THE YEAR OF LIVING DANGEROUSLY CHAPTER SIXTY: END OF THE LINE Written by Rick Archer

SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 1979, the disco years THE LONG RIDE HOME When Patricia said, "You cause more misery than any man I have ever met in my life...", I did a double-take.  Joanne had said virtually the same thing two weeks ago at Annabelle's.  More than likely, this accident was the last straw.  The end was near. My shoulders sagged as the terrible reality of the moment set in.  Nothing like a bubbling fountain of oozing blood to dampen the mood.  At this point Margaret and Hazel realized the only way to get Patricia to stop the bleeding was to get her to shut up.  So they suggested I leave and let them take care of the rest.  I went out and informed the manager we would not continue.  Then I went to the table where my friends sat and slumped in despair.  Everyone was worried, so I told them she had a badly split inner lip.  Although the injury was very painful, it was not serious.  I said her face was okay and no teeth were damaged.  However her lower lip had swollen to monstrous size.  I pulled out my lower lip to show where the bleeding was coming from.  Then I explained how the accident had happened.  Everyone was quiet.  Like me, they were in shock.  They knew it wasn't my fault.  Everyone agreed it was just bad luck.  Or maybe not.  At the moment my Supernatural Alert was firing on all cylinders.  This incident had Fate written all over it.  Ten minutes later, Patricia came out of the ladies room holding a wad of paper towels pressed to her lip.  Patricia did not say a word.  Instead she pointed to the door and kept walking.  I nodded goodbye to the group and followed her out.  I offered to drive her precious sports car, but Patricia shook her head.  Mumbling through the towels, Patricia whispered, "Go to hell.  You came close enough to killing me tonight as it is.  With my luck, you'll run another stop sign and finally succeed." It was not easy, but Patricia managed to drive with one hand on the wheel and one hand pressing the bloody paper towels to her lip.  About halfway home, the bleeding finally stopped.  Taking the towels away, Patricia pulled over to take a look.  Her bottom lip was swollen and puffy, but there was no need for stitches.  Her split lip was throbbing and she had a bad headache from being punched in the face.  Patricia was not in a talking mood, that's for sure.  Her Drop Dead look precluded any conversation.  The long drive back to Houston was morbid to say the least.  Given the funereal mood, I was reminded of Napoleon's bitter retreat from Russia amidst the winter freeze.  Patricia's continued silence gave me plenty of time to reflect.  I had an overwhelming sense of defeat.  So much for my ill-fated gamble to restore the warmth we once shared.  So was this the end?  I assumed it was.  However, Patricia and I had come back from the dead so many times, it was best never to say never.  But surely this had to be the end.  I knew it, Patricia knew it too.  The crazy thing was how close I had come to pulling off my gamble to save the relationship.  If we had 'won' the contest, that could have been a game changer.  I could not help but think of 'Two Mountains', my favorite Arabic proverb concerning Fate.  "What is meant for you will reach you even if it lies beneath two mountains." To me, this saying closely paralleled the events of my dance career.  Despite obstacles such as my minimal dance ability, my suspect social skills, and lack of business experience, my career continued to skyrocket. And yet at the same time, my love life felt cursed.  I winced at all the close calls that had gone awry over the past year...  Jenny, Karen, Marilyn,  Francesca, Nancy, Joanne.  And now Patricia.  Maybe the time had come to start paying better attention to the second part of the proverb. "And what is not meant for you will not reach you even if it lies between two lips." Considering what had transpired tonight, the 'Two Lips' reference struck way too close to home.  Success had been so certain I could taste it.  Perhaps for a moment there Patricia had felt renewed hope as well.  So close and yet so far.  It was very strange how Patricia's busted lip served as an omen that our relationship was not meant to be.  No matter how well we matched up, it definitely seemed a happy ending was not in the stars.  Always the superstitious one, I was reminded of the Ritz fiasco.  Two performances, two disasters.  The Ritz Debacle and the Spats Accident had been caused by mistakes completely out of my control.  What made the DJ turn out the lights at the Ritz?  Did an invisible hand cause that drunk woman to knock me off balance at Spats?  Both events carried a 'meant to be' vibration. I wondered what Patricia thought.  Always the skeptic, Patricia had never impressed me as being open-minded about the Supernatural.  Perhaps tonight's abundantly strange accident had changed her mind about Fate.  However, this was hardly the time to discuss it.  Patricia was not in a talking mood. Nor was she in a forgiving mood.  She was bristling with barely contained anger when we got out of her car.  