Long Before I Knew You

The old movie had just been watched and the guys were now settled comfortably on the floor of the loft. Brian had his arm around the kid and the fireplace was blazing away. They were both smiling. But this old-movie night had been different from other old-movie nights – in that Justin had chosen the film.

“OK, Sweetheart,” Brian began. “You said I couldn’t ask anything about anything till we had watched the movie – so now we’ve watched the movie and I can ask. This is the first time that you actually decided what old movie we would watch. How did you even hear about The Bells Are Ringing and why did you want to watch it? Not that I didn’t think it was a good movie – just a little bit out-of-date - so …”

“Well you’re not allowed to laugh, Brian,” Justin told him. “No laughing at all. But there’s this girl over at the Institute named Arwen – and she said sometimes I act like this old-time actress Judy Holiday – so I decided I should see one of this Judy Holiday’s movies – just to figure out what Arwen meant. I was gonna ask you which one we should watch – but then I ran into Professor Curtis – she’s the one who teaches the film courses – and so I asked her – and she suggested Bells Are Ringing. I asked her what it was about and she told me it was a science-fiction musical about some people who couldn’t answer their own telephone and had to hire some other people to answer it for them. I thought that was a pretty strange idea but when I told you what I wanted to see, you didn’t complain or anything …”

“Science fiction eh?” Brian laughed. “Well maybe it is - to you of the younger generation. Well then - did you like the movie - and do you think you ever act like Judy Holiday?”

“I liked the movie all right,” Justin allowed. “But I don’t see why Arwen would think I act like Judy Holiday – except I can be pretty funny sometimes – and I can sing pretty well …”

“And Judy Holiday does some crazy things and gets into some weird situations too,” Brian added some other possibilities…

“Well how would that apply to me, Brian?” Justin wanted to know.

Brian was smiling as he hugged the kid closer and thus caused a pause in the conversation by so doing. It was unlikely that he did it just to avoid answering Justin’s question but that might have been a possibility. At any rate it was a while before the conversation resumed - and the question was never answered.

“Seems to me those people who hired Judy Holiday to answer their telephones for them could have just bought answering machines instead, Brian,” Justin posited in resuming the conversation.

“Well if they had, Baby,” Brian reasoned. “Then Judy Holiday would never have met Dean Martin. But actually, answering machines hadn’t even been invented yet when Bells Are Ringing was made – so if people didn’t answer their phone back then, they didn’t get any message and …”

“Gee whiz Brian,” Justin pointed out a sudden realization. “That’s like I might never have met you if somebody hadn’t invented the lamp post. Who did invent the lamp post anyway, Bri? We ought to thank him – or maybe her.”

“I bet it was Leonardo da Vinci, Honey,” Brian guessed. “He just about invented everything.”

“Lucky for Judy Holiday and Dean Martin that he didn’t invent the answering machine then,” Justin decided. “Or – you’re right – they wouldn’t have ever met.”

“Actually, Baby,” Brian informed him, “I think maybe Leonardo did invent the answering machine – but nobody knew how to use it because he didn’t invent the telephone …”

“How come he didn’t invent the telephone then, Mr. Know It All?” Justin challenged the resident expert on Leonardo da Vinci.

“Because he was too busy inventing the lamp post, Sweetheart,” the resident expert replied.

“Well,” Justin got the point, “better to do the more important things first.”

And as if taking his own advice, Justin initiated another pause in the discussion – with no objection at all from Brian – and actually maybe a little encouragement.

“Hey, Brian,” Justin eventually returned to the evening’s topic. “I never heard any of those songs before – but you know what – remember how we don’t have any song that’s like – our song. Ethan and Tom have their song – and Mikey and Ben have their song – and I think even Jason and Brandon have a special song – but we don’t – well I think we do now. I don’t know all the words cause I never heard it before but I want to hear it again …You know which one I mean?”

”Those are all Julie Styne songs, Baby,” Brian told him. “With Betty Comden and Adolph Green lyrics. Comden and Green were good friends of Judy Holiday and wrote Bells Are Ringing just for her. And I just happen to know all the lyrics too – but you know how I sing so …”

”You know all the lyrics, Kinney?” Justin reacted with some surprise. “I think you might be kidding – but if you’re not kidding then you must know which song I mean – at least I hope you do.”

“Well,” Brian told him, “The biggest hit in the show was – I’ll just recite it so we don’t have to put up with my singing:

‘The party’s over. It’s time to call it a day.
They’ve burst your pretty balloon and taken the moon away…’”

 

“No no no – not that one at all, Brian,” Justin stopped him. “That’s a beautiful song - but it’s sad and it’s not about us. Our party isn’t over and never will be. You know that’s not the one I mean. You’re teasing …”

“Must be this one then,” Brian offered:
 

“'Just in time. I found you just in time.
Before you came my time was running low.
I was lost. The losing dice were tossed.
My bridges all were crossed. Nowhere to go’”

 

“No not that one either,” Justin stopped him again – laughing this time. “That one could serve in a pinch – but that is a lot more your song than my song – and you know it too – and you’re just like – picking on me – but you’re not gonna get away with it either, Kinney. Now you do the song I want – and now you have to sing it too – and I’ll just pretend you’re some great singer like Frank Sinatra or Rod Stewart …”

“Maybe it would be better if we got one of those guy’s records, Baby,” Brian suggested. “I can get it tomorrow. I think that would be better …”

“But it is not mine and Frank’s song, Sweetheart,” Justin pointed out. “And it is not mine and Rod’s song either, Sweetheart – so why do I need to hear them sing it? Nope, it’s the guy I love who I want to hear sing it – and you’re that guy so …”

“OK, Baby,” Brian gave in. “You win. I know the one you mean. Stop me when you’ve heard enough though:

‘Long before I knew you. Long before I met you.
I was sure I’d find you, someday, somehow.
I pictured someone who’d walk and talk the way that you do,
And make me feel like you do – right now.
All that was long before I held you. Long before I kissed you.
Long before I touched you and felt this glow.
But now you really are here and now at last I know
That long before I knew you, I loved you so.’
 

Hey, Baby, you let me get all the way through it – and singing it too. You forgot to stop me…”

But Justin did not answer. In fact, nothing more was said at all – by either of them. Nor did anything else need to be said. That part of this particular party was over.

But it did seem like the guys had definitely found “their” song.
 

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