The Russian Hookup! - We didn't use that term in 1983, but we wanted to! I had been through a divorce about five years prior and survived some unsuccessful relationships and was resigning myself to a life of blessed singleness. But my friend, Elaine, the hostess at Rick's by the canal where I worked wanted to hook me up with her friend, Mary, from church choir. I was not interested and neither was she, but Elaine forged ahead assuring me that Mary would not realize that we were meeting. Of course, at the last minute she changed her mind about that making me even more nervous. So they came in together for dinner and I waited on them. My high point of finesse came when I spilled the salad on Mary's lap! Being the kind person that she is, she attempted to assuage my feelings, but I implored her not to say anything more...It was Russian dressing. I am still embarrassed.
Well, as it happened, I had attended a teacher's workshop during the day. One of the highlights was being instructed in Russian the way young children would be. The exercise was conducted in such a skillful, basic way that we could actually understand and began to build confidence in our new-found linguistic abilities. But then came the written test, a printout with drawings of wagons and scooters and toys and such, and questions all in Russian! Naturally, we could understand nothing in spite of the apparent simplicity, and our confidence melted into frustration. Of course, that was the point of the exercise, to let us feel what children actually feel under such circumstances.
With a new language under my belt, I told Mary, in Russian of course, all about Boris and Maria going to the park in Moscow...the large park in Moscow. I know this made a big impression because she kept coming back to see me! Over the next few weeks, Mary would just happen to meet a girlfriend there for a drink, and we would gradually get to chat and know each other better. Of course, I was stubborn and didn't ask her out for a long while. When I did, we would go somewhere else after work and have wings and drinks. When I recently had pancreatic surgery, the surgeon also removed about 1500 chicken wings. Naturally, all this improved our physique. One night, when Bill, the chef went home and his wife asked him what happened at work that day he replied, "Richard fell in love--I saw him fall!"
Meanwhile, I discovered a pair of small hand bells and gave one to her while I kept the other one. Not all parts of the restaurant were mutually visible so the hand bells were handy for communication when we couldn't see each other--kind of a mating call. Eventually, my boss, Roy, about as romantic as a marsh toad, found the bells and hid them. A year later, Mary and I were married; Roy was divorced.
~Richard Taglieri
Well, as it happened, I had attended a teacher's workshop during the day. One of the highlights was being instructed in Russian the way young children would be. The exercise was conducted in such a skillful, basic way that we could actually understand and began to build confidence in our new-found linguistic abilities. But then came the written test, a printout with drawings of wagons and scooters and toys and such, and questions all in Russian! Naturally, we could understand nothing in spite of the apparent simplicity, and our confidence melted into frustration. Of course, that was the point of the exercise, to let us feel what children actually feel under such circumstances.
With a new language under my belt, I told Mary, in Russian of course, all about Boris and Maria going to the park in Moscow...the large park in Moscow. I know this made a big impression because she kept coming back to see me! Over the next few weeks, Mary would just happen to meet a girlfriend there for a drink, and we would gradually get to chat and know each other better. Of course, I was stubborn and didn't ask her out for a long while. When I did, we would go somewhere else after work and have wings and drinks. When I recently had pancreatic surgery, the surgeon also removed about 1500 chicken wings. Naturally, all this improved our physique. One night, when Bill, the chef went home and his wife asked him what happened at work that day he replied, "Richard fell in love--I saw him fall!"
Meanwhile, I discovered a pair of small hand bells and gave one to her while I kept the other one. Not all parts of the restaurant were mutually visible so the hand bells were handy for communication when we couldn't see each other--kind of a mating call. Eventually, my boss, Roy, about as romantic as a marsh toad, found the bells and hid them. A year later, Mary and I were married; Roy was divorced.
~Richard Taglieri