With her lip swollen, it hurt to speak.  So she whispered instead. "Rick, I can't take any more of this.  We need to call it quits." Fine with me, so I nodded agreement.  "I understand.  How is your lip?" "It hurts.  Good night."  Patricia turned her back and climbed the stairs.  It was over in ten seconds.   I saw no reason to call Patricia when I got home.  I could tell she blamed me for everything, but I disagreed.  I did not feel guilty at all.  However, the weird aspects of the accident had drained all remaining fight out of me.  If ever I needed an Omen to guide me, this one was unmistakable.  To be honest, I tried as hard as I could to save this relationship, but came up short.  As far as I was concerned, this parting was God's Will.  MONDAY, JULY 2 THE PERFECT ENDING   Patricia's exit in the parking lot had a sense of finality to it.  She had changed her mind before, but I had a strong feeling the accident had been the final straw.  Did I feel regret?  No. Convinced that this accident was God's way of saying 'Move On', I was not sad.  With memories of Patricia's constant whining and bitching about Victoria fresh in my mind, I could really use a fresh start.  To be honest, I found it incredible that we had lasted as long as we did.  Given our vast history of fights and unresolved issues, who could have imagined Patricia would tie the record for my longest relationship at nine months.  The strangest part was how many times this relationship had been on life support.  By my count, we somehow survived ten critical moments that should have spelled the end.  Clash of the Titans, Thanksgiving, the argument over Private Lessons, the Christmas Pistachio Party, the Rock Star Rick argument, the George bombshell, the Catfight, the Scorched Earth escapade, the Affirmations incident, and Victoria's snub at Sugar Creek.  Yogi Berra, the famous New York Yankee baseball player, once said it ain't over till it's over.  Yogi must have been thinking about me and Patricia.  Given our long history of coming back from the dead, was it really over?   No.  Believe it or not, it was not over.  We had time for a fascinating last gasp. It was Monday morning, July 2.  Two days had passed since the bashed lip accident.  Was Patricia's Busted Lip an accident or a Supernatural event?  I was still giving it some thought when something very strange happened to crystallize my thinking.  I wanted to drive over to Patricia's apartment and pick up some clothes I had left there.  However, I preferred to avoid her.  My greatest fear was letting Patricia talk me into trying again.  No way!  Not with a Very Bad Omen suggesting otherwise.  With the July 4th Holiday at hand, I had no idea whether Patricia was at work on a Monday or not.  For that matter, maybe she had driven to her parents' house to sulk.  Just to be sure, I called ahead at 9:30 am to see if the coast was clear.  No answer.  Perfect.  I left immediately and arrived at 10 am.  Lo and behold, just as I got out of my car in the parking lot, I saw Patricia's upstairs apartment door swing open.  I did a double-take as Patricia and some guy walked out.  Interesting.  If Patricia was in her apartment, then why didn't she answer her phone?  Hmm.  Maybe she was preoccupied. They did not see me below, so I stepped out of sight to watch them climb down the exterior stairs.  Judging by the time of day and their giddy expressions, I concluded they were up to no good.  Poor Patricia.  With her hurt lip, I suppose she needed a man's arms last night to comfort her.  I could have stayed hidden and gone to her apartment after they left, but I did not feel like it.  Deciding a final showdown was in order, I stepped into sight as they neared the bottom of the steps.  Now I recognized the guy.  His name was Earl.  I did not need an introduction.  Patricia had met Earl at the Pistachio Club.  I had seen her flirting with Earl on several occasions.  Obviously her phone number had slipped into his pocket at some point.  Patricia was laughing and giggling as she descended the steps.  The same laughter as Bob.  I knew what that meant.  George, Bob, Earl... how many men did this woman have?  Just then Patricia looked up.  Spotting me watching her come down, Patricia went pale as a ghost.  Distracted, Patricia missed a step and had to grab the railing to avoid falling.  Earl caught Patricia from behind and steadied her.  Resuming her trip, Patricia stopped at the last step, presumably to make her taller.  She gave me a look that could kill, but said nothing.  I noticed her bottom lip was still swollen, so maybe it hurt to speak.  But it hadn't stopped her from laughing.  I gave her a wry smile and commented, "It didn't take you long, did it, Patricia?" Noticing I had her key in my hand, in slurred words due to her lip, she responded, "It's none of your damn business.  Don't forget to leave my key under the door." With a contemptuous huff, Patricia grabbed Earl's hand and dragged him swiftly to her car.  If she thought that gesture would make me jealous, guess again.  I was glad.  Running into Earl was the Perfect Ending.  The word 'Cauterize' came to mind, the burning away of diseased tissue to stop the bleeding.  