When we first met Leonard Davidson and he said he was from Mount Dale we all sort of looked at him strangely. None of us had heard of the city, knew where it was located, or, as Stan later commented, seen a real, living resident from Mount Dale, either. Leonard explained it was very much just a dot on the map in the middle of nowhere in the northern corner of the state. Evidently that vague description was enough for the rest of us because no one really brought it up again.
Leonard was the stereotypical first member of his family to go to college, the type of person who was very excited to be on his own and moving on with his life but also very much undecided as to what he wanted to do. A year before he may have had only a few ideas where life might lead him, now his options were endless (well, not really – there were only about 80 different undergraduate degrees he could opt for). Wisely, Leonard decided to try his hand at some business courses which he said would surely help him down the line in whatever he finally chose as his major.
Of the Octumvirate, Leonard was the only one who ever stopped by the radio station. I had mentioned I did news Tuesday and Thursdays mornings and after one of Leonard’s morning jogs he stopped in to see what it was I did. The semester was midway over at this point so I had grown somewhat familiar in my settings and was able to confidently show him around the studios. Always an inquisitive person, Leonard began asking questions of how things worked and the DJ on duty (either Mike or James) did his best to answer his questions. I actually thought for a second Leonard might actually become a Communication convert but he said later to me that while it looked fun, he really didn’t see anything more than pushing buttons. I never interpreted it as an insult, but I was somewhat surprised at the comment none the less. I recall countering with something along the lines that I do bookwork just like everyone else, but not every major allows a creative outlet like ours. (At this point, Stan probably clamored in something about a recital his music group was having, thereby adding another major that frequently displayed creativity.)
Leonard quickly faded from the Octumvirate during the second semester because of the arrival of Jimmy Wallen, who Stan proudly said was the second real, living resident from Mount Dale that he had ever laid eyes on. Jimmy didn’t seem to get the joke. Alas, Jimmy was a moon-faced kid who seemed completely out of his element. I have since passed through Mount Dale and if it wasn’t for the highway on the east side of town it would have disappeared years ago (there’s a huge grain elevator off the highway that serves as a defacto landmark but there is nothing of any draw to the community). He and Leonard were old friends from high school and the two decided to become roommates during the spring semester; this led to what we called the Great Reassignment that helped to split the Octumvirate. While an okay guy, I always got the impression Jimmy really messed with Leonard’s business. Leonard wanted to get something out of his schooling and I think Jimmy found being at college more interesting than what he needed to do to get anything out of it.
I don’t think Jimmy ever brought Leonard down far enough into any abyss to impact Leonard’s grades or academic standing (whatever that may have been), but I don’t think Jimmy was around for a second year (at least no one seemed to know anything about him if he did). Leonard managed to stay afloat but moved into an apartment for his sophomore year and was seldom seen. We met up again the spring semester of our sophomore year in one of those advanced English literature courses, but by then I could tell he had different interests and was into some other sort of business.
I don’t know what business he ever settled into but I hope he made it.
Cheers, Lenny.
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Business
(Brian May)
Brian May
From the album Another World
1998
Don't judge me mama
Don't tell me that I've done wrong
It's a hard business
It's a hard business to make it on your own
Don't judge me papa
If I can't handle the things in my head
Because it's a hard business
Such a hard business walking on the edge
I got nothing and no-one in my life
So how can I lose again
Got my feet in muddy water
But I'm gonna find that road again
So I'll be taking care of business
Coz I know what I'm looking for
Oh I've been working every hour God gives to man
But I still see the same closed door
I've got nothing but trouble in my life
But I feel I've got a lot to give
Every day I try to build a new world
But I've had no-one to build it with
Oh I've been looking for a woman to share my hopes
But I know I ain't a patch on you
And I've been thinking that a woman's God's gift to man
Are you thinking the same way too
So don't leave me mama
Don't make me go on alone
Because it's a hard business
Yes it's a hard business, oooh
Don't leave me papa
When my belief in myself is gone
Because it's a hard business
Such a hard business
Tell me, it's a hard business
Being on my own
