Late November, 1963 on a bitingly cold evening, Doctor Lambed Kroner stood outside a Chicago burlesque house contemplating the forbidden joys to be witnessed inside by a newly turned 18 year old from the sticks of northern New York. He had recently completed his U.S. Navy recruit training at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center and was on a weekend liberty while waiting for his Hospital Corps school training to start on the 5Th of December. President Kennedy had been assassinated a week before and he was in need of strong distraction; this was just the ticket. Yesserie, watching beautiful women preforming a striptease would take his mind off all his cares and woes.

Moving toward the entrance doors he felt a tug on his peacoat sleeve. Turning to his right he found himself face to face with the beautiful face of a young women who said to him, "you don't really want to go in THERE do you?" He stared into her eyes, his mouth agape, barely able to shake his head let alone utter a coherent reply. "You don't remember me do you?" she said. As he was shaking his head no, and wishing so in his heart that he could nod yes, she went on; "weren't you in the USO earlier this afternoon?" Nodding yes in his doltish bewilderment he squeaked out a "yes." "I'm Lillian, the girl who gave you the stamps you needed to mail your letter home, remember?" she said.

He looked more closely at her but with a stocking cap pulled down around her ears and a wide turned-up collar, mid calf length wool coat wrapped around her body there wasn't much to.....wait, those shoes; those black sueded open toed shoes. Oh yes indeed, now he remembered; the beautiful dark haired girl with the infectious smile and cheery, lilting, alto voice who he had met all too briefly that afternoon at the USO. Yes he remembered staring after her and admiring the swell of her calf as it grew out of the black toeless wedge heeled shoe, as she walked away. He remembered too when she had glanced back over her right shoulder and smiled back at him as if she knew exactly what he was thinking.

"Yes Lillian I remember you" he said sheepishly, now embarrassed to be caught getting ready to go in to the burlesque house.

"There's a dance tonight at the USO, I was going to go but felt uncomfortable going without a date," she said. "Would you like to go? There's no charge and there'll be food and some punch. Sorry no alcohol though" she added smiling. Then she, blushing with embarrassment, said, "I'm sorry, that was very forward of me, and besides, I see you have other plans."

Taking her mittened hand in his, he said, "I'd like to go with you very much, thankyou for asking me.

Off they strolled, down Michigan Avenue, the sailor and the pretty girl in the black open toed shoes with the wedge shape heels .