Chanting With Gus

I first met him when I was only seventeen. I was in the laboratory carrying a microscope when he sallied forth in. He was wearing a golden beret, which caught my attention right away. It really accentuated his chest, but I pretended not to notice.

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

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

At the ad agency, I learned that his name was Gus, and that he was a jailer. This was fascinating to me, coming from my career as a private in the Zambian Army.

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