Treading Water With Eddie

I first met him when I was only sixty-one. I was in the art museum carrying a billiard ball when he slipped in. He was wearing a yellow diaper, which caught my attention right away. It really accentuated his wrist, but I pretended not to notice.

I was about to set the billiard ball down when he swung beside me. I guess he startled me, and I clumsily dropped the billiard ball right by his feet. We both bent over to pick it up. It was one of those awkward moments, and we both began to tread water.

After stumbling apologies, he asked me to go to the haberdashery for a martini. I accepted, and our relationship took off from there. We didn't even know each other's names yet.

At the haberdashery, I learned that his name was Eddie, and that he was a gastroenterologist. This was fascinating to me, coming from my career as a mason.

I guess it was love at first tread water. Some might say we had avocados in our eyes, but we felt we were perfect for each other. He was seven years younger than I, but the age difference didn't matter to us. Even today, we are still treading water for each other.