Happy Birthday Donald ...we'll always have the Diane Schuur Concert...and PIA ZADORA!

No one reading this knows my pal Donald.

Today would have been his birthday, perhaps 71.

We met on a Christmas night at the old Napolean club.

I gave him my phone # and walked out the door with a soldier friend of mine I met on...you guessed it...a Christmas night at Buddy's the year before.

I couldn't take my eyes off of Don. He said my eyes are what drew him in.

Soldier Friend: "Should we drag him home together?"
Editor: "No.  I think I want to date this one."
Soldier friend (who became a roommate) "OK."
when I told Don what the soon-to-be roommate and I  had discussed he said
"What was I?  Hamburger?"
Oh, c'mon, two guys found him attractive, and at least my buddy had the decorum to let me have a go at him, and look how nicely  that worked out for all of us.  We all became lifelong friends.  Life not long enough.
 

Buddy's and the Napolean are long gone.

My late girlfriend was totally in love with Don.

She loved homosexual men.

These are my pals I would stay up all night long having coffee with.

Don had a husband named "Joe" - common law marriage.   I was his security blanket.

Ahhh...to be back in our 30s again, it was so long ago.

The old guys at the Napolean would say to me "We like seeing you with Don. We don't like that guy from NY."

The guy from NY would later move here and that would end our time as boyfriends.  But that was OK, Don was a great friend but not husband material for me, I knew that from day 1.

And New York Joe was actually good for him. He took care of Don like no one could, so that was OK too.

The problem with N.Y. Joe is that he would become a catty dude for sport ...

At a party he kept going up to my friends and insulting me by insinuating that he knew a certain size of a certain something personal. Ahem.

Then, after my buddies were appalled at him (like the guys at the Napolean club) he calls me up the next night as if nothing happened.

"Are you mad at me, Joey?" he detected.

He always called me  "Joey."    ???

"Look, Joe, if you are really interested...I mean if you REALLY have to know...IF YOU REALLY want to know the size of my xxxxxx  ASK YOUR FxxxxxNG LOVER"  SLAM!

Phone rings.

It's Jo Jo.

"THAT was amazing...You were fantastic.  I cannot believe you did that...well...of course I can believe you did that."

JV: What happened?

JoJo: Well he approaches Don and says "Were you and Joe ever?"

JV And...?????

JoJo: "Don said "Oh you know Joe, he's just yanking your chain...and Joe M. was satisfied with that."

JV: But...

Jo Jo:  But deep down HE KNOWS!

Ahhh...the good old days.

I think it made him man up.  A month or so later he bought tickets for us to see a jazz singer at the Club in Cambridge (I used to book the venue in the 1970s) for Don, Jo Jo and me...and Joe M. stayed home.   
(It took me 12 hours to remember it was Diane Schuur! Joe M bought the tickets for!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsR3OtxvN4I
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsR3OtxvN4I
Joe M died of a heart attack a few years ago.
They had moved down south.  Don was there for me when a similar tragedy happened, and something that affects me to this day. So I understand. Don was there for me, but he kept what happened to him so private. 

My good friend couldn't live without Joe M and sadly, he's no longer with us.

I do miss him and our conversations.

Someone who worked at the Chevalier saw us going to a concert, took our tickets and did a double take, Don was so very handsome.  That was a Pia Zadora concert at the Opera House in Boston with Frank Sinatra's band behind her.  It was an amazing show and Don loves his Frank Sinatra!

Happy Birthday Don.  At least people who don't know you get to hear one of our funny stories.

Rest in peace, dear friend.