The Night We Met. Rob Byrnes

day.”

      “That’s okay,” he said. “I’m not one of those people who believe that you can’t change first impressions.” He laughed. “If I was, then I’d still think of you as a woman.”

      At one point during the performance, as two male cast members sang of covering each other with one thousand kisses, I bravely reached over and squeezed Frank’s elbow.

      He grinned.

      On the other side of me, I heard Denise hiss a muted, “Andrew!”

      I ignored her and squeezed Frank’s biceps, as the actors sang of finding a new lease on life through love.

      Of course, I already knew that one of the lovers would die later in the show, but I had a knack for ignoring such fine points.

      All that mattered was the illusion of romance. Whether the illusion was on the stage or part of my very real life didn’t matter very much. I was flexible.