Madison Park was a fun place to live - close to stores, beaches, parks and singles!
In 1960, when Flying Tiger Airlines was based in Seattle, most of the flight personnel lived in the Park, Leschi and points just a bit south. Soon, other airlines' employees joined the happy mix.
This influx really impacted us who had lived in the Park a spell. What was sorely needed were direction, rules, dos and don'ts, as it was a time of learning how far boundaries could be pushed and still maintain a decent semblance of single life.
BEEN CAUGHT CHEATING
One "don't" was made clear when one of our five roommates dated a flight attendant. One evening, when she was on a trip, he needed a date so he asked her roommate out.
The secret threesome went on for a while, even though all of us suggested the balancing act would not end happily.
The flight attendant and her roommate were getting wise to him and decided to put on a sting that would put the arrogant playboy in his place, by leaving things in the apartment that only he would have used. A teacup with milk and a teabag left behind pinpointed the scam man to be the only Canadian guy they both knew.
There was a knock at our door, and we all scrambled. The meeting was brief in its intensity: They told him to hit the streets.
To add to his shame, when he had his hair cut, the conversation came to, "So how's your love life now?"
SUPER SINGLE MAN
Another strange formation took place to a friend living over the hill, at Madison and 33rd. He was Mr. Married Man until his car aimed him east to the Ave.
Short of running into a phone booth and donning a costume, he reappeared in a flash as Super Single Man. He was all smiles, buying beers, laughing, turning on all that charm.
Mr. Married Man/Super Single Man fell under the spells of the smiling, young damsels, who later turned him into Mr. Divorced Man.
Uncomfortable moments are bound to happen. One roommate was visited by his steady girlfriend. Her expression made it clear that it was time to make ourselves scarce:He was being told that she decided to move on.
He came to the back porch, where we were having a beer, and exclaimed, "Quick! Let's hit the Ave! I have to find someone before what just happened to me takes effect!"
There's a simple singles' formula: If it meant that much at the time, it will take an equal amount of time to get over it. Otherwise, it just isn't the real thing.
Nothing will erase those memories or the lessons learned.
Richard Carl Lehman, a longtime Madison Park resident, can be reached at mptimes@nwlink.com.[[In-content Ad]]
