Here’s what you need to know about Amy.
Twenty eight years ago, when rumor went around that Woody Allen planned to show up for a screening of his new movie, Broadway Danny Rose, she asked me to go with her.
“Sure,” I said.
She turned to her boyfriend’s roommate. “How about you?”
He said, “Sure.”
And then she told us, “Oops. I forgot. I’m supposed to be somewhere tonight. Why don’t you go without me?”
Lying is not Amy’s strong suit. Neither of us believed her, but we knew she meant well. So, standing there awkwardly, I asked, “Uh. You want to go?”
He seemed equally awkward. “Sure,” he replied.
I know I’ve had more disastrous dates, but this one was memorable. It was a cold February night, the rumor was false, and we searched for the screening site, going from one university building to another, in vain. We finally decided on an arts flick, Born in Flames. Let’s just say that a feminist movie about the lives of prostitutes isn’t exactly conducive to romance. He did get points though for not making fun of it afterwards, and we warmed up over ice cream. Somehow our sense of humor meshed, and we agreed to see each other again. We have been together, ever since.
“I knew it’d work out,” Amy told me.
A lot of things have happened since then. Amy and I worked side by side, for years. We attended each other’s weddings. She came to the rescue when I needed help during one of my pregnancies. She stayed with us when her newborn needed to be kept safe from the flu coursing through her house. We’ve celebrated holidays and marked milestones.
So when No Castles Here was published, Amy told me, “I’m throwing you a party!” And what a party—friends, great food, good cheer. We had such a good time, that when Come Fall came out, she threw me another one. “We do this again for the next one, too,” she said. So, on Sunday, we celebrated Gil Marsh: we laughed and schmoozed, ate awesome food and had a grand time, the way good friends know how.
I hugged Amy more than once.
“You’ve got to publish another book,” she said. “These parties are so much fun!”
No arguing with that.
Thank you Amy, Steve, and all those who came. It was a blast!…
