No. 629 – Runaway

Performer: Jefferson Starship

Songwriter: Nicholas Dewey

Original Release: Earth

Year: 1978

Definitive Version: None

For most of the first year that we dated, Laurie and I had a long-distance relationship. It was ideal in that we could maintain our separate lives but still have some great times together. The fact that it also because of its nature prevented me from exhibiting some of my more unfortunate early-dating insecurities was a bonus.

But I was no fool. I assumed Laurie had lots of opportunities to date other guys in Chicago. She was going out a lot, whereas I spent most of my free time hunched over a computer working on my research. As far as I was concerned, it wasn’t any of my business if she were dating someone in Chicago, and I honestly didn’t worry about it.

This song resonated with me during this time, particularly the final line. If someone took Laurie from me, I would run away—to Los Angeles, which was the plan anyway. In other words, it was a no-lose situation for me, which might explain why I handled it with a newfound maturity that would have served me well as a younger man. Oh well, water under the bridge.

Early on, an interesting thing happened during one of my visits. We went back to her place one night, and there was a message on her answering machine. When I heard it was a guy, before Laurie could say anything, I excused myself. As I said, it was none of business what she did when I wasn’t around.

I was lying on the bed when Laurie came in, and I just asked, “Is everything cool?” She said it was a guy she dated briefly before we met, who had gone his own way. Now, it seemed he was looking for a bit of a booty call after having not touched base for a few months. I smiled and said, “He’s too late to the party.”

THAT was the correct answer, as she showed me the rest of the night.

As fate would decree, we ran into him a year or so later, after I had moved to Chicago. Laurie and I went to see Tributosaurus become Dire Straits (my least favorite show of theirs, by the way), and he was there. This wasn’t a complete shock, because she had met him through a mutual acquaintance.

He and Laurie spoke for a while after the show—there had been no bad blood or anything like that at the time and certainly none after more than a year—and Laurie then introduced me. I don’t know what he thought about that, but it wasn’t bad for me, because unless he were packing some serious wallet, I saw no competition, which is always good for the ol’ sensitive ego.

We went our separate ways into the dark of night, and I couldn’t resist giving Laurie a friendly jab, quoting one of my favorite movies—Silverado: “You used to ride with that guy?”

That was also the correct answer.