How I Met Daveen
When I was a student at USC our major crosstown rival was UCLA. During the week before the annual UCLA-USC football game the two schools often played pranks on each other.
I remember one in particular. USC somehow managed to hijack the entire print edition of the UCLA campus newspaper, The Daily Bruin, and substitute an issue filled with fabricated articles. The lead story was a fictional interview with the UCLA Chancellor, who was quoted as saying, “I don’t know how we can possibly beat USC this year. They’re too good.” Also, “Our campus is so large you never meet anyone for a second time, and you’re lucky if you meet them in the first place.”
That’s exactly how I feel about Daveen – I’m lucky to have met her in the first place. And, I’m very grateful for the fortuitous turns in my life that led to such a happy outcome. Here’s how it happened.
When I was in my twenties I decided, for the first and only time in my life, to volunteer as a judge at the California High School National Forensic League State Tournament. I judged the final round of oratory and was impressed by Glen, who won the event and qualified for the National tournament in Washington, D.C. As a gesture of support, I offered to help Glen pay for his trip.
Several months later, through Glen, I met Jim, who was working on a novel and needed to earn some money while finishing his manuscript. I hired Jim as a “secret shopper” for the apartment buildings I was managing at the time. We have been close friends ever since.
Years later, Jim began to collect rare books, which piqued my interest, so I started to buy rare books as well.
One day at the Heritage Book Shop I noticed Daveen out of the corner of my eye. She was their bookkeeper. I discretely waited until both Heritage partners were out of town before I asked her to lunch.
Three and a half years later we were married.
Other than family, we meet the most important people in our lives – great teachers, close friends, or spouses – entirely by chance. And as the UCLA Chancellor said (or didn’t say) I was lucky to have met Daveen in the first place, especially since she graduated from UCLA and I graduated from USC.
More than forty years later I still consider myself fortunate to be sharing my days and nights with her.
Alan
P.S. UCLA retaliated for the hijacked Daily Bruin by dumping a helicopter load of cow s*** on top of the revered Tommy Trojan statue at the center of the USC campus. I don’t recall which team won the football game that year.