IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE

Appropo of the season and my belief this is a wonderful life, I wrote the following this morning. I was prompted by a topic suggested by my local ‘retired old men eating out’ (romeo) lunch group. They requested each person bring a story about the worst, or best, Christmas ever received by you and share it at our January meeting.

So here is my Christmas story. It is up to you to decide if it is a ‘good present’ or ‘bad present story’. Merry Noel to all and to all a good night.

It was December 1974 or maybe ’75? I was a year or so out of dental school and stationed in Turkey with the USAF. A group of my classmates had also volunteered to serve their country and ended up stationed in Italy and Germany. We all met up in Austria at a military recreation ski lodge. I had flown in from Turkey to Rome and took a train to Venice to spend a couple of nights. I eventually met up with a classmate who picked me up in his Volkswagen Van. We traveled to Aviano for a visit at his home before driving the van to Austria to meet up with two other classmates. When we stopped to show our passports before entering the tunnel to Austria the dark olive skinned Italian guard smiled and was excited to meet a cowboy born in Ft, Worth, Texas. While there we managed to ski Kitzbühel and several other resorts in the area of our base of operations. I had a room in a three story pension managed by a resident family as did my Volkswagen driving classmate and his wife. It was a veritable bed and breakfast place. General Alexander Haig and his daughters were in residence as well. My married classmate hinted to me I should flirt with the lovely female dependents. I was too shy to even attempt to speak to the General’s daughters.

It was Christmas time and in the common entertainment/dining area of the resort complex a band played after dinner and beer flowed, and perhaps a bit of peppermint schnapps. The four of my classmates all had wives or dates leaving me odd man out. One of my buddies introduced me to a woman, a very engaging female of considerable charm. She told me her name was Mary Noel. I had found a great dance partner to while away the evening. A long night of fun and frivolity did come to an end about 2 in the morning. It was most likely her who suggested she join me in my room. I had been semi celibate since leaving the states. We had to knock on the pension front door and the of-age daughter of the owners let us in.

The bed was large with fresh white sheets and a wonderful white down comforter over a heavy cotton bedspread. I had more than sugarplums dancing in my head as she guided my sleigh – to her manger’s downy straw.

I called a cab for her just before dawn. The next night’s party at the facility was mostly a repeat of drinking and dancing. I saw Mary again however the magic of the night before failed to materialize. I went home alone but with a wonderful memory of the night before.

Thirty years later one of my classmates asks me if I recall that night. Very clearly, I told him. He then told me Mary Noel was a professional hired by my classmates…