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Location: Home.
Listening: "Total Eclipse Of The Heart" by Bonnie Tyler.

Watching Bandits with Peter and suddenly, as a result of the plot, reminded of one of my favorite memories from college. One evening in the spring of my junior year, I was hanging out with the rest of the house residents in the living room of Colonial House (the "student-run art house" at USC) when the phone in my room (first floor, front, windows on three sides) rang. I pushed the door open and grabbed it. A voice I recognized but couldn't place (likely due to the egregious amount of red wine I'd consumed) said "Don't hang up." The phone was then thrust to the speaker of a stereo and I heard the following:

Turn around.
Every now and then I get a little bit lonely and you're never coming round.
Turn around.
Every now and then I get a little bit tired of listening to the sound of my tears.
Turn around.
Every now and then I get a little bit nervous that the best of all the years have gone by.
Turn around.
Every now and then I get a little bit terrified and then I see the look in your eyes.

Turn around, bright eyes.
Every now and the I fall apart.
Turn around, bright eyes.
Every now and the I fall apart.

Turn around.
Every now and then I get a little bit restless and I dream of something wild.
Turn around.
Every now and then I get a little bit helpless and I'm lying like a child in your arms.
Turn around.
Every now and then I get a little bit angry and I know I've got to get out and cry.
Turn around.
Every now and then I get a little bit terrified, but then I see the look in your eyes.

Turn around, bright eyes.
Every now and the I fall apart.
Turn around, bright eyes.
Every now and the I fall apart.

And I need you now tonight.
And I need you more than ever.
And if you only hold me tight,
We'll be holding on forever.
And we'll only be making it right,
'Cause we'll never be wrong.
Together we can take it to the end of the line.
Your love is like a shadow on me all of the time.
I don't know what to do.
I'm always in the dark.
We're living in a powder keg and giving off sparks.
I really need you tonight,
Forever's gonna start tonight.
Forever's gonna start tonight.

Once upon a time I was falling in love.
Now I'm only falling apart.
There's nothing I can do.
A total eclipse of the heart.
Once upon a time there was light in my life,
But now there's only love in the dark.
Nothing I can say.
A total eclipse of the heart.

Turn around, bright eyes.

Turn around.
Every now and then I know you'll never be the boy you always wanted to be.
Turn around.
But every now and then I know you'll always be the only boy who wanted me the way that I am.
Turn around.
Every now and then I know there's no one in the universe as magical and wondrous as you.
Turn around.
Every now and then I know there's nothing any better, there's nothing that I just wouldn't do.

Turn around, bright eyes.
Every now and then I fall apart.
Turn around, bright eyes.
Every now and then I fall apart.

And I need you now tonight.
And I need you more than ever.
And if you only hold me tight,
We'll be holding on forever.
And we'll only be making it right
'Cause we'll never be wrong.
Together we can take it to the end of the line.
Your love is like a shadow on me all of the time.
I don't know what to do.
I'm always in the dark.
We're living in a powder keg and giving off sparks.
I really need you tonight.
Forever's gonna start tonight.
Forever's gonna start tonight.

Once upon a time I was falling in love,
But now I'm only falling apart.
There's nothing I can do.
A total eclipse of the heart.
Once upon a time there was light in my life,
But now there's only love in the dark.
Nothing I can say, a total eclipse of the heart.

A total eclipse of the heart.
A total eclipse of the heart.
Turn around, bright eyes.
Turn around, bright eyes.
Turn around.

At the time, it was my favorite song (it's still one of my top ten). I was stunned--and then, when the receiver clicked at the last line, suspicious. I mentally rifled through a list of possible suspects and dialed. My primary suspect answered his phone after two rings. He was as drunk as I was. When I asked "Did you call?", he feigned ignorance. I could hear track five on Bonnie Tyler's "Faster Than The Speed Of Night" in the background before it was abruptly turned down. I smirked and let it ride.

Years later, I mentioned the incident to said suspect over email. He responded "Was that me?". I replied "I don't know. I never did find out who it was.". He hesitated and then shot back "Ah. Probably not me. I don't have any recollection of that, come to think of it. Doesn't sound like something I'd do at all." Once again, I smirked and let it ride.

I could have called my ex (at the time, we'd been broken up for three years) on it. I could have teased him mercilessly about it. I could have taken the cue and returned fire, as I often did in our strange little war. But I didn't. I didn't want to know why he did it or what he expected from it. I was oddly touched, and left the memory as it was, to exist on its own without amendment or complication. It still stands as one of the sweetest things anyone has ever randomly done for me.

I still love that song.