Memory Lane

This is the Student Union at Michigan State University. I got a job there my junior year in college in the infamous "grill".  The grill had a back room with round wood-top tables where folks had carved their initials and classes back to who knows when.  It was estimated that over 1000 marriage proposals went on in that room and probably there was an episode or two of "wedding nights" but we won't go there now.  Anyway, it was a great place. A student place.

I was working when the Beatles Sgt. Pepper, Hey Jude, and a zillion others and these were all that played on the sound system.  There was a woman who came in on Saturday night named Lynn as she showed up perhaps 9p and stayed until we doused the tables with pure ammonia to drive everyone out at 2am.  She didn't talk much to anyone and for a year. I couldn't remember her sitting with anyone or another living soul and she always took the same booth and would actually, when that booth was taken, hang out at the "bussers" table until we actually did some work and cleared the tables.  Lynn was slightly goth by today's appearances, long black hair, dark clothing, very bundled up and somewhat aloof.

On the third floor of the Union was the "piano room".  I dated a girl who had a student job there for a month or so but she was a Delta and I was in the music frat sooooo talk about when worlds collide...I tried to impress upon here that I was also from a social fraternity (Phi Sig) but she wasn't gonna buy in...sigh. Anyway I used to hang out there as it had a 12 foot Steinway that was worth (then $20k, now $500k) a ton and was the most magnificent instrument I could get my grubby hands on.  I later learned from JoAnna (the piano room gal) and my would and also never to be girlfriend, that down the hall there was a "short wave" room where international radio was played and there were listening stations (as in "hey butthead...go there...you aren't ever going to get anywhere here)...so I went.

On a Saturday night when the campus closed because well we had, oh, I don't know, 75 inches of snow or something...it was incredible!!!!!!!...we closed the Grill early and I went up there and there was Lynn from the grill and we talked and she was listening to Radio Hanoi and getting the English broadcast about WAR activities.  I thought how strange and how bizarre.  Here was a woman with a S.O. overseas and she was missing him and  listened to N. Viet Nam Radio to hear and create just a glimpse of where he was and what was going on.