He commented that he liked my Ramones t-shirt and wanted to know where I got it. "Urban Outfitters," I said "but they're so common now you probably don't want one."

I felt the need to make some kind of comment about his. His t-shirt was retro and read 'Lets Get Physical' It showed a silhouette of a women, sitting with her leg extended as though stretching. She wore leg warmers and had a short 80's haircut.

"Olivia Newton John" I asked? Pointing to his shirt. The 80's were hazy for me but I thought she had done a song by that name.

"No" he said excitedly "but I used to love her."

He cocked his head to one side.

"When I was a kid I thought she was a cheerleader for the Bengals Football Team. I think my dad told me that. When we lived in Texas my dad got me to watch an entire football game between Cincinnati and Texas by telling me that we could see Olivia Newton John on the side lines cheering with the other cheerleaders. Each time I got up to use the bathroom or get something to drink my dad would yell out. "She's on!!!" and I would run back into the TV room but I would just miss her"

He laughed as he told the story.

It seemed sad more than funny, but I laughed too out of obligation. It might have been funny if Eric wasn't so feminine and obviously gay. Wasn't his father making fun of him because of this? His father probably and correctly suspected his son's sexual orientation. I wonder if he thought that by tricking his son into watching a football game it would make him less 'girlie'. It seems to me that if you have to trick your son into watching football with the reward of seeing Olivia Newton John, chances are you are too late. Other than questioning why those men get to slap each others asses, I doubt many more questions are raised. I have a mental picture of a young Eric scanning the field for Olivia and keeping his mind off the fact that he has to go to the bathroom.

I wonder if his dad ever tells that story to his friends in an attempt to show that he did everything he could for the boy but he turned out queer anyway. Maybe not. Maybe his dad just wanted to watch the game with his son. Maybe he doesn't care if his son would rather watch Olivia and football. Maybe the only one trying to find some silly meaning in this story is me and in this story I don't matter.

I did have to agree with Eric, Olivia looked hot after she got all tramped out in Grease. I didn't see Xanadu so I have no opinion on that. Actually the more I think about it, watching a football game because you might see Olivia Newton John in a cheerleading outfit seems like a pretty good idea.