Written by Rocky Saxbe

The Bexley Pool was the site of one of the regular TGIF gatherings that brought together teenagers from the East side of Columbus to listen to DJ Kenny Stone spin the latest hits, dance, circulate, flirt, and sometimes fight. It was there I first laid my eyes on Suzy Sloan. I was 16, and she was 14.

As Suzy walked by me with an entourage of pretty girlfriends, oblivious to my gawking, I asked my friend, Pam Fink, “Who is that!” She responded, “That’s Suzy Sloan.” Just then, I was blindsided with a shove from a snarling blond, flat-topped Bexley jock who had caught me staring at Suzy. It turned out Suzy was dating his friend, the captain of the football team. “What are you looking at, Tweed,” he spat. Shaken, I started to stammer a reply when Pam interceded, assured the Toad jock I was only looking and successfully urged him and his friends to move on.

They moved on. And I moved on, never expecting that Suzy and I would meet in San Francisco six years later and begin a love affair that has lasted now for over 50 years.