Upon returning from a Year in 'Nam, I hitchhiked to the Pentagon to get re-assigned Overseas, rather than spend my last yr-&-a-Half Army Hitch in the US as a Viet Vet. Ended up in Heidelberg, GY rather than Ft Holabird, MD.

2 Months there, I'd made friends with a guy in Army Security Agency, whose duty it was to cruise the Local Bars with Underground Booze & see what was up among The Locals.

May 28, 1969 we hit The Old Timer's Club, STILL There (As "Club 1900") on the Hauptstrasse. ALL were dancing, EXCEPT 5 French-Speakin' Gals all seated around a Bottle of Champaigne.

If my Wife had had Her Birthday Party any Other DAY..Any Other PLACE..we'd probably Never Have Met. (Woulda STILL been A Stretch if she hadn't JUST finished livin' in London 2 years perfectin' Her English, too....I'd FLUNKED a Semester of College French earlier.)

The Gals still get together & Trade Notes every time we get back to Europe. 3-of-the-Remainin'-4 Married Well/All had kids/Live Happily-Ever-After. The 4th, & Most-Religious of the bunch, had an Abusive Hubby & committed Suicide rather than Divorce Him.

At any rate, so much of Life IS "Purely Luck\"...& we raise a Glass Annually to poor Katrine, knowing that not ALL Luck IS as "Good" as ours.

Big Guy-Hug,
Stan