If this story truly began on that hot day last summer when Big Al sort of fired me then one could say that the end of this story began on December 14th, 1968, when Tom's dad surprised all of us by getting us invited to a late morning charity concert at the Ambassador Hotel where Lulu was the main performer. He told me it was an engagement gift. Only the most important people in the entertainment industry would be there and yet somehow he managed to get the four us invited; me, Betty, Tom and Julie. These brunch parties were all the rage at the time.

I was exceptionally excited. I had spent far too many hours dreaming about the chance to meet Lulu, and now it was coming true.

Our table was in the middle of the large banquet hall close to the front of the stage. First they served us a roast beef lunch and then the event officially began. A few stand-up comedians started us off, with Bob Newhart being the biggest name. Then came the crown jewel of the afternoon, Lulu. She beautifully sang all of her hits as I sat there playing it cool. There was no way I was going to show Betty how much I loved hearing Lulu sing even though with every passing melody, my heart ached more and more. The lights came on as Lulu stopped for a twenty-five minute break.

"She is wonderful," Betty said to me. "It's awfully nice of Mr. Davis to have arranged this for us."

"You're right on the money sweetie," I replied.

"Do you mind if I interrupt you?" asked Tom.

"Of course not," Betty replied.

Tom took the napkin off of his lap and placed it on the table next to his uneaten roast beef. He bent down next to Julie on one knee. Oh my God, I thought to myself. This idiot won't give up. How much punishment can one man take in a lifetime? Evidentially it was quite a large amount. I didn't know what to do. Do I cause a distraction then smack him senseless. He's been such a good friend to me over the years, how can I let him do this? I purposely knocked my glass of wine on Betty. She didn't even flinch.

"Forget about it," she whispered to me as she watched with baited breath Tom's upcoming humiliation. Well at least I tried.

"Julie," began Tom as he held out a closed jewelry box with what I could only imagine was a ring worth his entire life savings, "we have been friends for most of our lives, good friends, or should I say best friends? You have probably wondered why I never date or even inquire about other women. It is because of you. I have always loved you. My life has no meaning without you. You are the reason I aspire to achieve. You are the one I want to spend every moment with, and I'm warning you that if you turn me down, I will only ask you again tomorrow, and if you say no tomorrow, I will ask again the day after that. Julie, will do me the honor of being my wife?"

Julie and Betty both broke down in tears. Tom opened the box. I was right. It was a huge diamond ring the likes of which had to cost him every penny he's ever earned and ever will earn. Julie looked at it, picked it up, and slipped it on her finger. She gave Tom the biggest kiss he'd ever had and when their lips finally parted, Julie said yes. Unbelievable, she said YES! The only thought that crossed my mind was that persistence really does pay off. And then I had another thought. There must be thousands of women out there with guys who won't leave them alone praying that this story doesn't become well known. That's all that women need, loser guys believing that they have a shot no matter how many times they say no.

Sorry girls, the story of Tom and Julie will now become legendary.

"Congratulations," Betty said to Julie.

"Thank you," she replied and then she saw Betty's wine stained dress.

"Do you know this means?" I asked Betty.

"No."

Then I got involved in the conversation. "It means that if Larry had been more persistent back when you were younger then you two could have been married."

Betty didn't appreciate the comment. "I never told you this but Larry had his chance. After Wyatt died we became friends again and I actually thought about a relationship with him but he kept on talking about sending Billy away to some stuck up boarding school. I don't think that idea of an instant family appealed to him."

"Would you have married him had he been better about Billy?"

"You do what you have to when you're single with a child."

"But your family would have taken care of you."

"Do you really believe that my family wants to take care of me for the rest of my life?" she asked.

"If you were my daughter I would, gladly take care of you forever. I can't imagine making any child of mine marry someone just so that they could be taken care of, especially if I had the kind of money that you family has."

"That's why I love you so much, Adam."

"I'm sorry about that stupid comment about Larry,"  I said to her. "It was just a joke."

"Well it wasn't funny," she replied. "You would never ask me to send Billy away, would you?"

"Are you serious? I love that kid."

"I know you do. Sometimes I actually believe that you love him more than me." Betty's mascara began to run to run down her cheek.

