Lauren & Troy, Part 1
Posted by erin at May 14, 2003 12:04 PMTomorrow I am flying home to be a bridesmaid in the wedding of two of my high school friends, Lauren and Troy. The coincident of their coupling is mired in a sea of probability, hinging on an unlikely chain of events. That said, they've been together for almost five years, so it's no real surprise that they're getting married.
To begin at the very beginning, Troy was a senior in high school when I was a freshmen. My best friend, Jen ended up running cross country because Troy was on the team and she had a crush on him. I joined cross country because of Jen, and running became a huge part of my life after that. Jen dated Troy for the next two years (1993-1995).
Troy went to college at the University of Houston because of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. This is because he missed a question about the movie in the final round of Quizbusters (a local show on PBS). The grand prize was a full scholarship to Michigan State University, but Troy buzzed in too soon and blurted out "Butch Cassidy" when the answer was the "Sundance Kid," and got the Houston scholarship instead.
I got Lauren to join cross country when I was a senior in high school and she was a sophomore (1996). Lauren was too young to drive, and I had a car, so I gave her rides home from practice. By my senior year Jen was dating some other guy, and my friend Rebecca was dating this other guy's friend, and they were never around. Lauren was always around, since she had no car, so I could always count on her to hang out, and we became good friends.
I graduated from high school (97) and Troy graduated from college (98). In the summer of 1998, I went on a road trip to visit a friend in Marquette (does Whir still read this? He knows where that is...). I took Lauren with me (and M___, in case she reads this). Before I left I got a random call from Troy, who was in Texas at the time. He was coming back to Michigan for a couple of weeks and needed a ride home from the airport. His parents couldn't make it.
This pretty much floored me, since I hadn't heard from Troy in four years. Nevertheless, I agreed to pick him up, scheduling the end of the road trip around his flight. That's how Troy met Lauren, initially.
More coincidences took place thereafter: I dropped Troy off from the airport, not thinking I'd see him again. But low and behold, Troy called that night. He was getting together with his old friends from high school, and invited me to come and hang out with them. He gave me really crappy directions to Josh's apartment.
I drove downtown with R____ and couldn't find the place. We parked the car and walked around for a while, almost giving up several times. The directions were just that bad. I didn't have Josh's phone number, so finally I called my parents. Fortunately, the phone number was still on the caller ID.
We finally made it to Josh's party, and the events of that night had lasting repercussions: I dated Josh for about a week, then Lauren dated him for three weeks. Jen dated Josh's roommate Mike for about six months. Then I dated Troy for about 3 months. Jen wasn't two happy with me, even though her relationship with him had ended almost four years ago. It didn't work out with Troy and I, and after we broke up, karma kicked my ass and he started dating Lauren.
Anyway, you can see the roll coincidence has played here... if Troy didn't need a ride for the airport, or if I'd have given up on finding Josh's party, well, I wouldn't be going to a wedding this weekend.
Comments Individual Archive Index
May 14, 2003 01:28 PM, Maggie said:
That's a pretty good story.
Anyway, you and Adan should team up and write something toegether - it'd be one of the most hilarious things I've ever read. Whee!
May 18, 2003 01:24 PM, thecomicman said:
she keeps saying no. perhaps if we work together, Magda, we'll wear her down.
May 18, 2003 03:46 PM, Maggie said:
I think when she's done with her screenplay, she'll be easier to convince.
May 19, 2003 01:05 AM, Erin said:
Whoa, whoa, whoa!
There's no WAY I'd collaborate with Adan writing anything! He can't take criticism, he likes genres I don't like (action, mystery, super-hereos, spies, suspense, etc.) and he hasn't even gotten together for writer's club lately!!!
I can just imagine what writing with Adan would be like:
Me: How about we try-
Adan: NO! NO WAY! I like to disagree with people!
Me: I haven't even said-
Adan: Whatever it is, you're wrong, you ass! I like to swear, so fuck off!
Me: OK, I'm outta here!
May 19, 2003 01:05 AM, Dante said:
I'm the biggest idiot ever!
May 19, 2003 10:22 AM, Halifax said:
Speaking of writers' club, I have another hundred pages and it's only going to grow if we don't meet soon.
May 19, 2003 01:38 PM, thecomicman said:
most of that is true, but i can, have, will, and can't imagine not being able to take criticism. maybe not from you because you're wrong all the damn time, but don't make a generalization like that about me or my writing. criticism is essential to good writing and i know that. exactly when did i give you the idea that i don't take criticism? was it when i listened to you, ET, and Halifax on my novel and implemented certain changes that you guys had suggested and requested? or how about on all those short stories my writing classes and instructors have remarked on? yes, i don't listen to everything, but what writer does? i am writing my own novel, am i not? i'll take what i think is good and leave what i think is bad.
the rest of that crap may have been said in jest or not, i couldn't give one good goddamn, but do not accuse of not being able to do something that every good writer has to do, understand?
May 19, 2003 01:40 PM, thecomicman said:
...was that me not being able to take criticism? i, of course, meant criticism on my writing, not on the rest of my life, which is what i think Erin meant as well.
May 19, 2003 02:13 PM, Erin said:
Look, how was I supposed to know you implemented any of the changes we suggested? I think you turned in a revised draft... once... a long time ago, but the last time we met was so long ago, it's really hard to remember!
I know that writers take some suggestions and throw out others, but when someone suggests something that you're not going to use, it's not a good idea to then argue with the group for an hour and a half about why their suggestions are so bad and why you're not going to use them. When people tell you things that you don't intend to use, just say "Thank you," and move on.
Yes, some things require explanation. If someone in the group asks you a question, then you'll have to explain why you made one stylistic choice versus another - but there's no need to dwell on it and argue back and forth. That's how generalizations get started.
I like your writing and I hope our writer's group continues to meet in the near future (looking at ET here) - but I would not really care to collaborate with you on any projects. The real issue is not if you can take criticism, but it's more like our tastes and styles are too different. Trust me on this one.
May 19, 2003 02:47 PM, thecomicman said:
that's fair. however, i don't remember arguing for an hour and a half about anything for writer's group, but it was a long time ago. i think i need Hal and ET to back you up because i'm coming up completely blank on saying any of the suggestions given to me were "bad." i definitely don't remember wasting an hour and a half of my time detailing why i wouldn't use suggestions, bad or not.
and i was kidding about the collaboration thing.
mostly, anyway.
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