When I read that Barney was coming to Detroit to do a seminar I tucked away the problems with Charles. Through the years I became very adept at compartmentalizing problems that I just could not deal with at the time. There was enough for me to worry about without my throwing what to do about Charles into the mix.
The three weeks between when I found out he was going to be in town days seemed to drag by so slowly that that I thought his arrival would never happen. It wasn't that I didn't have anything to do or that I had time to worry about seeing Barney again after more than three years. My friend, Claire, had talked me into making custom after-five dresses for her wealthy friends. One with thousands of hand sewed sequins had to be finished. There was a baby girl due to be born and her room with miles of ruffles certainly could not be late and it was time to make sample costumes for two Ice Show costumes I had no idea of how to make. Actully busy was good.
If I was going to surprise Barney by just showing up at the seminar I needed to get enrolled. This one was to be at the Renaissance Center in downtown Detroit. This a group of seven connected skyscrapers built in 1977 on the Detroit River and very upscale. He had definetly moved up in the world with his speaking engements from the small hotels and conference centers he used to be booked into. Lucky for me he had given me a free pass years ago so I sent it in using the very silly fake name of Kelly Green. My confirmation and registration forms arrived the day before the event.
I have to admit that I am the world's worst shopper. If the economy depended on me to keep it afloat it was certainly out of luck. I had no idea of what to wear, certainly did not have time to go look for something or make something for myself. A typical Interior Designer I was not. Most of them dressed to the hit, drove around in expensive cars, wore a lot of jewerly and proposed very expensive decorating to their clients. I showed up at a new customer's house in my Bronco II usually in jeans and looked like I was ready to work. Maybe the way I dressed was the reason I had so much business as they realized they would have to pay a "gold-bangled decorator" more money.
When in doubt about what to wear you should always wear something you love and something you feel great in. My closet did not have too many things that were sort of dress up to chose from. As silly as it sounds I picked out my favorite outfit which was a Liz Clairborne red print western skirt and blouse and a pair of boots. I must admit I got lots of interesting looks when I walked into the RenCen but I felt like a million bucks.
I turned in my registration papers with some information about myself and why I had chosen to come. The only things on the papers that were not totally true was my name and and why I was interested in investment stratagies. If Barney looked over the registration papers before he started the siminar and saw my real name it would ruin my surprise. I also chose the least conspicuous chair in the room not that all that worked out so well.
Wow! When he walked out to the podium after a very glowing introduction it felt like the first time he walked up to the table when we were in college. He was still as handsome as ever with that beautiful smile and the voice I heard in my head often. The only thing different was a slight graying in his hair that only made him look more dashing.
To my total dismay the very first thing he did was to call to on everyone one at a time to introduce themselves to the group of about fifty people and state why they had come. I tried to listen to everyone he called on to see what they had to say so I could come up with some reasonable excuse to be there other than to just see him. Somehow when he called out "Kelly Green" I almost did not stand up because I did not remember I had used a fake name. Finally after he called my name a second time I stood up, said I was Kelly Green and wanted to learn what investment stragies were since I had no idea. Everyone laughed and he literally could not stop laughing or smiling. I breathed a sigh of relief as it was obvious he recognized me.
After I sat down he managed to carry on in a very professional manner but there were probably more smiles than he usually flashed during many of these presentations. He would also stop and ask Kelly if she understood things he was telling us. I always replied in a positive manner with a smile. Finally there was a break for refreshments.
I wandered out into the hallway and got a cup of coffee. One woman came up and asked where I had gotten my darling outfit and not wanting admit I had ordered it from Speigel's catalog I told her it came from Saks. Always wondered if she went looking for it. Barney was conversing with several of the other people but kept inching his way closer. I managed to put some distance between myself and the other people and when Barney walked up I just said SURPRISE! He told me that was an understatement and that he was having a hard time getting through all his speeches. He also said he had planned on trying to find me the next day and not to jump up and leave when the seminar was over. I told him I had gone to all the trouble to get there and would stay although I did not think I was learning anything.
When it was over I hung around looking at brochueres and chatting with some of the people. One man who appeared to be making a pass told me what a pretty name I had. I think I got rid of him by being not very friendly and that I was just lucky my parents did not name me Chartreuse. Barney walked up just as that gentleman made a quick exit. He wanted to know why I used a fake name and I just told him it was all part of the surprise. He also wondered why I had not called since I had all his information from the ad in the paper. Now what fun would that have been to which he answered that it was difficult to keep lecturing and figuring out that it had been three years, four months and six days since we were together in Philadlephia.
By the time everyone had cleared out it was really getting late. I had to decline a trip down stairs to the bar and a trip upstairs to his room. There was probably a limit as to how late I could come home from an Interior Design seminar. I did wholeheartly agree to a late breakfast the next morning and spending the day with him since his plane did not leave until 4:00 that afternoon. With a kiss and him saying it was more than he could really hope for in my showing up I drove home wishing I could have stayed.
But there was tomorrow.
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