Wally and I settled into our cute little house in Birminham. When Bowser arrived life was pretty perfect. We still drove to Farmington to skate a couple times a week during which time I would get a hello from Wes although he was still not speaking to me.
When Bowser arrived everyone said to cage train him so he could sleep in it at night and stay in it when we were gone during the day. The first night we put him in the cage in wally's attic domain but the next morning he was happily curled up in bed with Wally. Wally said he cried so he took him out of the cage. He also cried when we left him in it during the day. Guess we were to soft hearted and during the day Bowser had to stay in the bathroom as that was the only place with no carpet. Naturally at night he slept with Wally.
The roller skating rink was more than just going to skate to the music of the 80's but it also was a large group of "regulars" who all got to be friends. Everyone knew each other by name and also pretty well knew what was going on in everyone's lives. Gossip was plentiful when two people started skating together too much and at times it could have been a soap opera like "As The Wheels Turn".
Charles, the gentleman who had asked me to go on a date with him when I first got the divorce, was one of the "regulars". He was rather interesting and we had become friends even though I declined his advances. He was seventeen years older than I, Jewish, divorced for many years, a hairdresser by profession but owned a toupee shop, of all things and a pretty good skater. He always was very well dressed, had an interesting life story but his choice of cars was a little bit much as he drove a black Trans Am with one of the gold eagles on the hood.
Charles and I had known each other about a year and a half when Wally and I got Bowser. He had never had a dog and wanted to come to see the silly little ball of fluff. I did not see any harm in that so one Saturday afternoon he came by to see Bowser and it was an instant love affair between him and our dog. He took Wally and I out to dinner and that was the beginning of Charles becoming a regular fixture around our house. Bowser could not wait for him to show up after Charles started buying a pound of sliced Gruyere cheese that only Bowser was allowed to eat.
It was about this same time that eleven year old Wally announced that he wanted to play either the saxophone or the cello. Because he had hands that were a little larger than some of the other kids the band director had suggested one or the other. The saxophone sounded like the better of the two. I told him that I would rent one for three months and if he did not practice it would go back. At first I was rather proud of myself for giving him a stern warning about practicing but soon discovered he was practicing because he wanted to. We bought the saxophone.
One day Charles said that the ice arena in Southfield was giving beginner ice skating lessons and he thought it might be fun. I had only ice skated a couple of times, once when my roller skating teacher took me to Tulsa when I was about fourteen. That was an interesting experience as I could only skate backwards on ice. Years later in New Jersey I bought a pair of ice skates at a garage sale for $5.00. Tried them on a pond once and came home very bruised and defeated. Maybe the third time would be the charm.
I can remember Wally, Charles and I being the only ones in the class. Jean, the teacher, was quite patient with us although it is easier for roller skaters to switch to ice than it is for ice skaters to switch to roller. Perhaps it has something to do with four wheels instead of a little tiny blade. I was proud of myself as I could stop and start in the first class. Wally did well - Charles was going to need more practice.
All of us were making progress in the class when one night we noticed a lot of skaters at the other end of the arena skating around under the direction of some guy. When I asked Jean what they were doing she said they were just starting rehearsal for the annual ice show. SHOW. Did she really say SHOW like Ice Capades or something? Her answer was yes and then the magical question... Did I want to be in it?
My motto was, still is, never turn down an opportunity especially if someone is offering you the chance to be like Dorothy Hamil! So she signed me up and Charles, not to be left out, signed up also. We were to be in the final number where they put people who could not skate all that well. I was wild with anticipation waiting for the first rehearsal. I could see myself in my dreams gliding across the ice like a national champion doing jumps and spins. Even made an appointment to get the Hamil haircut.
Little did I know what I had just gotten myself into.
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