It all started last year during the fall. I had left my parents? apartment on the upper west side of Central Park to go to the Metropolitan Opera when I saw the leaves on the trees turning color, all those leaves which had once been green were now drying up and showing themselves in a variety of colors. Brown, yellow, orange and red were the colors that served as a flag for this time of year. My senses also made me aware of a freshness in the air that had not been there for sometime.

All these were signs that summer had come to an end and that the fall had gotten off to its glorious start. I can honestly state that this time of year is my favorite and as I looked around I could see why I had always considered this time of year which we Americans call the fall to be so energizing. Fall's crisp air had brought about a sharp contrast to summer's stifling heat and humidity, the coming of fall had cooled the air and given me back the vitality, which had been taken from me by the mentally and physically oppressive summer. I could even feel myself putting more steam in my step then l had done in a long time as I walked down the streets of this town which was slowly coming back to life.


To me fall meant first and above all the beginning of the opera season which was of particular importance as I am a man whose adoration of opera had guided him to become both a student at the New York school of Music, who just happened to be in his last year as well as a member of the chorus at the Metropolitan Opera House, a place where on that particular evening I would find myself in however not as a performer but as another one of the 4000 spectators viewing that evening's performance of Richard Wagner's ?Gotterdammerung?.


I might add that events such as ?Halloween? and ?Thanksgiving? also helped to turn the fall into more then just another season, it was these secular holidays that served to transform the fall into a source of joy that lasted me through out the entire year.


The first of these two days on the calendar was Irish in its origins and gave everyone the perfect excuse to put on a costume, making it acceptable to look or just act silly. Of course there were those like my parents who always jumped at the chance to take their grandchildren ?trick or treating?, perhaps hoping to re-capture some of that youth which had not really left them yet but had definitely faded a little.


The second one of these two days on the calendar was undoubtedly the greatest ?American holiday?, whose raison d? etre was to reunite families and remind them of the need to be grateful not only for the things they had but for having one another on this day of days which was set aside by our forefathers just for the purpose of giving thanks.


Fall also brought with it the begging of the N.F.L. season, the start of the European football leagues as well as what we New Yorkers called the most important grand slam tournament in tennis ?The U.S. Open?. I always enjoyed watching an interesting game or match of any of these sports specially on Sundays.


The ?U.S. Open? was special because it unified my family as it was the only sporting event we attended as a family, this was due to the fact that we were given ?freebies? to the matches by my father's company which sponsored the event but what made all of us actually go was my sister whom we all wished to see win as she was a player on the A.T.P. tour, who baring injury would surely be competing in this year's open.


All these factors made me await the arrival of the fall with such longing that sometimes It seemed to me that I had spent the whole year waiting for the fall and the thrills that it and it alone could provide.


With regards to the way I looked, I had never come to think of myself as being handsome, l had always considered the matter of weather I was good-looking or not to be one that should be decided by others. However what I will say about my physical appearance is that l am rather on the tall side standing at 6 feet or 186 cm in height and weighing in at what I would call a lean though not slim 200 pounds or 90 kilos. My hair is a dark blonde what some might refer to as dirty blonde, my eyes are a light blue which made them look bigger then they really were, my nose refined and small (almost a carbon copy of my mother's), my mouth being the only part of my face that l was not happy with as l thought it too wide, reminding me of a frog's, however with time l did learn to accept its shape which was not pleasing to my eye but did help me sing those notes that for a smaller mouth might have been impossible or at least this is what my mother, the singing instructor had told me.


I had always taken special care in getting ready to go to the opera and that day had been no exception. I put on my only black tuxedo (which l had bought for operas as well as school recitals), a white shirt, a bow tie to match my shirt and a pair of very well shinned black shoes. I paid attention to every small detail from the way l combed my hair (which l always kept short) back with hair gel to the way l tried to make my complexion look flawless by asking and following my mother's advice on how to apply base after having used pimple cream. I had even gone to the trouble of getting a manicure. All these were the steps l always took when getting ready for the opera.


After having gone through this ritual, l checked to see that l was not forgetting to take any of the things that l might need such as the ticket, my wallet with my credit cards as well as some cash should l decide to get something to eat at a place that did not honor credit cards or hail a cab home but this was not really a problem as l could always ask one of the doormen to lend me money to pay for the cab ride though my mother did prefer me to refrain from doing this as this, to a certain extent was taking advantage of the doormen. I also saw to it that I had turned of everything that needed to be, like the air conditioner, stereo, my computer and the lights.


I remember leaving my parent's place to go to the first opera performance of the season at 4:45 p.m., an hour before I had agreed to meet my friends at the main entrance to the Metropolitan Opera House which is located at Lincoln Center. I left home 40 minutes earlier then I needed to in the hope of getting something to eat and that way avoid feeling hungry during the opera.