[Un leu, un leu... Chapter 6] Same time, same place, next Christmas

This is a continuation of the book "Un leu, un leu...", which was written in Romania by my late godfather and uncle Bill Edwards, and published by Evenimentul, a now defunct Romanian publishing company. The book is being released for the first time in English exclusively online here on Steemit, as a serial. I hope you enjoy his writings as much as I do!

Soon after I arrived in Bucharest, Romania as press attache at the American Embassy in September 1981, Samuel E. Fry, Jr. arrived to be Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM) - second in command at the embassy, after the Ambassador, Dr. David B. Funderburk. Sam, as we all called him at the embassy, was a tall, genial, informal New Englander. Ubiquitous and a hard worker, Sam would also relax with embassy staffers and members of other embassies and western businesses in the Bucharest diplomatic and commercial community. (Aside: check out this unclassified report I found that has Fry and Funderburk's names in them: http://www.modern-albania.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Shehu-death-03.pdf)

I remember a couple of very enjoyable and unique afternoons and evenings with Sam. One was the Christmas season of 1981. I had invited a group of friends and children to my apartment for a lunch. I distinctly remember Sam sitting on the floor playing with and entertaining a group of children surrounding him. That Christmas he played the part of Santa Clause - a long, tall, lanky Santa Clause. This was an honored role the Ambassador asked a different member of the Embassy staff to play each Christmas, while he was there, at the Christmas parties he and his wife Betty held at the residence for children of the embassy and their friends, including many Romanian tykes.

I was chosen one year - a very plump, black Santa Clause. I remember one of the children asking its parents, "Why was Santa Clause black this year?" I took joy in that parent's very diplomatic explanation, which went something like this— "Well, you see, Santa has to deliver toys to children from all over the world, and he can take on the appearance of children from all over the world. I think that Santa might be going to Africa to give the children there their toys after he leaves Romania and he wants to be black when he arrives there, so he has just changed his appearance early."

Another unique evening with Sam Fry was a situation announced by his official invitation to dinner. The invitation contained an invitation and tickets to attend a pre-dinner performance of the Romanian Circus at Dynamo Park, a very enjoyable performance followed by a very enjoyable dinner at the DCM's.

After a couple of years, Sam was transferred back to Washington, and I did not see him for many years after. This is until Christmas Eve of 1989. My friend Susan Luhrs and I were shopping for a goose and a Christmas tree at the Eastern Market in Washington, D.C. We were each looking around in different parts of the market, when Susan ran up to me excitedly saying, "Bill that man is the DCM from Bucharest! I met him when I visited you there." Sure enough, it was Sam Fry. We approached him and had a good long conversation with him, recapping our respective activities since we last saw each other.

As fate would have it the following year, Susan and I were again doing our last minute shopping for a Christmas goose and tree at Eastern Market when whom should we run into? You guessed it, Sam Fry. Sam and I, now both retired from the Foreign Service, and Susan again had a long conversation bringing each other up to date on mutual events of the past year, including the very sad news that a well liked and highly thought of colleague who had served with us in Romania - Ron Main - had just died in an untimely motorcycle accident in South Africa. On parting, as we warming shook hands and wished each other Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, we wistfully and smilingly looked at each other and almost simultaneously said, "We have to keep meeting like this. Same place, same time, next Christmas?"

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this story, be sure to read the rest of Bill's works that are being published exclusively here on Steemit:

• Chapter I: Four Corners
• Chapter III: Cat Food in Romania
• Chapter IV: My Story About the First American in my Family
• Chapter V: A Pot of Rice
• Chapter XII: A Tale of Two Rings