"Come with me to the bathroom," Julie said to her. "I should fix my make-up and you have to take care of that wine stain." Julie smiled at Tom who hadn't moved from being down on his knees.

"I'll see you in a minute, hubby," she said. The two of them then got up and headed for the bathroom.

"Wow," I said to Tom. "You can get up now."

"I can't," he replied. "I think its rigor mortis."

"No it's not, now get up. If you're still on your knees when Julie comes back she might change her mind, and still keep the ring."

Tom sat up. "Why are you still nervous?" I asked him. "She agreed to marry you."

"Do you think that Julie will ever love me the way Betty loves you?"

"She already does," I replied even thought I believed that Julie knew she was settling. I suppose that she agreed to marry Tom because he was a known commodity and God only knows how much Julie hated the unknown.

A manager came by the table. "Are you the gentleman who just proposed?" he asked Tom.

"He is," I replied.

"Lulu would like meet you and your fiancée to congratulate the two of you personally. She's asked you both to come back stage right now and meet her."

"I better wait here for Julie," Tom replied.

"Are you kidding me," I said. "Lulu wants to meet you." I looked at the manager. "I'll go with him."

"That's not what my instructions were," the manager replied.

"It's fine," I told him. "She can congratulate the groom and the best man."

"But I should wait here for Julie," exclaimed Tom.

"Then I guess I'll have to go without you," I replied.

"Now I know that won't fly," replied the manager.

"Just tell her that I'm the groom. Look you have to go back there with someone. Imagine how Lulu will feel if you tell her, I'm sorry but nobody wanted to meet you.

"What'll I tell Betty," asked Tom.

"Tell her I went to do something special for you and Julie."

The manager reluctantly took me to see Lulu who was in her suite on the first floor. As I stood in front the door, my heart raced with anticipation. There's always one problem with living out your greatest dream; it may not live up to your expectations. Sometimes the images in your imagination can be far greater than actual event with the disappointment having a greater negative affect on oneself then if never having had the chance to experience it. That's how I felt about the senior prom when I left Cindy behind for Sandra-Lee Perkins. All year I wanted to ask out Sandra-Lee. I would stare at her in class and watch as she twirled her long blond hair. I drove me crazy. Cindy was an okay gal, I suppose. She was pretty all right, but I already had her. Where's the fun in that. Youth is supposed to be spent discovering new experiences. I had played up in my mind what a night with Sandra-Lee would be like to such an extent that, well, it was a disaster. To this very day I have never met a girl that was so into her self.

"You finally got me," she said as I picked her up. "What a way for you to end the year."

I got her? No way. She was the lucky one.

Every ten minutes she would head off into the bathroom to fix something. She would flash a phony smile at every guy who passed her. In my mind I'd made her out to be a very sophisticated, mysterious southern girl. She turned out to be a tramp, and not a good one at that. Kissing her was like kissing a dead fish, or at least that's how I imagined a dead fish would kiss. She sat back and let me do all the work as if receiving pleasure was her only purpose in life. In retrospect I should never have gone with Sandra-Lee. I enjoyed the fantasy more. I was only praying that my brief encounter with Lulu wouldn't end the same way. Please let her be nice, I thought.

The manager knocked on the door. "I did what you asked," he said.

"Oh good, please them in," she replied in the sweetest of Scottish accents. This was too good to be true.

He opened the door. Lulu was sitting on a chair in the suite by the window. She was dressed in a pink mini skirt with white polka-dots. She was more beautiful up close than I ever could have dreamed. Her white headband that pulled her hair back accentuated her sweet round face. And her perfume, suffice to say she smelled awesome.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," she said as she stood up.

"It's even nicer to meet you. I've been a huge fan of yours."

"Where's your fiancée?" she asked as she looked behind me at the empty doorway.

I was sweating. This was my chance to not get thrown out and maybe spend five minutes talking with her. "The one getting married is my friend Tom," I explained nervously. "He proposed but Julie, his wife, I mean his girlfriend, well, you see...they were in the bathroom, I mean Julie was in the bathroom..."

"You don't have to be nervous," Lulu said as she looked me over. "I don't bite." She flashed a smile that made me so much more nervous I thought I was going to puke.

"I'm his best friend and like I said I've always been a huge fan of yours. You have the most beautiful voice I've ever heard and I simply couldn't pass up the chance to meet you, even if meant fibbing a little."

