Thirty years ago this month I was working for ABC News and had been asked to attend the Montreaux Jazz Festival in Switzerland; oh the labors I’ve endured! Cindy and I arrived and were greeted as though we were important since ABC was sponsoring some events and our little pins seemed to get us invitations to all sorts of VIP events. One was a private cocktail party for the artists who were to perform at the festival. The venue was a lovely park, overlooking Lake Geneva, owned by the hotel, and the catering and service were impeccable. As we wandered about with Champagne in our hands, Cindy would gently remind me to close my gaping mouth - the scenery and guests were that jaw dropping.
At one point I noticed that Roberta Flack was having a conversation with someone at a small table by the shore. Roberta and I were in graduate school together at the University of Massachusetts, and in fact I was the teaching assistant in a course she had taken. When there was an opening I approached her and introduced Cindy and myself, reminding her of our time together at UMASS. I’m sure she didn’t know who I was but she was very gracious and made like she remembered, and we began talking about mutual friends from UMASS and where they were now. Cindy and I were celebrating our seventh anniversary and I told Roberta how romantic it was for us to be able to be in Montreaux for the festival. She asked if we were attending her performance that evening and we told her we wouldn't miss it for the world and we hoped that she would be singing "Killing Me Softly." She assured us that she would.
That evening we were seated in a box that had a fantastic view of the stage and we enjoyed all of her performance, but when it ended she had not sung Killing Me Softly. This was a bit disappointing, but only for a little while. She sang the song as an encore and looked directly at us, or so it seemed, for the entire time. It was, to say the very least, a very special way to celebrate our anniversary.
Yesterday was our 37th anniversary, thirty years after Montreaux. I didn’t think a romantic dinner, fine wines or special cards would be enough to let Cindy know how much I still cherish our marriage so I learned how to play Killing Me Softly on the guitar and accompanied myself as I serenaded her as a surprise before dinner. Thank you, Roberta Flack!
Best wishes, Cindy and William
