In 1988 Prozac is introduced to the public, "Push It" is the popular song and I went to work for a bank where I met June. Sick of being a wedding consultant and 10 long years of fashion shows, models, running a wedding shop, and planning a great many of the Northern California weddings I walked away from everything.
I broke up with Rich, went back to college and took a friend up on her offer to work at Great Western Bank in downtown Santa Rosa. I would have done anything to get away from brides and begin a new life. I think my mother thought I was mad. There I was, in a beautiful home with Rich, a nice car, vacations, beautiful jewelry and a prestigious job in the community and I hated all of it. I walked out with just the clothes on my back.
Leaving the wedding business was not as easy, because it involved leaving behind a cherished friend who had been like a second mother to me. But… I had reached the point where I hated the sight of a bride walking through the door of the shop and found it difficult to conceal my disapproval of their selfish, self-centered, childish bitchy behaviors. And if it wasn’t the bride,then it was a bridesmaid or maids or the mothers. I don’t know what it is about the whole wedding process that can turn people into the most horrifying displays of human nature.
So I ran screaming into banking. June was the lead teller on the teller line at Great Western and I liked her instantly. I remember the first time I met her. I was filling my tray in the vault (getting money) with the vault teller when June walked in with some hilarious comment that made me laugh aloud and a beautiful friendship was born.
June, a little over 5’10, thin brunette with a large smile was 22 and the hottest 10-keyer I ever saw. She could talk to customers and add their stack of business checks without ever looking at the machine. I think even her customers were shocked at her speed and accuracy while smiling and teasing them about something. She was the favorite of the platform supervisors and most of the employees at the bank, which drew extreme jealousy from Madeline, who fancied herself as the darling of the bank.
There are two types of redheads. There is the type who love to make love to one person, and are kind to everyone until crossed and then there is the selfish, mean, backstabbing, love to make love to everyone, and kind to people for a hidden agenda type. Madeline was the second type. (I will leave to your own opinion on which type I am). But there I was, working around another redhead - one that was insanely jealous over June and liked me for some reason.
I preferred June.
There are no games with June and she sees the underdeveloped talents in those she loves. For me, she thinks I am a beautiful, wonderful incredible woman that she just has to find a perfect man for. She is convinced every man loves me, and if he doesn’t he is either in denial or incapable of loving anyone. All, which make me laugh hysterically as she will not listen to me when I attempt to argue that point. She just throws up her hands and says something like, “Usted es una chica loca!” She used to love to set me up on blind dates and I would tease her that her only criteria wes that they breathed.
Herfavorite form of mischeif was to see a cute guy in the teller line, check his bank balance to see if he had money and then direct him to my window because I was "the only one who could handle his transaction". I would never see this coming and the next thing I know, she'd be sliding up behind me, calling some guy to my window and introducing me. Then she would return to her computer where she would flash my screen with dos-based instant messages about how cute he was and that I should ask him out. I would try and keep a straight face while handling this guy's transaction.
While working there, June discovered Doug and brought him to my window. "Schuzam!" I thought, "She finally got it right!" There before me was this 6'4", businessman who was the cutest thing I'd ever seen. He winked, as he could see what she was doing...my face turned beat red and a friendship was born.
Doug would come into the bank every other day, wait in line and then wait for me to be free to help him. There were times I couldn't think for staring at him. Finally one day, at my window he announced, "Catherine, you are the cutest thing and I would like to take you out and pursue a relationship, but before we met a girlfriend of mine from back east has moved here to try and work things out. I owe it to her to try and you aren't making it very easy. I respect you too much to mess with your head. I wanted you to know why I haven't asked you out, but can't stop coming by. Do you want me not to come to the bank anymore?" To say I was disappointed would be an understatement, but I loved his honesty and I liked his friendship, so I told him "Yes, come in. I don't want to lose a friend".
I went on to date Sean (another June arrangement) along with this kid whose name for the life of me I can't remember. I loved seeing Doug at the bank, and within a very short amount of time Kathy, the manager for Continental Savings in Sonoma, snatched me up and told me I belonged in San Francisco. I always felt the brief time I spent at Great Western was just to get me away from the wedding business and to meet June. Doug was to show me that nice guys abound and Sean let me drive Mercedes from his car lot. It was a sweet period of time which I attribute to the magic of knowing June.
We have remained best friends for 18 years now, although I don't get to see her as much as we both would like. She now bestows her magic on her husband who doesn't like to share and travels quite a bit with the Rolling Stones. But the brief time we get together, the magic is there and I enjoy laughing and hearing her comments about my life. I am lucky to call her my friend.
Several years back, while pregnant I was hiking Spring Lake near my home and came upon a newly erected park bench. Spring Lake has this cool thing where you can dedicate a park bench to someone who has died. As I slowly passed the dedication plaque my eyes began to read the name.... DOUGLAS URBANICK ....LOVING HUSBAND. I stopped dead in my tracts. It was Doug. He was in his 30's. I stared long and hard in a state of complete shock and sadness. I thought, "Oh thank you God, for I could not have handled this". I remembered all too clearly my own mother's pain when my father died. I would not have dealt well with being a widow at 36. It would have killed me. I felt deep sadness for his wife and I was grateful I wasn't in her shoes. It is funny how life works. We ask God "Why?" all the time and then years later realize that it is a good thing we don't sometimes get what we wish for.
Now ... in the case of June...I wished for a new life with new friends and in she waltzed. I am grateful this particular wish came true and our lasting friendship spans the test of time.
Until next time-
C
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