When I was in the 3rd grade, I mostly rode the bus, but sometimes my mother (or another mother in the neighborhood) would drive us to school. One of these other mothers always played the tape Greatest Hits by Air Supply in her car. During those rides to school I didn’t just listen to this music - I became affected by it. I felt listening to these songs increased my capacity for love and heartbreak beyond that of any other 3rd grader. I knew that I could become “Lost in Love”, that I had the ability to “Make Love out of Nothing At All” even if I was “All out of Love”. I understood that “Even the Nights are Better” more than any 8 ½ year old on the planet could ever hope to know. However, these qualities were well masked by a love of Star Wars, Tigers baseball, G.I. Joe, LEGOs, Punky Brewster and the A-Team.

When I didn’t get a ride to school, I usually sat near a particular girl. Not always sharing the same seat with her, but at least sitting in a seat adjacent to hers. We would chat quite a bit, but I can’t remember what we discussed. Most likely it was combination of homework, teachers and the topics mentioned previously. This was the closest I came to having a girlfriend until I was 18 or 19.

There was a new girl in my 3rd grade class. Immediately she was the prettiest girl in the class. I remember a classmate on the bus telling me that she would someday be his girlfriend. Years later he ended up marrying her younger sister. His mother drove the Air Supply car.

I'm not sure if that's fate or irony.