ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST

Today I watched my favorite western Once Upon A Time in the West, with Charles Bronson, Jason Robards and Henry Fonda what ever happened to those sexy guys?
Oh yes they got old and died. The movie caused me to remember my old love Tom Gray. We were star crossed lovers from the beginning. We first met in a tunnel, the Virginia Truckee Railroad tunnel. I took a short cut walking from Virginia City, Nevada to Gold Hill where I lived. As I began to immerge through the other side framed in the tunnel with the sun shinning behind him was a tall, lithe, sweaty, shirtless man working on the tracks. My heart started to pound and my hands got sweaty and we spoke, he said the tunnel is dangerous and I said something funny or stupid like “who cares or I love danger.” Later in the week at Virginia City’s Camel Races and the 1890's Ball I wore a beautiful vintage 1890's midnight blue velvet opera dress, my hair was pinned up in a period hair style. My look was so perfect that everyone wanted my photo. Even the Governor flirted with me. I was in my prime and at the top of my game. Then there he was looking like Tom Selleck, and Henry Fonda combined and with another date. We flirted with our eyes he cut in on a dance like the olden days. I started to swoon and had butterflies in my tummy.

Later the same night at the Silver Stope I was enjoying a few martinis having a great time getting tipsy, my perfect hair doo falling out and my proper demeanor gone. Then he came in and we began to seriously flirt. Our affair was passionate, complicated and ill fated from the start we couldn't stay together and we couldn't stay apart for very long either. We were both enjoying partying and our freedoms way too much to make a serious commitment.
My memories of saying passionate tearful goodbyes while the Zephyr Wind train slowly pulled away from the train station (trains played a central role in out relationship) were the stuff of movies.

We stayed in contact for many years and eventually lost touch. Years after our affair had ended he still showed me he cared and pulled me up from a deep dark place and put my feet on solid ground.
I feel a little guilty reminiscing about a long lost love when I have a sexy hot guy who loves me now. But the heart can be fickle sometimes, I guess I’ve just been lucky.