Tags
collections, Manly in Stanley', memories, obsession, time, Watches
I wasn’t expecting the message. The niece of my former husband had a bag of watches to give me. The back story? For 15 years I was married to the incomparable, Erich Korte, aka, Video King, VK, EK, Forest Twig, or Rick, depending upon how you knew him.
I met him at a time in my life when I was sure that I was better off single. But Erich was different, and he was amazingly perceptive about human nature. For example, we were on our way home from our maiden voyage—a road/camping trip to the Oregon coast in my brand new strawberry-red sports car, during which certain bonding events had occurred; I was bored with the infamous needle-straight western freeway. I proceeded to test my new hot rod against a raucous convertible full of male teenagers. As the speedometer of my new hot rod ticked toward the 130 mark, Erich sat quietly in the passenger seat. As the car levitated ever so slightly off the road, he quietly asked, “Do you realize you are traveling at one quarter the speed of sound?”
Perhaps he said the speed of light, I really don’t know. The math, as usual, meant nothing to me. But his approach to a serious problem with a strong-willed woman at the wheel, meant the world to me. Anyone else questioning my driving choices on that day would surely have compelled me to push the limits even further and probably to disastrous consequences.
We were married on the vacant lot where our new home would soon materialize. It was a magical time. Erich was an artist, a man of vision, integrity, and bravado. He pushed my subdued tastes and together, we built a beautiful home and had a pretty great life together—until I got claustrophobia.
I had been right about myself. I’ am not marriage material. I am a lover of solitude, of quiet time; I prefer operating under the radar and eventually Erich’s bombast and delightfully boyish pranks wore me down. I skedaddled. I ran. I ditched him. There is no way to pussy foot around who I am and what I have done. To his infinite credit, Erich worked to maintain our friendship even after my betrayal.
Completely out of the blue, he died in his sleep in 2008, just a few years after we split and in the midst of his own rebirth into a new and exciting life and relationship. I guess that is why I got the call from his niece, who now lives in our former home with her own growing family. The house is about to undergo some major and long overdue remodeling, and since dear niece moved into a home that was filled with remnants of her uncle’s cut-short life, she is still trying to figure out what to do with the flat files filled with 40 year’s worth of genius and cupboards stashed with memories. Hence, the message that she had a bag of Erich’s watches that she didn’t quite know what to do with.
I jumped on that. The Video King had a number of wild and crazy obsessions. Toys and electronics ranked high on his list of acquisitions. But his watch fetish was unmatched. Said niece presented me with a huge sealed baggie, pregnant with watches. I unpacked them and counted. There were about 30, one for each day of the month. And I’m sure that is not all of the watches Erich owned. Somewhere a fake Rolex hugs the hairy arm of one of his admirers.
Aside from toys, electronics, and watches, Erich also enjoyed a huge community of friends, a core dozen or so who might be called groupies. Each summer, they come together for their own special Manley in Stanley—a big-boys weekend that Erich established years ago in the Sawtooth Mountains. This esoteric group of manly friends has continued the tradition of escaping the girdle of civilization: wives, kids, jobs, expectations, to simply enjoy each other’s collective creativity and grand camaraderie. I will present the bag of time to the Manly in Stanley crowd. They will have fun reminiscing. They will find clever ways to have fun with the collection. Erich will smile down upon them.
I am forever grateful to Erich for the memories and to his niece for her thoughtfulness.
catterel said:
Great idea – and delightful post. Just because a marriage has failed doesn’t mean there weren’t some good times.
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rangewriter said:
Yes, and in our case, I felt like he was still my best friend. I, along with all those others, was devastated when he died so unexpectedly.
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catterel said:
That is good in spite of the sadness.
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thejeremynix said:
This post really touched me. I’m glad you’re giving those watches to his merry band of manly friends! I love the honesty in your writing, and just you’re writing style in general. I have to admit, I shed a little tear upon reading this.
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rangewriter said:
Awe, Jeremy, you are a sensitive man who lives honestly and responds to honesty. Thank you for your kind words.
