, and she frowned, as though recalling something unpleasant. “Besides, it’s always there for me if I want it.”

  “Had you been to New York City before you came to NYU?”

  “Only once, to visit a friend. There are people in Newark who have never been to New York City or any large city, for that matter. I came here not just to get away from small town life, but to get away from my mom too.”

  “Is she a problem for you?” Rick inquired.

  “She’s as controlling as all hell.” Julie bit her lip, crossing her arms over her chest. “My parents wanted me to stay put in Newark, get married, have lots of kids, and live the rest of my life getting old with nothing happening. It wasn’t easy getting out of there. How about you?”

  “I grew up in the Bronx. I have an older brother, David, who graduated from Princeton three years ago. After high school, our family moved to New Rochelle. My dad’s a lawyer, and my mom is an artist. My mother spent most of her time bringing us up. She tried to teach us how to draw, but we just didn’t have it. She never gave up on anyone, but she made an exception in our case.”

  Julie laughed.

  “What’s so funny?” Rick winked.

  “You.” She giggled again. “I’m sure your mother never gave up on you.”

  He shrugged, tucking his hands into his pockets, and then glanced at Julie. Their gazes locked, and for a brief moment he’d never felt more content.

  “Maybe not,” he said, but he was no longer sure what they’d been talking about.

  ***

  It wasn’t long before Rick and Julie fell in love. It was a first for both of them. During the week, they kept their emphasis on schoolwork, but looked forward to weekends, when they would go to a movie, a coffee house, or visit one of the cafes to listen to poetry readings.

  They ate at local restaurants and loved watching live performances at the Cherry Lane Theater. Afterward, they walked the magical streets of the Village, its beat dramatically changing from bustling street activity to hushed quiet lanes. Life was easy. Living in Greenwich Village made it that way.

  One afternoon, they came across a small shop on Christopher Street. “Let’s do it!” Julie exclaimed. “Let’s have our palms read.”

  “Do you really want to enter the mystical world?” Rick asked, shaking his head.

  “I know it’s not true. I know it, Rick, but let’s do it anyway.”

  A flamboyant gypsy lady who appeared to be in her sixties guided their venture into the supernatural. She had dark creased skin and wore brightly colored, loose fitting clothing. She went by the name Eeluminada. She prepared to read Julie’s palm as Rick sat nearby.

  “What is the month and day you were born?” The woman’s voice was soft as she studied Julie’s face.

  “July thirtieth.”

  “Ah, Leo. My dear, it is fortunate you’re having this reading while you’re so young. You’re at the beginning of your life and can learn so much. I’ll let you know what my vision tells me about your future. Come, let me see.”

  Eeluminada looked at Julie while waving two fingers back and forth. Julie pulled her chair closer and extended her hands. Eeluminada focused on her palms.

  “You have soft hands, dear. First, we will look at your four fingers. They represent Mercury, Apollo, Saturn, and Jupiter. The mount on Jupiter tells me that you found someone who will act as your protector.”

  “Do I need someone to protect me?”

  “Yes. You must walk through life with someone who can do that.”

  “Who is that person?” Julie asked.

  “It is not to know. Let me look on Saturn.” Eeluminada gazed at the ceiling and chanted in a high pitched voice unlike her own. “Ashmi Magyar nagul seretlek. A dramatic event will soon take place in your life. You are holding someone in your arms.” The gypsy lady probed Julie’s fingers further.

  “Who is it?”

  “It is not to be told. You’re in bed, and you are holding him.”

  “Is it someone I know?

  “Please, I only tell you my vision. I see you with a deep feeling, you are happy. I see you smiling, radiant.” The gypsy lady shook her head. “Oh, there is more!” She brushed her thumb along a curved wrinkle on Julie’s palm. “Your heart line is right here.” Eeluminada studied it further, her head hovering over Julie’s palm. “I see it clearly. You will find true and lasting love for all eternity.”

  “Is there anything bad you see in my life?” Julie asked, leaning forward.

  “My dear little girl,” the gypsy lady muttered. “Life is filled with a mixture of good and bad things for everyone and we need both so we can grow. For you, the good will triumph. Be happy for that and for the gift of love you will have in your life.”

  A tear dripped along Julie’s cheek.

  Afterward, Eeluminada read Rick’s palms.

  She traced his palm with her index finger. “You will achieve your noble goals.” The gypsy glanced up at him and their eyes met. “It is written.”

  “That’s important to me. Thank you.” Rick hesitated before he spoke again. “And will I find my true love?”

  The gypsy looked at him with her knowing eyes and grinned. “You have already found her.”

  They left, smiling, and Julie kissed Rick’s cheek.

  “See, you get what you pay for,” she said as she wiped her eyes. “Do you think it’s true, Rick?”

  “Sure, it could be,” he admitted.

  “Yeah, it could be true.”

  ***

  Julie’s father presented her with a new car from his dealership and Rick and Julie talked about going to Vermont on the upcoming long weekend to learn to ski. Rick wasn’t sure how he felt about that idea, since his first attempt at skiing had been a year earlier and he’d fallen too many times.

