Ted

The blog tonight is for you romantics out there who were moved by the fact that Bea’s father discouraged her relationship with that handsome man with the impossible name, the one who gave her the book of love poems: Antonios Adamantios, Johannes Theophilactes Achilles Polyzoides.

Two days ago, on a particularly clear day when we could both see forever, I asked for more details.

ME: “That’s a big name! Where did you two meet?”

BEA: “People get big names in Greece. I met him at Williams. Another guy invited me, and I saw him playing the piano across the room, so I asked who he was. Pretty funny! I asked one man about another man. That’s one way to get interested.”

ME: “What did you call him?”

BEA: “Ted. I think he’s still alive. Oh, probably not, when you think about it.”

ME: “Why did your father oppose your relationship?”

BEA: “He thought people from southern Europe might not be faithful. Italy, Greece …”

ME: “Do you know what happened to him?”

BEA: “Got a job in a bank, because it was a Greek section. Banks wanted to get people to go to the bank in New York.”

ME: “Do you know if he ever get married?”

BEA: “His sister went to Barnard. He married a friend of his sister. He did very well for himself, I imagine.”

Bea's early interest in Greece suddenly makes sense! That was about the same time she recruited fellow Vassar students for the Odyssey Cruise, obtaining free passage to those beautiful islands she now remembers so fondly ...