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btg5885 said:
Linda, thanks for sharing a piece of your journey. It made me a tinge sad Erich died in his sleep. The watches are a nice keepsake. Take care, BTG
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rangewriter said:
Thanks. His death was a crushing blow. But, in retrospect, we’ve all got to go sometime. He never saw it coming. I believe he was at peace with the world and he did not have to endure a lengthy and painful end-of-life battle. I’m still assaulted by twinges of nostalgia and regret at times, but life is what it is.
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Glenda said:
Aw Linda, what bittersweet memories. I’m so glad you found each other for a short time and continued your firendship. What a great idea to give the watches to his manly friends who will appreciate it the most!
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rangewriter said:
;-}
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highland hind said:
What a bittersweet, honest story. You’ve give me a clear image of your former husband and revealed a bit more about yourself too. And that car story touches a nerve!
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rangewriter said:
It’s a true story! I can still feel that car parting from the pavement. It was exhilarating!
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sybil said:
Oh Erich sounds like such a wonderful person and how lovely that you found each other and clearly treasured each other in your own ways. The watches are a wonderful keepsake and his manly friends will appreciate them.
130 and you don’t mean k.p.h. ! you’re talking MILES per hour girl ! Yipes.
Hope you’ve worked that craziness out of your system.
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rangewriter said:
Umm, yes, mph. I guess I transferred the need for speed to skiing. I’m a danger to fewer people that way. 😉 Thanks for dropping by, Sybil. I always enjoy hearing from you.
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Katy said:
Love it ….keep flapping your freedom….. kd
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rangewriter said:
You know it! Hope you are well. The hot weather has arrived. 😦
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My Heartsong said:
Interesting story and collection of watches. Thanks for sharing a part of your journey.
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rangewriter said:
Thank you for being here to share it with. I hope you have a lovely day.
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wheremyfeetare said:
Oh, I’ve felt the same claustrophobia, Linda. I was married for 10 years to a good man. But, I ran too. It was not a good fit from the start, I see that now. Your story touched me and I was sorry to read of Erich’s passing. Those watches! Some very unique ones, I’m sure his buddies will love them and the memories they’ll conjure.
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rangewriter said:
Ah, a kindred spirit. Thanks for sharing that with me. The hell of it is, that Erich did really give me a lot of freedom. He was no helicopter mate. But even so, it was too much for me. His amazing group of friends. are individually as unique and disimilar as a herd of cats. But he was the center of their constellation and together they do an amazing job of keeping his memory alive.
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Larry Mickelson said:
I just read this for the third time. The first two I was way too focused on your incomperable writing skills, I failed to focus on the story. It is a great story indeed. So thoughtful and engrossing. I wanted to meet him or wished I had. Life is such a puzzle sometimes. At other times it’s a pain. I wish I had better memories of all the good times . I mostly only recall snippets of my life and not always the best parts either.
Larry Mickelson Insurance and Investment Adviser Medicare, Life Insurance, Senior Benefits, Retirement Advice, Annuities larry@familywealthcounseling.com—Estate Planning b3rew11@aol.com Business lkmickelson@gmail.com General 970-669-1801 Office 970-779-0315 Cell
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rangewriter said:
Well, well, “incomparable writing skills?” I can’t even spell A book recommendation about world affairs from Andrew merits a read. word. You, Larry, may take a bow for being one of the early shapers of my miniscule skill. I believe, in addition to your popular Psych class, you taught English. I remember your vocabulary expansion program. I loved that you introduced us to some great words that I, as an avid reader, had yet to come across. Words that I would soon find everywhere, and words that krept into my head and fell from my mouth. I love words. And the puzzle of llife.
It is very puzzling what our memory selects to hold onto. I’ve lost an incredible number of good memories along with the bad. I’ve forgotten so much that I really don’t trust what I think I remember! Thanks for your kind words.
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Otto von Münchow said:
What a touching story. Erik must have been quite a guy – even though you ditched him,as you say. Maybe that was the only way to maintain the friendship. As others have pointed out there is sadness in the story but also a positive spirit.
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rangewriter said:
Thanks for your kind comments Otto.
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Carolyn said:
Did you give the Manly in Stanley crowd the watches? I haven’t talked with Mark Hall since his daughter Kate’s wedding. Lovely story.
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rangewriter said:
I handed the watches over to Icey. I just saw him the other day and completely forgot to ask him how that went. The plan was to distribute them at the annual Manley in Stanley event.
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