The Rest Was

           A theater major, she wanted to watch the Broadway cast of A Chorus Line in Chicago. Driving down, we sang along with the radio.
           The midnight drive home felt longer than the earlier in rush hour traffic. Dead silence.
           After a chilling hour, I burst into song. She finally turned to me: “You are unbelievable.” A compliment? A reproach. I stopped.
           In the 70s HIV decimated the theater community from the East to the West Coast. Within five years, the entire Broadway Chorus Line cast were gone.
           After I dropped her off, I never saw or heard from her again.

                                                                                                              We did what we had to do
                                                                                                              Won't forget, can't regret
                                                                                                              What I did for love.
                                                                                                                                            – "What I Did for Love"
                                                                                                                                                       A Chorus Line