Saturday, October 30, 2010

Across A Crowded Room


See Part 1 HERE
See Part 2 HERE

Ah, isn't the journey always more interesting than the destination?

I knew in my heart this intermission was going to be one of those fragile floral tealights, the ones that float in a tub and last but an hour or so. There was going to be no wide ranging, long distance affair with him. And I surprised myself by being fine with that.

So remembering the words of my rebellious old Granny: we only regret the things we don't do, I made the snap decision to just enjoy the company of this gorgeous man for whatever kind of time he could offer me and throw all caution to the wind.

And what a time we had over the next few days! He was heading for New York early Tuesday so we set about just enjoying some touristy things and each other over the two days that were ours: Sunday and Monday.

He never talked about his fame – all the movies he'd been in, the plays he had done - I had not been aware of the extent of his roles until after he had gone. Instead, he shared his writing with me, his love of art, his desire to break free of familial restraints (aye, there's the rub for any woman seriously involved with him, I thought) and his desire to live globally. Scotland was just too insular a place to contain him.

We succeeded in creating a psychic haven for two in those incredible two days. The outside world did not encroach. I don't know what cell phones, blackberries and Ipads would have done to us if it were today.

I've watched some of his movies over the years and, yeah, okay, did a bit of bragging: Guess what? No, you didn't! Yes I did!

With the re-awakening of my memories I recently google-tracked him and found he is alive and extremely well and still performing and has added pages and pages to his life's work, including a fresh young wife, art exhibitions, additional movies, TV series and many books of both poems and memoirs. He is still marvellously handsome, still causes me a slight stoppage of the heart just looking at his gorgeously aged face and I would drop everything just to spend a wee bit of time with him.

And as to the rest of it?

He was a man who lived and breathed poetry and extolled and revelled in the beauty of the female form. Add that component to anything else you're imagining and you've got it.

Je ne regrette rien.

22 comments:

  1. Well, I guess not as to regrets. I've narrowed it down some but I'm going to do some sleuthing now.

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  2. Oh Marcia!
    Seriously?
    I'd be just the same as you if it were your post, my dear!
    Good luck!
    (and I'm a little nervous - if you are certain please email me privately at wisewebwoman@gmail.com)
    XO
    WWW

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  3. I like your Granny. As I get older I too realise that the time we have here is short and not to be wasted. the 'If onlys' of life are bad bedfellows and often lead to bitterness

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  4. And I have one major "if only" GM that still haunts me a little. It was for the best (I think) but.....

    Granny was way ahead of her time in some ways. Hated housework for one.

    XO
    WWW

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  5. I'm so glad you chose "yes." And, very happy to chose to share the story.

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  6. What a lovely story - thank you for sharing! I could actually feel my heart beating faster!

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  7. It's due to your wonderful memory of this experience that I had an incredible dream about such a man. When I saw him at first glance, I almost fainted with love. He was dressed as a dashing Rembrandt cavalier. I want to dream about him again and again. I'm sure we met in a former life. Is there anything better than a beautiful man?

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  8. That's often the case that we regret the things we didn't do rather than the things we did. You were right to grab those two days of enjoyment while you had the chance. And as you say, I bet it was all the better for the lack of those contemporary gadgets.

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  9. It is good you were able to be both philosphical and realistic and just enjoy it for what it was.

    Not sure I'd have been able to.

    Have always made rather a point of resisting men who consider themselves irresistible!

    Then again, I've never been confronted by a young Christopher Plummer or equivalent! Perhaps my stubbornness would have melted in a moment if so.

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  10. I'm glad you enjoyed it Jo and that it got your pulse racing!
    XO
    WWW

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  11. Nora:
    I'm so glad you were inspired by my memories.
    Maybe he'll come back from time to time?
    Beautiful men are so very rare and I mean that inside and outside.
    XO
    WWW

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  12. Nick:
    And lately I think also that we need these memories as we get older, just to laugh over them or entertain each other.
    XO
    WWW

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  13. Laura:
    I think it a combination of factors that make us go off the beaten path.
    And for you Christopher Plummer might be the siren call.
    We can never anticipate what will do it, that's for sure.
    XO
    WWW

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  14. Well - I suspected I was way off mark with those guesses. It seems that he wasn't a singer anyway. Hmmmm!

    When he approached you initially did he by any chance introduce himself like so ?
    "My name is B......, J.....B....".
    ;-)
    If he's the one, he made a wonderful (spoken not sung) recording of "In My Life"
    (Beatles song), that one always makes my toes curl.

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  15. Well done for making the most of the time you had. I can only imagine the details..... And of course I'm desperate to hear more, but know I must not pry. Every Blessing

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  16. Love your gran's attitude. What is the point if we don't really live our lives.
    I haven't a clue who he was, but it doesn't really matter.... ok, was it Sean Connery? That would have made my day.

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  17. "I made the snap decision to just enjoy the company of this gorgeous man for whatever kind of time he could offer me and throw all caution to the wind."

    You know how to live well :)

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  18. T:
    He didn't have to introduce himself as he was the star of the one man show. He merely asked me my name and prefaced that with: Aye another Celt I see?
    No wrong guess and I haven't a clue who you're talking about!
    XO
    WWW

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  19. Brighid:
    No not Sean. I've never regretted it.Not for one second. Granny would be shocked but secretly rather proud, I think.
    XO
    WWW

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  20. Pauline:
    Oh we need to dance and sing in this one wild and precious life we get!
    XO
    WWW

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