Before During and After AIDS

King's Friend Scott Remembering! 

Joan had asked me if would like to write a couple of short stories that I can recall from the time that I spent with my good friend, King Kleski. When I sat down and started remembering, I discovered that there were so very many memories to choose from. So, I thought for a few days and got out my pictures and made my decision.

I would like to start by explaining how King and I met. John and King moved down here from Ohio. They both got a job at the Pick Kwik store on St. Pete drive in Oldsmar, Florida. At just about that same time, I moved to the area from Sarasota, Florida, and was living with a young man I will call Pat. I got a job at the other Pick Kwik store on the other side of town at Racetrack Road in Oldsmar. At that time, I was going out partying way too much. John and King would always have to come over to Pat’s and wake me because I never made it to work on time. Anyway, King and John went their separate ways, and King moved into the condos behind Winn Dixie in Forest Lakes.

King’s sister, Lori, and her family, lived with King, I think for about a year. For whatever reason, Lori and her family moved out to be on their own, that left King with no roommate. I needed to move from where I lived. John and Norman talked me into going over to talk with King about living with him and sharing expenses. I did not know King very well at this time. I had no idea what kind of person he was. He made a very good impression on me. I decided to move in with King, and we remained roommates for three years. King had to be the best roommate I ever had. Within those three years, King’s family took me in and made me feel like I was a part of their family as well. That really made me feel good, and I would like to thank Joan and Richard and King’s family for the love they shared with me.

We decided to throw a big dinner and invite all our friends for a party. Most of our friends were there. There were about eight of us for dinner, I recall a few more showed up later that evening. We shared the cooking, as you can see. After dinner we all went in the dining room and played cards. We had a great time laughing out butts off and having a wonderful time just being together. Around midnight, we began to get bored. No one wanting to go home just yet, so we all got in our cars and proceeded to go to Dunedin, Florida, to meet up at Dallepes.

Dallepes was a local bar we used to hang out in at the time. About halfway there, going down SR 580 in Oldsmar, it started raining, and I mean RAINING. It rained so hard that I had a very hard time seeing where I was going. Of course, I blame it on the rain, but we all made it and kept the party going. I am sure we closed the place. Now King did not go out all that often, hardly ever, and I was glad that he decided to go with us.

There are two very funny memories that I have that I cannot forget which really make me laugh quietly when I think about King. First are King and his telephone. I never, ever have seen one person be on the phone so much and yet not speak. I would just look at him and wonder if there actually was someone on the other end. I threatened to get him one of those headsets, that way his hands would be free. If you talked to him on the phone and asked him a question, he would pause for the longest time before answering. It drove us crazy, but that is just the way King was.

The other memory I have is when King and I were going our separate ways after three years of living together. As we were packing and moving our belongings, we stopped for a few minutes and I went in to King’s bedroom where he was. He had stuffed animals placed on the headboard of his bed. All of them had been packed away and all that you could see on his headboard was several clean places in all the dust. We laughed so hard about that, and I have never forgotten the dust on his headboard.

I could sit here and tell other stories, for there are many. But one last memory is when King let me drive one of his Lincoln Town cars for he had many. I took it for a spin in the parking lot and hit every curb I could find. I was not used to driving a car that big. I thought he was going to crack up laughing at me. I never did drive any of his cars after that.

In closing, I would like to say that I think of King often, and I miss having him here to talk with. I am sure he is at peace and looking down and smiling with us.