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~ Renee ~ I came to know Jeff through Boulder Roasters in my early twenties about a decade ago. At that time, there was a group of men that would sit and talk about many things. Not like today where the topic of conversation tends to be about counting remaining brain cells. Jeff was part of this crew and I think the men really loved to hear of his adventures, but, at the same time, were a bit jealous (understatement) of his charisma. "Even the most ardent of lesbians light up and make him a better bagel than me," I can recall one of them saying. Anyway, I enjoyed watching the dynamics of this coffee klatch. Everyone also read the Independent on a regular basis and often the conversations would revolve around whatever issue was ensuing at the time. One time, I don't think anything particularly interesting was in this paper and I found myself reading through the personals including the Men Looking For Men section. (Sometimes there is nothing left to do); In this section, there was an ad that read: "I saw you/ you were at Boulder Roasters/ Well, there was no doubt who this leather-clad stranger was and I laughed, because it was always amazing the effect Jeff had on virtually everybody. Strong enough to take a Desperately Seeking Susan ad in a local rag begging to meet him. However, I did not talk about this ad to the coffee klatch for several weeks, because, being in my early twenties, I guess I thought I had an appearance to maintain and cruising the Men Looking For Men section didn't fit. (I am glad I don't have the energy for maintaining appearances anymore, life is so much more interesting now). I don't know how it came up in the coffee klatch one day, but one of the staples brought it up. "Did you see that ad?" he asked and EVERYONE, at least five of us, just started to howl. "Yes, yes!" We had seen the ad. "God, how does Jeff do it?" one guy asked. Another laughed, "I swear to God, what is it about him? He's got it coming from all directions. Do you think he's seen this ad?" Then, there was a hush and someone said, "Uh, I don't think he reads the Men Looking For Men section of the Independent. In fact, what the hell were you guys doing looking through it?" Again, laughter to the brink of crying ensued. It was a good day at the coffee shop and I think we always wondered if Jeff ever saw the ad, but nobody ever was brave enough to ask. In recalling this story, again I am reminded how much I am going to miss my friend Jeff; he was one of a kind and, although he might not have known it, he brought a lot of people joy. I wish I would have told him. A lesson learned. ____________________________________________________
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