"You're very sweet...." she paused. "What's your name?"

"Adam." I could feel my heart beat louder and louder with every passing moment.

"You're very sweet Adam." Her accent drove me crazy.

"You too," I replied, unable to think of anything else to say. She giggled slightly in a very cute way that made my pulse race.

"Are you enjoying the show?" she asked as she took a sip of water from a cup on the table.

"Are you kidding me? It's great."

"I thought that Newhart fellow was hysterical," she said.

"He's my boss's favorite comedian," I replied.

This was going well, I thought. We were having a casual conversation and I was holding my own, at least I hoped Lulu thought so as I wondered if this onetime encounter could actually lead to something else; what that something else was however I had no idea.

"What do you do for a career," she asked.

She wanted to know about me! This can't be happening. "I work at the Bank of Beverly Hills."

"That's absolutely splendid," she replied. "And you're so young."

There was a knock on her door. "One more minute and you're on."

"Adam, I'm glad you came back here to meet me. I'm sorry we don't have more time to talk."

"Don't apologize," I said to her. "Spending this much time with you was more than I could have hoped for."

"You flatter me," she said with a smile. "It was nice meeting you, Adam."

I went to turn the door handle to leave the suite when I turned back to Lulu to say one last thing to her.
"I must tell you, you're even prettier up close." She blushed.

"Wait," she said to me. "After the show we're all jetting off to Lake Tahoe for a little shindig. I would love it if you could come. We'll be partying till the early hours of the morning. My manager will give you the address and directions if you'd like."

Lake Tahoe? A party with Lulu? That's insane. Lake Tahoe is an eight hour drive from here. On the other hand Lulu just asked me to meet her at a private party. No fantasy could ever be this good.

"I'll be there," I replied.

"Groovy," said Lulu playfully. "Adam, I have one last question before you go. Do you have a favorite song?"

"I love the way you sing Shout." And the way you say my name, I thought to myself.

"Oh, and what are your friends names?" she asked.

"Tom and Julie."

There was another knock on the door. "Come on Lulu, we're on."

"I'm coming," she answered. "Adam, I've got to go now. It was nice to meet you." She leaned over and kissed me on the cheek then left the room. I sat down on the chair for a couple of moments to recompose myself then left as well. As I walked out, some blond guy, I assumed it was her manager, handed me a piece of paper.

"This is for you," he said with an American accent. It had directions to the party.

"She's something else," I said with a giddy expression on my face.

He looked at me rather oddly. "She is," he replied as he headed off to the concert. He stopped suddenly then looked back at me. "So you're coming to the party?"

"I wouldn't miss it for anything in the world." I looked at the guy. He looked strangely familiar but I couldn't place him.

"Don't get that excited," he replied. "It's just a party." He walked away shaking his head.

As I headed back to the table I realized that I hadn't thought about Betty the entire time I was with Lulu. My conscience hadn't kicked in at all. Only now did I realize that I had just accepted a date while I was engaged to be married. Adam Baker, I thought to myself, what are you doing? Even with the knowledge that what I was about to do was wrong I still didn't think about not going.

"You were gone a long time," Betty said as I sat down at the table.

"I had to use the bathroom too," I replied, "then I called Big Al from the payphone to tell him about seeing Bob Newhart. He's his favorite comedian you know."

"I see," replied Betty.

"Oh, about tonight," I said to her. "I won't be able to make it to your grandfather's for dinner. Big Al asked me if I would take care of a large client for him." Tom looked at me very confused.

"On a Saturday night?" Betty asked.

"He said he'll never ask me for a favor again. His clients are leaving tomorrow for Europe and they want their house redone while they're away."

Julie looked strangely at Tom as if to ask, what's really going on here. Betty was having a hard time believing me as well but I don't think she could understand why I'd lie to her.

"Why don't you just say no? My family is expecting you and Big Al only reached you by accident. Besides, you won't be working for him for much longer."

"I know but it's the least I can do after everything he's done for me. He wanted me and Tom to go together but I told him that Tom just got himself engaged to Julie so I'll handle it by myself."

"And why can't Big Al go, after all isn't it his business?" she asked. This was getting to be more difficult by the second.

"Big Al is going to his sister's wedding tonight."

