[3830] CQ160 CW K1DG(@N1LI) Single Op HP

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                    CQ 160-Meter Contest, CW

Call: K1DG
Operator(s): K1DG
Station: N1LI

Class: Single Op HP
QTH: Maine
Operating Time (hrs): 26

Summary:
Total:  QSOs = 1400  State/Prov = 58  Countries = 65  Total Score = 727,545

Club: Yankee Clipper Contest Club

Comments:

When I got off the ferry in Portland Sunday night there were two guys in the
parking garage standing next to my car. One was an older fellow, and looked a
lot like pictures I’ve seen of Hiram Percy Maxim. He puffed quietly on his
pipe. The other one wore a dark raincoat, wool hat, and a scarf pulled tight
against the cold night air. He spoke.

“K1DG, we’ve got bad news.”

How did they know my call?  Oh, right…the callsign plates on my car.

“Leave me alone. I’ve got a long drive home and haven’t had a lot of
sleep this weekend.”

“We know. You were with her. But it’s over.”

The words hit me hard. It was true - I had spent the weekend with the big girl,
trying to win her back. 

Things hadn’t been right for a year. She’d had an affair with that guy down
south. Peter was his name. They’d been lovers in the past, but I had won her
heart back in 09. She really liked my place in Maine, and for a couple of
years, we were on top of the world. But she had changed. I guess it was a
cyclical kind of thing.

The older gent turned his gaze from the waterfront to me. He took his pipe out
of his mouth and spoke softly.

“I’ve seen this before. Ham meets band. Ham falls in love with band. Things
go well for a while, then his eye and ear begin to roam. He finds other bands,
she longs for her old lovers, and soon it’s over.”

He was right. I thought I had done the right thing this weekend. I brought her
a gift…a magic box that let me talk to both Europe and America at the same
time. She had always complained that I couldn’t do two things at the same
time, and she had been right. I hoped the magic box would make it better.

Friday night got the weekend off to a rough start. She was giving me the silent
treatment. I suggested a foreign film - something European. But no. She had no
interest in the Europeans and wouldn't hear of it. And when her temper flares
like this, there’s just nothing you can do about it. All she wanted to do was
watch American reality shows, while I wanted something more exotic. I was so
upset I even left her before the sun rose Saturday morning. I decided that if
she was in the same mood Saturday night, I would call it quits.

But her mood was better Saturday and we had an impromptu house party. The magic
box worked perfectly. All of our old friends dropped by, and we were chatting
with Americans and Europeans all night. During one hour, 100 Europeans signed
the guest book. It was a great time. When the Europeans left, the Pacific and
South Americans came by to tell us about their travels.

“But I built that box for her. I'm trying to make things better.”

The younger one stared at me with a look of disapproval.

“And that was supposed to make up for what you did during the fall?
Really?”

He was right. No gift could make up for my bad behavior. I had been unfaithful.
Back in October I had gone to a party and saw some old lovers. And then in
November I went to a party with some friends - the Admiral, the transplanted
Texan, and the Bulgarian kid. It was no ordinary party - more like an orgy. Oh,
sure I spent some quality time with the big girl late at night, but during the
daytime I was obsessed with her sisters. One of them looks 15, but I know
she’s really 21. We’ve been together before and had some great times, but
she’d been away for a few years. And her younger sister - she’s a “10”
if ever there was one. I hadn’t seen her since she was a kid. Her interest in
radio had been sporadic, but now she’s all grown up now and looking for
adventure. Naturally, I obliged and showed her around. We ran all day, and
visited friends all over the world. It was a weekend I'll never forget.

I should have felt guilty, but I didn't. I never promised 160 that our
relationship was exclusive. I thought she understood that.

There was an uncomfortable silence in the garage. I examined the strangers'
faces, and realized I had seen these two guys before…at Dayton. They knew
everything. The older fellow said “You know she’ll be happier with him.”

It was true. Peter’s whole family had been smitten with her for as long as
anyone could recall. There was a lot of history, especially with his brother,
who kept seeing her even after he moved to Canada. I thought about my own
family. Maybe my brother-in-law has it right. He's kind of a rate junkie and
lives in a shack across town with just a dipole to his name but he's the only
ham family I have. For years he he’s been telling me to play the field and
not get tied down to any one band. He even introduced me to that girl from the
penthouse apartment on the 50th floor, and we’d had quite a fling for a few
years. She seems to have moved away though. I see her up there in the summer
occasionally. Last summer she called to invite me out for Japanese food, but I
was busy that night and missed out. But I heard that she may be moving back in
a year or two. Hmm.

I guess it’s better this way. Peter’s really the right guy for the big
girl. They’ve always been happy together. I’ll still see her now and then,
and maybe I can get her back in a few years.

“It’s not really the end, is it? Does she still have feelings for me?”

“Oh, sure. She’ll always be there when you need her.” 

I turned away to wipe a tear from my eye, and fumbled for my car keys. When I
turned back, the two were gone. Only the smoke from the old man's pipe
remained.

It was a long ride home. I think I’ll take a trip to get my mind off losing
her. Maybe a cruise. I hear Finland is nice in February.


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