  They arrived at Stowe in the early evening, in time for the family style dinner at Mrs. Goetschl’s ski lodge.

  Rick and Julie walked in the woods. Big, fluffy snowflakes floated in the night sky and landed on their faces and woolen hats. Rick heard the snow crunch under their boots as they walked down a path surrounded by birch trees dusted with powdered snow.

  They didn’t speak. He felt the eloquence of the silence surrounding them as he stared through the bare trees at the full moon hanging low. He turned to kiss her, his cold lips pressed against hers, but their bulky ski parkas prevented them from being closer. He kissed her again, deeper.

  “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Julie asked.

  “You mean that we’re like two overstuffed teddy bears?” Rick patted his parka.

  “Close. I was thinking of myself as Barbie doll wearing a bulky ski outfit.”

  Rick laughed and hugged her.

  He watched the moon disappear behind a dark cloud. The night sky darkened, intensifying the brilliance of the stars. It was quiet, except for the sound of the cold breeze as it whipped past them and brushed across Rick’s cheeks. The cloud passed and the moon, once again, cast its beam on them, illuminating Julie as if she were in a spotligh as they walked with their arms around each other.

  Soon, there was dead silence.
His lips touched hers again, only now he could hear the gentle sounds of their kisses. Rick held her close and, without thinking, whispered, “I love you.”

  “I love you too, Rick. Very much.”

  They walked back to the lodge and to their room, staying as close to each other as their winter clothing allowed.

  Chapter 6

  Rick saw the crisp white moon through the windowpanes, covered with snow crystals. Sparks jumped and snapped in the fireplace, and the flames lit the room with a golden glow that shimmered on their faces as they kissed.

  “Rick, you know I’m a virgin, right?”

  “That’s good, Julie, ‘cause so am I. You’re the girl I have been waiting for.”

  They made love, expressing their emotions with their bodies and hearts. They were slow and gentle for a while until they felt their bodies explode with passion, which took them to a place neither of them had ever known.

  The fireplace kept them warm through the night, but now it was morning, and the roaring flames of passion soon gave way to the glowing embers of affection. Only their faces were cold, especially their noses, but their bodies were warm under a white down comforter as they held each other close. They squinted as the sun peeked through the frosty windowpanes. Shiny icicles dripped outside and pointed downward like shimmering daggers.

  Rick dressed and waited for Julie as she slid into her jeans. She wore a dark blue woolen sweater with white snowflakes knitted into the design. They walked to the kitchen, which was busy with the sounds of clanging pans and sizzling food cooking, a sharp contrast to the tenderness of the night. Hot cereal and platters of pancakes, eggs, fruit, bacon, warm biscuits, and steaming hot coffee surrounded them. They were starving and had a bit of everything.

  As they sipped their coffee, Julie leaned forward and whispered, “I love you, Rick.”

  “I love you too, Julie.” He wished he’d said it in the privacy of their room instead of at a breakfast table, with other people.

  “All this whispering.” Julie giggled, leaning toward him. “It’s like we’re back in the library.”

  “It was warmer in the library.”

  “It was much warmer than the library for me last night, Rick.”

  “Do you know what’s on my mind right now?”

  “What?”

  Rick put his arm around her waist, drawing her near and whispering so close he hoped his breath would tickle her skin. “I feel like pulling you close and giving you one long kiss that will last forever.”

  “Honey, that’s so sexy.”

  “Are you ready to ski?” he asked, grinning.

  “I am.” She beamed.

  They walked out of the lodge and rented boots and skis. They knew nothing about skiing and the mountains were intimidating. Rick looked at Julie and saw the trepidation on her face. She appeared scared, but willing.

  “There’s always the fireplace,” he reminded her. “We would have the whole lodge to ourselves. Everyone else will be skiing. It would just be us.”

  “You never know what might happen,” she said, smiling.

  “You sure know how to tempt a guy.” He moaned, struggling to get both pairs of skis over his shoulders.

  “You know, I can carry my own skis.”

  “That’s okay.” A moment later, he dropped all four skis in the snow.

  Julie laughed and kissed him.

  “Last night my lips were covered with hot kisses,” she recalled. “Now they’re like ice.”

  “Okay, Miss Frozen Lips.” Rick grumbled as he tried to maneuver their skis on his shoulders. “When I went skiing on that small hill in New York, I tried to use the rope tow to get to the top of the hill. After falling off a few times, someone told me to keep my skis straight, in the grooves of the ski tracks, and gradually increase my grip on the rope so it would slowly glide me upward.”

  “Did that work?”

  “Yes, and when I got to the top, I stood, panicked, as I looked down and wondered how I was going to get to the bottom. A man next to me said, ‘Just point your skis downward and go,’ which I did. It was a nonstop disaster and the worst advice ever.”

  “At least you tried, Rick. We could stay at the lodge for a while, sit by the fire, and have a hot chocolate, then take a lesson later, which would be okay with me. I’m not in a rush.”

