A Front Row Seat by Nancy Olson Livingston

Author:Nancy Olson Livingston [Nancy Olson Livingston]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780813196190
Publisher: University Press of Kentucky
Published: 2022-11-22T05:00:00+00:00

After Alan graduated from Penn, he was inducted into the army and served as a private in the infantry; however, he could never accept being one of thousands directed by a sergeant who told the group when they had to turn out the lights, use the bathroom, and obey his command no matter how ridiculous and trivial it seemed. He was determined to become an officer, but there was one small problem. He was nearsighted and knew he would never pass the eye test.

Alan’s ingenuity and resourcefulness have always astounded me. He somehow managed to get a photograph of the eye chart and memorized it so thoroughly that he could read any line forward or backward. After he completed the recitation of the letters perfectly, the doctor took his instrument and peered into Alan’s pupil, murmuring, “This is amazing. You are clearly near-sighted, but you have adjusted your eyesight to compensate. You are one in a million people who can accomplish this.” Alan became a lieutenant.

It was at this time, in 1942, that he married Elaine Osterweil. They decided they would like to have a short honeymoon at a resort in the Bahamas, and when Alan called to make a reservation for Mr. and Mrs. Alan Levison, the hotel replied, “We are a restricted resort and cannot accept your reservation.” Alan waited twenty minutes before he called back and made a reservation for Mr. and Mrs. Alan Livingston, which was arranged immediately. He then called Jay and said, “Your name is now Jay Livingston,” and said to his father and mother, “You are now Mr. and Mrs. Maurice Livingston.” Right or wrong, Alan couldn’t be persuaded otherwise, and everyone in the family applied for a new birth certificate in their new name.

When I met Alan, he was as deeply unhappy with his life as I was with mine. But our commitment to each other started the moment we said, “I do.” When I look at the pictures of our wedding day, one in particular touches me deeply. Liza and Jenny are hugging me passionately, and Alan, leaning over us, is smiling like the Cheshire cat. I would like to imagine that he was thinking, “Look what I just got—the jackpot!”

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