Avron and Elvis

1970 & 2005

My brother was six years older than I. He still would be but he passed away in 2012.

I suppose he tried to take me under his wing when our dad died but as a fifteen year old he had other fish to fry. He had my dad’s big personality. He was a good athlete. He understood girls. Among his friends, I was known as ‘little Thor', more lisp than warrior.

He chose few of the things I did. Dropped out of school (I didn't). Never married (I did). No kids  (two beauties for me). Successful in business and retired at age 46 to the Canyon Ranch in Arizona (not yet for me). Popular in the dating community there (my ticket has  been punched). He lost his nest egg in a stock market swindle (I didn’t). He died in relative poverty (I'm still spending recklessly).

Overall he had his ups and downs.  Me too. Duh.  His high lifestyle looked good from the outside.

Here’s an example; a story that illustrates his best years . . . .

I met Paul in a business meeting in 2005. He immediately asked me “are you Avron Shore’s brother?” There was a resemblance. I had heard the question before.

Paul told me that he and Avron, as teenagers, worked together in one of the first bagel stores in Toronto. They made bagels in a storefront window on Eglinton Avenue. It had buzz. I remembered it.

They had lost touch until 15 years later, around 1970, while on his honeymoon Paul ran into Avron in the lobby of an over the top hotel in Las Vegas. Elvis was in town. My brother told Paul he could get him in to see Elvis. Paul was delighted. His new wife was a very big fan.

They met in the lobby before the show. My brother was with a party of about 15 people which included a number of very attractive people. He seemed to be the life of the party, the host it seemed. Not unexpected. Big personality. Big lifestyle.

My brother couldn’t include Paul and his wife in the big group but had arranged a table. It turned out the table was right in front of the stage. Squeezed in and as close as close could be. Delighted smiles all around.

Paul and his bride obviously enjoyed the show. The special thing was that at the end of the set  Elvis came over and kissed Paul’s wife.

He told me he didn’t see my brother again that night and while he could figure out how Avron had arranged the ring side table, there’s lots a nice tip can buy in Las Vegas, he still had no idea how my brother had arranged for Elvis to kiss his wife.

That was quite a story. I never did learn from Avron how the Elvis kiss came to be.

Avron and I met for breakfast most Friday mornings during the last decade of his life. We bumped envious thoughts during these times. It was clear that our lives had been separate realities. No happily married family man could have lived the high life of a wealthy bachelor. There were aspects of the high life that looked pretty good from the outside. And vice versa.

I learned from Avron during those breakfasts how much he admired my life. It was something he said he wished he could have replicated. I knew he had opportunities. He just couldn’t pull the trigger. While he had many close friends there was still something missing he wish had.