Marfrelee's is a speakeasy type of place, no windows, no sign on the outside, and a place you think of yourself as in-the-know to go to. In the 80s when I was much younger, it had a mythical reputation behind it of a dreamlike place a la Blue Velvet. Few of my generation had much experience there, and we knew of it only by hearsay. It was rumoured to be a dark place and upstairs there were couches and room partitions where you might take your date for a private tete-a-tete and, ... We thought it would be A Sure Thing.
Now because, or maybe in spite of this perception, not many people I knew would frequent Marfrelee's. Perhaps the suggestion of even going there was too forward, too bold. But it was there beckoning, in fact right next to two others places regularly frequented by the 20-something crowd of the day, XIT and Birraporetti's. There might as well have been a red light outside of Marfrelee's, right next to the "safe" places and yet so far away.
So one fall week, I happened to be out during the week and ran into some friends I knew pretty well, and they were a group of young women. One of them I didn't know but of course I realized that she was quite pretty. When we were introduced, I had to nearly bite my lip - she was "Abby" - a cheerleader from our days in middle school, one of the "finest" girls of that class. Now of course, she didn't know me then, had not idea that we had gone to middle school together years ago, and I was happy not to remind her of those days. It was a fresh start for me and for us!
Thereafter from that night, I got her number from our mutual friend and called to ask her out, and she accepted. We went for dinner and then a drink or two at XIT. As things progressed during the night, she must have gently inquired, what next? With the courage of a soldier, I suggested "Why don't we go next door to Marfrelee's? Good idea she said. [cue the music]
We went next door and the hostess escorted us upstairs to the couches. It wasn't quite as tawdry as I expected, more like going into a room in a home where no one else was. I think there were curtains but there was a hallway of sorts where the waitresses were going in and out. Lights were low but not completely dark.
In this hallway as we were going to our private sitting area, Abby and I were somewhat surprised to see.... someone we had both gone to middle school with. In fact he was "Jeff" who was Abby's boyfriend in middle school. They were the classic football/cheerleader All American Couple that Everybody Loved back then. They were the popular ones.
And here, at Marfrelees', 10 years later, in the inner sanctum, was I, out on a date going great with Abby, and Jeff was simply an onlooker. I felt I had struck a blow for all Late Bloomers in Middle School. Anthony Michael Hall would have been proud. I know I was.
I never let on to Abby that we had all gone to school together, or how that moment made me feel. Needless to say, that was the high point of the night. We had a nice drink and conversation upstairs in Marfrelee's and it was a most pleasant time. That's it. Afterwards I took her home and we said goodbye with a handshake. We never went out again, and I think she might have moved to make it big in New York City. It wouldn't surprise me if she is still there.
Twenty five years later, I'll remember that evening for a long, long time. I'm sorry to see Marfrelee's close, as it did live up to its lofty reputation as a magical place. I guess that makes me a real sentimentalist.
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