Eddie of the Eighties

I am truly privileged to know Edweirdo, AKA Miss Eddie Spaghetti, in this lifetime. He's the kind of friend who will greet me with an accusatory "Hooker!" and I know he means it as a compliment. Eddie was the one to teach me the weapon dance back in the 80's. He also gave me and BFF Kathy a private drag performance, once.

"Wait here," he instructed during a brief stop at his home in Orange County. His parents weren't home and neither was his sister. Kathy and I waited in the living room as we heard rustling noises coming from the hallway's coat closet. "Okay, here I come!"

Without a wig or a trace of make up, Eddie came out in a pastel peach prom dress. On his feet were high heeled pumps the color of strawberry licorice. And they fit.

Eddie pressed 'play' on the stereo's cassette tape player and did a perfect lip sync to Annie Lennox's vocals. "I need a man!" Annie roared as Eddie improvised dance moves that flawlessly matched both vocals and electronic synthesizer beats. He strutted about in the bright red heels, never losing his balance.

"That was really nice of Eddie," Kathy commented later. "I'm sure he doesn't do that for just anyone."

I'm glad Kathy pointed that out to me. By then, I was used to Eddie's unique and spastic sense of humor, so I had just laughed like I did at almost everything he did and said. But it was considerate of him. It was, as Eddie usually described things with a sarcastic screech, "Special!"

I can't believe he was able to fit into his sister's prom dresses, back then. I still don't forgive him, though, for clashing bright red pumps with a pastel colored dress.

Hooker!