First, Leslie Parrish passed away. Then Shelley Fabares. Dolly Parton makes three, and now Tim Curry is gone.
I have probably attended ten midnight showings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. But my favorite Tim Curry movie is Clue. I saw it three times with a co-worker who I dated secretly, to the extent it’s possible to do that.
Pam was a software developer. [tastewar – the same group you started in] At work, Pam was quiet, serious and always strictly business. I surprised myself by asking Pam on a date, and I was even more surprised that she agreed. Another surprise was that, away from the office, Pam was funny, buoyant and spontaneous.
We usually ate at the Wurthaus restaurant. We were unlikely to encounter any other co-workers there, and it was near Pam’s small apartment in Harvard Square.
I saw Brazil with Pam, a movie that we both enjoyed very much. Then she wanted to see Clue, insisting that we catch three showings in a row, to see the different endings. I really enjoyed doing that, because the second and third time around, for most of the movie I was able to concentrate on being with Pam.
The limit Pam put on our relationship is best summarized with an expression she had regarding office romances — “Don’t dip your pen in the company inkwell.”
Pam and I discussed a significant organizational matter that was going on within the company. A certain woman, who didn’t like Pam and the feeling was mutual, was being promoted very quickly up the managerial ranks. I revealed to Pam that I knew for a fact the woman had invited a company “pen” to dip into her “inkwell.”
Forty years later, the particulars of that affair, and how I knew about it, are still too risky to outline further. What matters is that Pam felt (correctly, as it turned out) the fix was in for the other woman, for whom she had no respect. Pam decided to accept an offer with another software company and she submitted her resignation.
With Pam about to no longer be a colleague, you might think our relationship continued. But, my situation being what it was, doing that wasn’t possible. We went into Boston for a farewell date that was as bittersweet as it was wonderful.