I met “Steve” at a backyard party given by my girlfriend at that time, “Terry”. It was held at Terry’s parent’s home in fashionable Millburn, New Jersey. This was a suburban upscale town which was a step above my middle class, Irvington, New Jersey.
This special event was to celebrate the announcement of the engagement of Steve and Phyllis to marry
after this party.
Stephen came from Plainfield and Phyllis came from Montclair, both towns, not too far from Millburn.
When I heard the details behind this whirlwind encounter of this special event, I never heard anything like this before (or even SINCE!).
Phyllis’, at that time, was working as a “nude model”. She posed for amateur and professional artists in a professional studio. Steve, like any normal male at his age, was anxious to meet and date someone like this, but to promise marriage? That was quite a major decision, I thought!???
This particular arrangement was the first of many decisions which Steve made which made him the funniest person I would ever meet in my many years of living on this Earth!
Steve was a strong young man who had one of the most unique life-patterns of any individual I had ever known. to say the least, Steve made quite a few future decisions which surprised me, to no end!
Steve was (and is) a super-salesman. He made friends with his customers and prospective clients anywhere, anyway and in any atmosphere. Whether it was standing in line at the supermarket or sitting in the lobby of his doctor’s office, Steve was a very friendly, approachable individual. This was his own special key to his success.
I am sure that over Steve’s many years of life, his sales figures added up to millions upon millions of dollars, but, unfortunately, they were not always fair nor reasonable for his investment of time and talent.
There was a time, however, that he once earned Ten Thousand Dollars (plus) per week! No matter how hard one works, this figure is beyond the earnings of ninety nine percent of the U.S. population! Again, the word, “Unusual” applies to my funniest friend, Steve.
Phyllis’ background was not that much different than Steve in the fact that her family never wanted for money. Her dad invented and patented the plastic “Air Tip” on a cigar! That patent continued to provide millions of dollarsin royalties throughout his life, for his family and, then, his heirs.