In this case, catching Patricia in the act with Earl burned away any remaining trace of regret.  On the way home, I thought of Fate.  By coincidence, first I ran into Bob at her apartment, now Earl as well.  It seemed like every time I went over to Patricia's apartment unannounced, I ran into another secret paramour.  Perhaps Patricia had a busy revolving door of lovers and I just happened to run into a few.  Another possibility was the Cosmic Social Director had arranged these coincidental meetings to help me learn the real truth about the Manhunter.  Thanks to Earl, Patricia's Legacy had been sealed. Most coincidences are so mundane we do not give them an extra thought, but if you pay attention, things like coincidental meetings start to add up.  Did the Cosmic Social Director send a suggestion to pick up my clothes at Patricia's apartment at a specific time on Monday so I would run into Earl?  I could just as easily have gone by on Sunday, so why did I wait an extra day?  And what about the context?  George, Bob, Earl.  Patricia was a cheater.  There was absolutely no doubt in my mind.  For that reason, I wasted no time adding Earl to my List of Supernatural Events.  In addition, I placed Patricia in my Hall of Shame next to Vanessa. However, there was one major difference between the Twin Titans of Treachery.  It took me four years to get over Vanessa.  Thanks to George, Bob and Earl, it took me four minutes to get over Patricia.  It was ridiculous how many times our relationship had been resurrected from the Dead, but this time the stake was permanently drilled through the Vampire's heart.  I would never see nor hear from Patricia again.  Nor would I miss her.  Good riddance. RICK ARCHER'S LIST OF SUSPECTED SUPERNATURAL EVENTS     THE YEAR OF LIVING DANGEROUSLY    076 Suspicious Coincidence Synchronicity  1979   A surprise last-minute decision to visit Patricia's apartment catches Patricia red-handed with Earl.  Patricia's latest indiscretion was the final insult in Rick's ill-fated relationship with the Princess.    075 Serious Telekinesis Dance Curse 2  1979   When a drunk woman shoves Rick in the back during a dance contest at Spats, his elbow gashes the inside of Patricia's lower lip, thereby ruining the performance    074 Suspicious Coincidence  1979   Patricia discovers Victoria's Affirmation while searching for a pencil at Rick's house and goes ballistic.  The result is Rick's firm decision to fight Victoria's temptation with every last ounce of will power.     073 Suspicious Coincidence  1979   A last-minute decision to visit Patricia's apartment catches Patricia red-handed with Bob.  Patricia turns around and goes Scorched Earth by telling Michael that Victoria is cheating on him.    072 Suspicious Synchronicity  1979   The Year of Living Dangerously:  Joanne's Christmas Party performance, Patricia's Bombshell, the Dangerous Liaison, Victoria's Tirade and the subsequent Pandora's Box lead to an entire year of serious trouble.   MAGIC CARPET RIDE:  THE DISCO YEARS    071 Suspicious Coincidence  1978   Joanne appears out of nowhere to steal the show at Victoria's Christmas Party    070 Serious Synchronicity  1978   The Interaction of Victoria, Patricia, and Joanne forms the Temptation Triangle    069 Suspicious Synchronicity  1978   Summer of 78: Jenny, Marilyn, Karen, Francesca and Nancy prepare Rick for the Temptation Triangle    068 Suspicious Coincidence  1978   The peculiar presence of the Murray Bowen article in Francesca's car created the bizarre Golf Clothing debacle at the Medical Center private dining room    067 Serious Lucky Break Cosmic Blindness  1978   Lance Stevens' thoughtless decision to allow Rick to rent rooms for group lessons gives him the chance to start a competing dance program under the same roof    066 Serious Lucky Break Coincidence  1978   Deborah Gordon of Class Factory hands Rick the break of a lifetime with a promise to send him students that will belong to him, not to Lance Stevens    065 Suspicious Cosmic Blindness Dance Curse 1  1978   The Ritz Debacle is caused when the Ritz DJ loses his mind and turns out the lights during Rick's performance    064 Serious Coincidence Cosmic Blindness  1978   Eric loses his job after mysteriously challenging Lance Stevens.  Rick is so shaken he begins to wonder if he has been spared for a reason.    063 Serious Coincidence Synchronicity  1978   Partner Dance Crisis: Gary, Sue Ann, Stevens, Janie, and Suzy act as surprise Messengers to help Rick create the 'New Yorker' partner dance system despite long odds against success.    062 Serious Coincidence Pay it Forward  1978   It was very fortunate that Rick was in a position to help Maria Ballantyne's husband Jay save his tropical plants from a menacing freeze.  In so doing, Rick received an invaluable lesson in the power of Pay it Forward    061 Serious Coincidence Second Meeting  1978   Maria Ballantyne appears out of nowhere to surprise Rick at his dance studio. After inviting him to lunch, that afternoon she proceeds to tell Rick her life story.    060 Serious Lucky Break Coincidence Synchronicity  1978   The Crossroad Synchronicity creates the One in a Million Dance Teacher.  