I met Sharon when I moved to Florida and got a job at the city's recreation department. She was this tall, dark-headed, bundle of energy, and light that didn't let anything or anyone get her down. She was full of laughter and silliness and a happiness that made people smile. She was only eighteen then, but wise beyond her years, having lived more in eighteen years than I had at twenty-five. I credit her with showing me the world.
Our first meeting - I was sitting in the front office area at the welcome area, which back then was a high, chest level wooden counter that jutted outside for the customers, and ran inside along the window and to the left, giving us a desk area. An old fashioned cash register sat to the right of the window, and a swivel bar stool was where we sat to take the patron's money. The door leading into the entrance foyer of the building was to the right of the cash register, and behind the bar stool was an open entrance that led into the guard room, the manager's office, and the door to the pool area.
I was sitting at the bar stool quietly running through my head the instructions on how to use the cash register when the door from the pool area opened. I turned to see who was coming in the door, and Sharon entered, moving quickly and stealthily. She muttered she had my back, and then she sprinted from the door to the other side of the open entrance, flattening against the wall out of sight from anyone entering the foyer. She outstretched her arms above her head, hands clasped together, pointer fingers straight out, thumbs raised in the shape of a gun. She peeked her head out from behind the wall, and then, as the door to the building opened, she jumped out, arms straight out, gun hands pointed, and she yelled, "Freeze! Cagney and Lacey!"
I fell off the stool, laughing. As a fan of Cagney and Lacey, not to mention my fantasy of becoming a private investigator, I immediately loved her and her sense of humor. We worked that entrance into that guard room and office together many times, alternating who was Cagney and who was Lacey since we both had dark hair, much to the dismay of our co-workers.
She was everything I wasn't--she had no fear, tried everything and anything, and her motto was: "I was born to do this." We believed her. She was a sponge when it came to soaking up information from sources, and she had a memory that retained it all.
Today, she is all of that and more. She's the most determined person I know, and if she's knocked down, she will crawl and fight until she's on her feet again, smiling.
On meeting my mother - When my mother came to town, and I had to work, Sharon volunteered to pick her up, sight unseen, and to show her the area. Sharon drove a little blue pick up truck back then, and after picking up my mom, she edged on to the ramp to merge onto our busiest highway. Suddenly, she jammed on her brakes, opened her car door, hopped out in the middle of the ramp, ran to the side of the road, picked up a beer can, and jumped back into the car, handing the can to my mother as she put the truck back into traffic. "Cara, told me you collect beer cans off the sides of the road," she said, "Here's one from this area." My mother loved her from then on.
Our routine - Sharon and I worked "the night shift," which meant our hours were from 1:00 pm to 9:30 pm, and we closed down the pool. We were a great team and could get things done quickly and efficiently, and then we would head to Chilis, where we talked and talked over several margaritas. That's where I really learned about Sharon's past, her strengths, and her fears, and she learned about mine. She was easy to talk to, had a lot of ideas, suggestions, and comments, and she always had an answer to solving any problem. She refused to let life get her down, and she pulled me out of the doldrums more times than I can count.
Things in common - Big feet, love of basketball, Larry Bird, and the Boston Celtics, height, the gift of gab, more knowledge than the rest of our co-workers, excellent teaching skills, strength when backed against a wall, humility, kindness, love of margaritas, common sense, swimming, motherhood, an excellent sense of humor, silliness, love.
Her biggest downfall - She was a speeder. "I was born to drive." The city where we worked had its own police department, and two of the officers used to come into the pool in the evening to workout. One night while I was taking one of the officer's money at the front desk, Sharon came barreling into the office. She looked at the officer. "I know you," she said. He looked at her and then pointed. "Corner of CR1 and Curlew". Both officers knew her well, and she always sweet-talked her way out of a ticket. Most of the time. Once, we both ended up in traffic school together.
Crazy things we did together:
- We once went to a country concert with a handful of different acts, including Garth Brooks, the Judds, Alabama, Sawyer Brown, etc. It lasted until two o'clock in the morning, and we couldn't hear for like a week afterward.
- When we would see suspicious activity while driving, Sharon would pull her car out of traffic while I pretended to throw the cop light on top of the vehicle, and we would pretend we were going to make an arrest.
The thing I admired most about her: After Sharon had her first baby, she had trouble nursing, and I went to stay with her for a weekend. She really wanted to nurse, so I taught her everything I had learned from my crazy issues with nursing. We set timers, and every two hours, we worked together to get that kid to latch on to the breast. Sharon made appointments to have him weighed and looked at to make sure he was getting enough food. She was bound and determined, and she hung in. When I left, her kid was sucking like a pro, and Sharon was an expert. Nothing stops her.
Sharon eventually left town to seek a more adventurous life, but we stayed in touch, and when she returned, it was as if she had never been gone.
She encouraged me to date Tom. We went into business together, vacationed together, got married, and had kids. We got older. Through it all we have stayed friends. I can't imagine my life without her. She is my rock, whether she knows it or not. When I am genuinely down, she is the one I call because she is the only one who can lift me up. I love her dearly.
Happy Birthday Sharon Lea. May your next year be filled with love and light.
