After learning a little bit more about each other we went out dancing, which I’ll tell about in a minute, but first I’ve got to back-up to when I first learned what her name was.  In the 80s the Twin Cities Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild would have a New Year’s Eve party in a downtown warehouse to raise money to send a soon-to-be law school graduate to be a Law Clerk somewhere doing social justice work following our creed:  “Human Rights Before Property Rights.”  In 1984 our Awardee was Ellen Anderson to go to Brownsville, Texas to work on immigration issues.

Human Rights Before Property Rights

After the award ceremony, there was always lots of dancing and general merriment.  At one point that night Ellen and I and some guy I didn’t know are on the same elevator, and she seemed really unhappy but I didn’t ask why given there was this other guy.

Now back to being on me & Ellen’s first date, I ask her, “Whatever were you so unhappy about?”

“Oh dear,” she says, “Did I look that unhappy?  Well, I’d just that minute broken-up with my boyfriend of 6 years.  I decided it was time to let him know right after I got that award.”

“Well am I ever glad you did, come on let’s dance!” was my pretty nifty response.

Ellen tells our first date story better than me.  I’m better at telling about our first dance.  Since I’ve never been sure if Ellen quite appreciates The First Dance story, let’s skip it – at least for now.  Ellen always tells everybody it was a great first date because, besides not having the pressure that comes from being alone by yourselves, we went out dancing with three of my former girlfriends.  (Former is important – read “My Apologies to Hannah & Annie.”)  So, how did it come to pass, you ask, that there’s so many of us on a first date?

Tomorrow:  Third Time