  “Let’s try taking the chair lift up and then down again. We can look things over that way, then take a rest by the fireplace, then take a group ski lesson. What do you think?”

  “You sound so eager. Okay, sounds great.”

  They headed to the chairlift and watched how other people got on. They told the lift attendant they were new at this.

  “No problem. I’ll slow it down,” he assured them.

  The attendant slowed it down and brought the chair almost to a stop. He held the back of the chair firmly and kept it steady as they sat down. Their skis dangled in front of them and soon they were off into the air. They lowered the safety bar and placed their feet on the ski rest.

  They were apprehensive as they got near the top and nervously raised the safety bar. The couple in the chair in front of them made exiting look easy. When it was their turn, Julie and Rick slid off and rolled haphazardly into the snow.

  They squirmed and twisted their bodies into awkward positions, laughing as they attempted to get up. Somehow, the skis, poles, and their arms and legs were tangled together. They finally made it without any idea how it happened.

  Rick looked at Julie. She looked so lovely with beams of sunlight dancing off her wet, snow drenched face. They took their skis off and walked to a small lodge with a cafeteria not far from the lift. It was crowded with people standing in line for food and drinks.

  They each had a hot chocolate and exhaled the steamy vapors as they sat by a large window in the unheated lodge, watching people effortlessly gliding their way down the slope.

  Rick was jealous. They could do it, and he couldn’t. After a while, it didn’t look too difficult. The snow was packed powder, and there were no mounds of snow to act as obstacles. He thought that even if he fell a few times, he would still make it down.

  “I’m going to try it, Julie. I think I can get down. I may fall, but I’ll get down. You take the chairlift down. I’ll meet you at the base lodge by the fire, then we can sign up for a lesson.”

  “You sure you want to do it? It doesn’t look that easy. Don’t do it, Rick, please.”

  “Well, the snow is kind of flat and powdery. There’s no ice around, so it should be okay. I’ll take it slow. See you in a little while. Love you.”

  “I love you too, but please be careful, please…”

  ***

  Rick was scared, but determined. He put his skis together and gave himself an easy push. His skis parted instantly and he felt his corduroy pants stretching out to each side. Then he heard the rip. His pants were torn at the crotch, leaving a gaping hole.

  He winced as he felt the cold air rush between his legs and up into the part of him that was usually warm. He fell, nonstop, as his body turned over in the snow. It no longer mattered how he got down. He just wanted to be at the bottom as soon as possible.

  Despite his efforts, Rick slid down the mountain on his backside and only had one or two brief moments of standup skiing. The snow covered every part of him like a thick wet blanket. His long johns were soaked along with his corduroys, and his hands were wet and cold as the snow melted inside his gloves. The coldest part of his body was his uncovered crotch, and he only had his icy gloves to cover the open tear to protect him from the wind.

  Snowflakes were hitting his face and piling up. Some of them melted inside his eyes. He brushed the snow off his frozen cheeks with his stiff, wet gloves while skiers flew past him. Somehow, he made it to the bottom.

  He stood by the chairlift and waited for Julie.

  Skiing is not intuitive, at least not for me. There’s no question about that.

  He waited over an hour as he looked at the trail of empty chair
s chugging their way down, but no Julie. Voices behind him caught his attention. He turned and saw a group of people gathering and pointing up at the mountain as the ski patrol slowly and cautiously edged its way down, guiding a toboggan with someone strapped in it.

  Julie?

  Soon the toboggan was in front of him with Julie wrapped tightly in it, exposing only her face, showing her frozen red cheeks and watery eyes.

  “Did you get down all right?” she asked, her lips trembling.

  “Julie, why would you ask me that. Just look at you. Why did you try it?” He took off his gloves and warmed her cheeks with the back of his hand.

  “You did. I thought maybe I could too.”

  Rick couldn’t help but blame himself.

  ***

  They drove back to Greenwich Village after visiting a local orthopedist. Julie’s right ankle was broken, but not her spirit. She had a cast up to her knee, walked with crutches for the next six weeks, and never complained once.

  They spent that time doing schoolwork and going to movies, restaurants, and music clubs. They always got preferential treatment when they waited in lines because Julie was on crutches, her right leg a few inches off the floor. She looked so helpless.

  They went to an opera one night, another first for both of them. It was La Boehme, a tearful story of love. Somehow, it was just what they needed, an opportunity to identify with the mixture of love and pain shared by others.

  Julie spotted the tenderness that the lovers felt in La Boehme before Rick did. She squeezed his hand at the exact moment Rodolfo took Mimi’s hand and said, ‘How cold your hand. Let me warm it into life.’

  After the opera, they went to Bobo’s restaurant in Chinatown. It was a small place with only ten tables, slightly larger than a hole in the wall, at 23 Pell Street.

  A lot of aspiring actors, actresses, and singers were servers and they had the look of show business about them. They were either attractive or distinctive looking, with perfect teeth, creatively styled hair, and up-front personalities. Julie and Rick sat next to each other, their bodies touching while they shared dumplings with vegetables and steaming hot green tea.