Roberta's Intro

By Roberta Durra

I was raised in Chicago in an idyllic, suburbanish pocket called “Peterson Park”. We weren’t wealthy like those in the real suburbs, but I sure didn’t know. We had all we needed…a 1 mile wide radius filled with kids who walked to school together and hung out afterwards. Boys and girls riding bikes, throwing snowballs and just being kids. Girls getting crushes and boys, well, acting like boys.

It was in 5^th grade when our classes merged that David and I met. He was a teacher’s pet kinda guy…that is, if the teacher had a scheming weasel for a pet. David tells it as though I liked him “as a boyfriend”. Ok…maybe for 5 minutes, but certainly NOT on the day we triple dated. The girls rode sidesaddle on the back of the boy’s bikes to play miniature golf. When we arrived I was rudely greeted with a jarring “David Loves Helayne” boldly graffitied at the front entrance. The highlight of this, our first (and last) date, at the tender age of 10 was when David, trying to look macho, climbed over a chain-link fence and ripped open the back of his pants. He played the 18-hole course constantly trying to cover up the gaping view to his tush. Not cool, David…not cool.

In high school David and I sat next to each other in band. While I attempted to play the flute, David sat to my left with his trombone. I can’t count the times I was channeling my inner Ian Anderson when David would slowly disconnect the end of my flute, rendering my brilliant performance, and me mute. That, or he would open his trombone spit valve over my shoe. He feels badly about this now, and has graciously said next time we get together I can drool on his shoe. That’s the kind of guy David is. Thank you Davie. I forgive you.

We’ve been friends ever since 5^th grade. The kind of friends who share a past, haven’t always been involved in each others present, but care a heck of a lot about each other. Oh, and we make each other LAUGH. A lot. So we figured since we think we are such amusing, interesting and talented people, why not share our musings with the rest of you and have you decide if we are any of the above.

Who am I?? My name is Roberta Lynn Goldfine Falck-Pedersen Durra. David calls me Bertram. I don’t know why. He made it up about 45 years ago and has been calling me that ever since. And why do I have such a long name? Is it because I wanted to make it difficult for old friends to find me on Facebook? Nah. It’s because I’ve been married and divorced a couple of times. Hey…nobody’s perfect. Now I live with a great guy who makes me laugh and doesn’t care about adding his last name to the list. I also have an 18-year-old boy, raised in Venice Beach, California.  Surfs up, dude!