SCOTT

                                                                                                              May, 19, 2017

     I am very excited about going to New York to see the play, "Marvin's Room" written by Scott McPherson. I am lucky that I got to know Scott in college.  I had a terrible crush on him and it didn't take me long to realize that he didn't feel the same. It was fine by me.  I loved being friends with him.  He was writing when we were in an improv group the summer before I broke my back, but at the suggestion of our professor, he wrote a play about the death of his brother which happened that fall.  I couldn't figure out why he was coming to Columbus so much to visit me in the hospital and here his brother was in a motorcycle accident and he was killed.  So Scott was going back and forth to Columbus to be with his family and would stop by and see me.  One thing he used to say after he saw a play was, "I laughed.  I cried.  I went into labor."  He was so cute and so sweet.  After he found out I was paralyzed and in the hospital, he immediately sent flowers.  My mother met him and could not get over how kind he was.  The first to call, the first to send flowers.  When I found out from other friends that his brother was killed, I felt horrible.  Then he called and I asked about it.  I was depressed myself and this just about sent me over the edge.  I didn't know what to say except if there was anything that I could ever do to help him, to please let me know.  He said the same thing back.  I told him that I was so sad, that I didn't want to see anyone, and Scott said that maybe I didn't need to see them, but they needed to see me.  For some reason, that made me feel better and I could accept visitors a little more graciously.  He told me that so many people came to his parents' house with food after his brother was killed and they really didn't need anymore food, but their friends needed to bring it.  What a sweet thing.  One time when he was visiting, he asked me if I ever heard about the man who had a horrible illness and healed himself with laughter.  I said yes and he said, "Well....", and he started making faces at me.  It was very funny without being funny.  He told me years later why he came out of the closet.  He said that after his brother died he was making tea and looked at the teabag with two sides.  He said he could either look at it as a bad thing or look at it like a great reminder to live life to the fullest.  He said that he was always attracted to men, but would never tell anyone. He didn't know what people would think of him.  He said he realized that we could die tomorrow, and it wouldn't matter what people thought of him. So that was it.  He came out.  And after college moved to Chicago.  Then came Marvin's Room.  And then he got sick.  When I spoke to him, he seemed to manage his illness so well.  Then it really escalated and his boyfriend, Daniel Sotomayer died from complications of AIDS. Right after Daniel died, Scott was in the hospital and  I asked how he felt about everything.  First he said, "Well there is that new fall lineup happening on ABC."  Always a joke.  He then said how lucky he was and most people don't get to have such love in their life like he had with Daniel.  Scott was only 33 when he died in 1993.  Too young.  

     I am meeting two friends that knew him.  Wendy and Elane.  I haven't seen these two in 30 years.  Wendy was much closer to Scott than I was. Elane and I did stand up comedy together in school.  They are as crazy as I am.  It will be quite a reunion.  Hopefully, I will laugh, I will cry, and I will go into labor.