Rosemary & Niño - 22 March 2020

One of the strangest New Years Rosemary and I ever had was around 1987 at Gary Taylor's Rock Room on Hornby Street.The entertainer that evening was Roy Forbes (then known simply as Bim). I was astonished that at midnight he took out a paper from his shirt pocket which had the lyrics of Auld Lang Syne which he obviously did not know. After finishing he sprayed Rosemary and I (we were, unluckily, in the front) with an entire bottle of Möet & Chandon. But the strangest part of the evening were three very young Polish sailors who kept smiling at me. I told Rosemary that I felt uncomfortable and that we should go home. As we were leaving the sailors caught us on our way out and told us in a terrible broken English that I was the spitting image of Roman Polanski. They asked for my address. For years we received Christmas cards from them.

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,

and never brought to mind?

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,

and auld lang syne? – Robert Burns

These lyrics have been in my mind as they contain that troublesome word acquaintance.

In Spanish the word is conocido (a person known). For me I have friends and then people I know who I call acquaintances.

In this 21^st century and in this year I can write here that most of the people I ever knew are dead or have disappeared. In my mind most of the time now is what Harold Bloom wrote in his book How to Read and Why (2000):

"We read not only because we cannot know enough people, but because friendship is so vulnerable, so likely to diminish or disappear, overcome by space,time, imperfect sympathies, and all the sorrows of familial and passional life."

Since my Rosemary died on December 9, 2020 I have not found anybody I can confide my inquietudes (a fine Spanish word for existential concerns). I would tell her that many of the people I call on the phone have a synthetic woman asking, “What is your name and the purpose of your call”. I answer, “I am Alex and I am his friend.” I am then told to hold while she(it) will see if the person is available. She(it) will invariably return  to tell me that the person is not available.

To add further to what happened after my Rosemary died I can say that to my granddaughters I am not a grandfather but a useless old man.

My family, a family that showers me with warmth and cuddling attention are my cats Niño and Niña. Both are 15 years old and I suspect that Niño may die in the next two months.

Because of my advanced age I am not interested in meeting up with a woman. The only one I want is dead.

Is it too late for me to make new friends? In the atmosphere of the times I believe that is not possible. I will have to persist with my past memories of the friends and family I had.