I knew Robert had class the first time I met him on the beach in Santa Monica. After talking with him for a few minutes I was pretty sure of it. When I learned he was a Harvard educated lawyer, I nonchalantly asked if he was by any chance a Rhodes Scholar. He hesitated at first until I pressed him. He was. There was no question about it – he definitely outclassed me. I made some feeble excuse and began gathering my stuff when he almost pleaded with me, "Where are you going?"
I stood up and smiled at him ruefully. "Back to my side of the tracks."
He stood up, "What the hell does that mean?" He knew exactly what I meant.
"Rhodes Scholar requirement number four." Until recently, I had thought it was 'Roads' Scholar. When I discovered my error, I looked it up.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Yes, you do ... sympathy for and protection of the weak and uneducated ... that's me. I'm hoi polloi, Mr. Miller, and you're not." I picked up my beach bag and began to walk away.
He grabbed my arm and held me back. "Wait a second."
"For what?" I was being snarky and felt ashamed for not at least being a gentleman which I prided myself on – until now. In hindsight, I think I was angry at myself for walking away from this prize catch, but it was the right thing to do, or so I thought at the time.
He didn't say anything. He was either at a loss for words or stunned at my rudeness.
"Look ... I'm going before you become bored to tears." I pulled away from his grasp and walked away.
"You're not being fair."
"Yes, I am ... I'll give you a call sometime."
"You don't have my number."
"Oh, yes I do."
He didn't say anything and probably agreed with me. Whether he did or not ... it didn't matter.
But, I did enjoy talking with him, and it didn't seem important to him that I was hoi polloi. Perhaps it was our mutual loneliness that drew us together.
He had no intention of letting me go though I didn't realize it at the time. I'm not sure if it was love at first sight, Kismet, or Karma. But, I ended up marrying him and came precariously close to losing him over that damned dinner party. But we survived and ourrelationship became much stronger because of it.