Wonder Years

Do you remember that show? It was one of my favorite shows growing up. First, the theme song "with a little help from my friends." I associate that song much more with the show than with anything else the Bea.tles have done. And then there was Fred Sav.age. The star of the show and so cute! And so close to my age that I used to think it was actually possible that we could meet and fall in love, unlike other childhood crushes where my fantasies would always involve some way to explain why it was OK to marry Jo.rdan Kn.ight even though he was so much older.

As it turns out, I did end up having my chance with Fred. We went to the same college. I was involved in theatre in high school and college. I did some acting, but mostly worked backstage. In college I ended up doing costumes for a series of one-act plays that were written and directed by other students. Guess who directed one of them? Many years had passed since the Wond.er Years. But when I first heard that Freddie would be directing the play, I squealed like a schoolgirl.

I should have known that reality never really turns out like our dreams. He may have been a heart-throb, but he did not have much of a heart. He did, however, like to drink. After opening night we had a party where the alcohol was flowing freely. Still, most people did not get as drunk as he did. Near the end of the party, Fred had an idea. First he found a bunch of popsicles in a freezer and starting throwing them at people. Then once he had our attention, he explained his idea. All the women who wanted se.x would stand on one side of the room and all the men who wanted it would stand on the other side. Then we just pair up. Apparently he was the only one who thought this was a good idea and the only one who moved. One of the heads of the theatre company ended up driving him home shortly after that.

So that was my chance with my childhood crush.