Stepping Stone Four places Rick in the Right Place at the Right Time when Saturday Night Fever hits town.  From there, the Spotlight Effect and Surprise Effect place Rick at the top of the mountain and Turtle Power keeps him there.    059 Suspicious Synchronicity Coincidence  1977   The Robert Stigwood Synchronicity:  Following the amazing script coincidence, Robert Stigwood, John Travolta, Nik Cohn, the Bee Gees and Norman Wexler simultaneously experienced their Brightest Day    058 Serious Lucky Break Coincidence  1977   Out of the blue, Lance Stevens offers Rick a Disco Line Dance class job.  Right place at the Right Time thanks to Dorothy Piazzos.  This job would prove to be Rick's Big Break,  Stepping Stone Three    057 Suspicious Lucky Break  1977   Rosalyn's Gift of line dance class at Memorial JCC becomes  Stepping Stone Two    056 Suspicious Coincidence  1977   The painful lessons learned at Melody Lane two years earlier help Rick turn into a Pied Piper at Rubaiyat    055 Serious Lucky Break Coincidence  1977   One week after a bizarre bomb threat interrupts Rick's first-ever opportunity to teach a line dance class, Rosalyn offers Rick a job teaching for the summer at the JCC.  This becomes  Stepping Stone One    054 Suspicious Coincidence Precognition  1977   Rick is so excited from teaching his first-ever class, he spends two hours creating a syllabus for a class that does not exist only to discover one week later his prayers have been answered.    053 Suspicious Coincidence  1977   A bizarre bomb threat at the JCC interrupts Rick's first-ever opportunity to teach a line dance class. Assuming the night is ruined, Rick's students ask him to continue teaching in the parking lot. Rick Archer's Note:   As I have pointed out, my main purpose to write this book has been to explain what led me to believe I was following a predestined Path.  Many people say they believe in Fate, but do they ever ask themselves how Fate is delivered?  According to my List of Suspected Supernatural Events, the Busted Lip incident was #75 and the Earl incident was #76.  I believe the Busted Lip was created by an invisible power known as Telekinesis.  If God has the power to create the Universe, one would assume He has the power to shove a woman at the perfect moment necessary to cause an accident on the dance floor.  I cannot begin to describe the exquisite timing involved for my elbow to be rising at the exact moment the lady shoved me in the back.  Of course it is 'possible' that it was an accident, but the odds were unbelievably slim.  There was no way on earth we could lose the Spats contest.  But we did.  Just like the Ritz failure a year earlier, something truly weird had taken place to prevent my success.  They say we have free will, but I am not so sure about that.  I operate under the idea that I have free will most of the time, but the Busted Lip Event definitely had a 'meant to be' aura about it.  In addition to manipulating physical objects in the Material World, I believe the Hidden Hand of God acts as a booking agent.  Can you think of a better explanation why I kept running into Patricia's lovers each time I visited her apartment unannounced?  I think God or an agent of God placed a telepathic suggestion in my mind that 10 am Monday was the perfect time to swing by Patricia's apartment.  Many people believe in the power of prayer.  We believe God can hear our voices and read our minds.  If we can talk to God, it makes sense that God can talk to us.  For example, there are phrases in the Old Testament such as "God spoke to Moses" and "The word of the Lord came to Jonah".  The idea that God speaks to us through telepathic suggestion exists in most religions.  The Quaker Religion is based on the principle that God will speak to us if we can quiet our mind.  The Eastern concept of Yoga and Meditation makes a similar claim.  Personally I believe God can speak to us anytime He wishes.  If it is God's Will that I was to meet with Patricia one last time, I am certain He would have no trouble placing an innocuous suggestion in my mind.  Of course none of this talk about Fate matters if God does not exist.  That is the ultimate question.  Try as I might, I still tremble at the enigma of "Who created God?"  However, I gave up trying to answer that one long ago.  For now I will stick to Fate.  I created my 'Supernatural List' as a way to prove the existence of Fate. I believe if Fate exists, then God exists. Unfortunately, there is room for doubt on every event on my List, especially when examined as an isolated incident.  Does Patricia's Busted Lip prove the existence of Fate?  Of course not.  Does Earl's presence in Patricia's apartment prove the existence of Fate?  Of course not.  On the other hand, they add up.  It's the old 'can't see the forest for the tree' saying.  If you stand too close, all you see is one tree.  But if you step back far enough, now the individual trees form a forest.  In other words, anyone can shed doubt on an isolated event.  But when 76 incidents are seen as a whole, a very persuasive cumulative effect takes place.

 

THE YEAR OF LIVING DANGEROUSLY Chapter SIXTY ONE:  THE MAIN EVENT

 

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