"I see," replied Betty. I reached to take her hand as Lulu came back on stage. She pulled it away.

The lights went down and all of us applauded. Lulu took the microphone. "I am honored that two of you here tonight thought that my concert would make the perfect place for a marriage proposal. Julie, Tom I wish you both a lifetime of happiness. This next song goes out to my biggest fan." Lulu looked around the room then stared right at me as she started to sing. "You know you make wonna.......Shout!" Betty looked at me very confused.

Lulu had champagne sent to our table along with a beautiful arrangement of fruit and chocolate in honor of Tom and Julie's engagement which the four of us enjoyed. The concert ended with Betty visibly angry and not speaking to me at all.

"I know we just got engaged," Julie said to Tom, "but I really wouldn't mind if you did that job instead of Adam. We have the rest of our lives to be together."

"Don't you even think about letting me spoil this for you," said Betty. "This is the most important day of your lives. Most people celebrate the day they were married. I don't believe in that because that day is carefully planned, based on when the chapel is available, or the prettiest time of year for a garden wedding. The day you become engaged is wonderfully spontaneous. It's a day for just the two of you." Betty glanced at me. I think she was recalling the day that I proposed to her.

"She's right," I told Julie. "We'll be fine. It's something I have to do."

We made the long walk back to the car with Betty and Julie leading the way. Tom and I fell behind purposely.

"Congratulations," I told Tom, again. "You've joined the club. I have to tell you this was a surprise. What made you do it?"

"I knew she was going to say yes. I don't know why, but I just knew. Maybe it's the way she's been looking at me lately, like I was a real man. I can't tell you for sure."

"I'm happy for you," I told Tom.

"Adam, what happened back there? Did you really call Big Al?"

"Of course I didn't."

"So then why the lies?" he asked. "Where are you really going?"

"Lulu invited me to a party tonight in Lake Tahoe," I explained everything as we fell further behind the girls.

"She did what?"

"It was pure magic," I explained. "She kissed me on the cheek and called me sweet."

"Adam, are sure your imagination hasn't gotten the best of you?"

"I swear it," I told him. "That's exactly what happened."

"You have it all," he told me. "I don't know a man alive who wouldn't trade places with you."

"Lulu is incredible," I replied.

"Adam, you're an idiot."

"Excuse me?"

Tom saw that the girls had reached the car. "We'll be there in a minute," he yelled out.
Tom and I had a great friendship because we didn't worry about hurting each others feelings. We told it to each other as it is, with brutal, sarcastic honesty so Tom had no trouble telling me what he thought about my decision to go to the party at Lake Tahoe.

"Adam," he began, "I swear I love you as if you were my own flesh and blood. Do you see how hard and difficult it has been for me to accomplish things in my life? Maybe that's why I appreciate them so much. Compared to you I'm nobody. I was a backup basketball player in high school, you were the starter. You got any girl you wanted, I got no one. I even had to take your reject to the prom. Heck, the car I drive is due to the fact that Big Al gave it to you first, but yet I'm happy. You know why? It's because I'm thankful for what I have, not what I don't. The only thing I ever needed to make my life complete was Julie and now that I have her there will never be anything that could make me risk that, nothing. I know your family life hasn't exactly been a stroll on the beach but everything else has. Count your blessings. You'll be starting a new job that will instantaneously place in society's elite, you'll be joining a wonderful new family, you always tell me how much you love Billy, you have a shiny new Cadillac convertible, you have the world's greatest best friend, and most importantly of all; you have Betty. She is far and away the best thing that has ever happened to you. Don't throw it all away."

I was taken aback by how well spoken Tom had suddenly become. His words were coming from the heart. He meant well, but he didn't understand.

"Relax with the speeches. It's just a party," I explained, "one night."

"But it's not just a party. I know you far better than you think. In your head you've already thought about what's going to happen at the party."

"Absolutely not," I replied sternly. "I just need to do this and get it out of my system. I have a chance to live out a dream. After this there are no more dreams left. Then it'll just be a regular ol' life."

"Adam, your life is charmed. It will never be regular. I'm begging with you, no, I'm pleading with you to leave all of this foolishness behind and open your eyes to what you've got."

"Thanks for the talk, but there's nothing to worry about. I'll be back tomorrow and life will go on."