DNA 2.0

A rose will bloom,

It then will fade.

So does a youth.

So does the fairest maid.

Comes a time when one sweet smile

Has it's season for awhile.

Then...Love's in love with me

Nino Rota

Rhode Island is too small. No matter how many years go by or how far someone moves away, you can run into them again. Either they come home for good or they have to visit for one reason or another. If luck has it, you'll run into them at a Chello's. Which I did.

When I knew Charlene at an old job, she was 23. She had the stupid genetic luck of being born pretty with everything in the right place and she knew it. She was one of those girls whose face was proportionally correct, a skinny body that was proportionally correct and correct big tits. It's amazing how some people, through no effort on their own, get lucky on the Wheel of Genetic Fortune. She traded that currency for a boyfriend who was earning a chemical engineer's degree from U Mass. She knew this guy would go places eventually. In fact, from what I knew, his entire family was born with that mathematics gene and every son managed to find their way into those hot, 1990's industries around 128, when 128 was THE place to start a career. If it wasn't that, then it was working in one of the Big Five accounting firms in NYC.

I once took the GRE's and psychology subtest at Providence College back in the early 90's. When the Dominican proctor was handing out the subtests, he asks, “Who are the chem majors? A few hands went up and he walked over, handed them the subtest and then made the Sign of the Holy Cross at them. I too, looked over my shoulder at them and under my breath said, “Whew...chem GRE's? That's gotta be tough.”

No one was admiring them that day. You have to be a brainac in order to make it that far.

I digress, but her beau was one of those wizards at it.

Charlene's level of education never went beyond high school or fixing her hair. She wasn't a dumb sort, just not cut out for higher learning. Her interests back then included fixing her hair, watching MTV and being pretty much clueless about the world outside of Warwick. There was no dogged attempt at being ignorant, it just sort of was natural. Her ticket to ride was to be her looks and she was slowly bagging the engineer to be that would insure her an easy life.

I once, because she was pretty which can stun us guys like a Tazer, asked her out once when she and her beau had a longish spat over God Knows What. She politely shot me the hell down and I found out later from another girl that “Charlene didn't figure anyone in the social services (me) was going to make 'that kind of money,' ever.” Charlene wasn't that stupid I guess. The last time I saw her was in 1997.

Twenty years later! Zooom!

I was walking out the door of Chello's and walking in was...wait...is it...it can't be....yes...Charlene?

I go back in and have to ask. She looks at me for a few seconds and then it all hit her. “My GOD...Ronnie! Your hair is all WHITE!” (Jesus...that again? Always the hair they point to!). We picked up where we left off and did the quickie resume thing. Where ya been, What ya doin', How are ya?

At 43 those genetics still were holding up in a way. Of course, the past twenty years of life had etched itself on her face. There's always that world-weariness you get when you get past 40. Hell, some of us get that at 30. The perkiness, kitten-ish-ness and all around girl next door looks were abraded.

I ask about Mike, the chem major guy she eventually married and she admits she's been divorced for the past three years. I then said, as a bit of a joke, “Irreconcilable differences?” and she shot back, “No, younger girlfriend.”

“How young?” I ask.

“She'll be turning 30 in a few months. They “met” because they worked on the same projects together, she was on loan from 3M and he and her...I guess, hit it off. When I found out about it, he was planning the whole divorce thing for months. We were quits not too long after.”

At my age, I shouldn't be startled by much but I am constantly at times because of what I think is going on in people's lives or if I haven't seen them in a while, what I thought their trajectory would be. Nope...the details are behind closed doors and you never really find out, til it happens.

We talk further and the subject goes onto finding another mate.

She goes on: “Dating is soo hard now...I haven't been out there in decades and it's like I'm invisible to a lot of guys.” I don't dare explain why. I've heard that from other women who did know why and I didn't want to deflate any bubble she had. Why be the bad guy?

Her order came up, as mine was turning cold and we walked out and away from each other, to our cars with a final, “Good to see you agains.” All I could think of was when she had the world by the balls, could pick anything she wanted and this is how it ended.

That's two in two weeks I've run into..who's next?