David Duchovny, Black Moor Fish and Larry

Perhaps bursting into a river of tears was not the best reaction to a phone call. It wasn't like Granny had died, or someone found my dog in the middle of I-240 during rush hour traffic. Memphis, TN has the worst traffic. It wasn't even like I could never talk to my best friend again. But, my reaction was the same gut-wrenching emptiness I know I would have felt if it had been.

I had been sitting on our 1970s style fabric covered couch, got to love garage sale furniture, and completely engrossed in the newest episode of the X-Files. I mean face it, David Duchovny is hot. My eighteen year old brain-washed chemical high was in full swing when he called my dad.

I remember the phone ringing. It seemed such a small noise at the time. In memory, it rang much more like a fog horn, warning that there was something amiss on the line. Dad answered the phone, with his typical, "Hello, can I help you?" Again, engrossed in Duchovny I only paid slight attention to the call, until I heard, "you should ask her yourself."

I looked away from the television and stared at the receiver Dad was thrusting my way. "Who is it?" I asked. Dad smiled, I could see the answer in his eyes. "It's Larry, and he wants to talk to you."

I gulped, reaching for the phone. Beads of perspiration formed above my lips and my hair immediately soured as I began to sweat uncontrollably. Why was this guy calling me, he knew I didn't like him.

I reluctantly placed the receiver to my ear and muttered, "Hello, hel...lo..." I shot my dad a quizzical look. "Dad, there's no body on the phone. He hung up! What did he want anyway?"

Dad laughed. "Well, he wanted to ask you out on a date, and wanted my permission. I told him he should ask you himself and handed you the phone."

My blue eyes grew wide. "He what?" Of course, my horror could not have been lived during a private moment between me and my dad. My mother and brother witnessed it all. And, like all obnoxious little brothers, mine decided it was the perfect time to start antagonizing me over the call. My parents soon joined in.

I am sure I deserved every bit of smack I got. I had made it clear only a couple of weeks earlier to my entire family back in Central Texas that I did not like a guy named Larry. I had even named my granny's newest Black Moor fish Larry. I had remarked that his big-bugged eyes reminded me of that Larry guy, who I just couldn't stand. I think I even told a lady in the grocery store something about that Larry guy.

Perhaps, it was my total disregard for Larry as a person, or the fact that I realized that I was a self-centered snob, who had pre-judged a young man I didn't even know that made the tears fall out of my eyes. Maybe it was the fact that he hung up on me, and didn't ask me for a date that made me cry myself to sleep. Regardless of the reason, Larry was responsible for the fact that I woke up with a headache and a sick stomach the following morning. He is also to blame for the best years of my life. We were married three short months after that phone call and have been happily married ever since.