Susanna

By Rob Broadbent, Susanna's longtime friend

I met Susanna some 34 years ago – back when we were all a lot better looking and Susanna was a movie star (don’t believe me? Just google). Like now some of us were a lot better looking than the rest.  Susanna was (and still is) a hottie.  All the guys I knew that knew her had a huge crush on her – and so did I. 

So back in ’83 shortly after meeting her, Susanna, seeing an opportunity, capitalized on my crush and got me to hire her on as a seamstress for my fledgling leather and sheepskin production business. Hiring her was a great decision because not only was she a great seamstress, she became a great friend and my crush morphed into a loyal and lifelong, deep friendship. Susanna and I have seen each other through relationship calamities, business calamities, new heart throbs, and the birth of my daughter, whom she loves as her own, and whenever she can, is a wonderful surrogate mother for her.

The story that Milana shared about bicycling in Yellowstone has another side – my side - as I was the instigator for that trip. Susanna and Milana, feeling that they would be slower than the rest of us boys, took off riding well before we did.  Confident we would catch up soon, we were mildly surprised when we got to Roosevelt Junction, that we had not caught up with them already, but we forged on, picking up the pace in our desire to catch the slower (Really?) women. We got to the top of the rise after the Yellowstone – no ladies. Got to the Lamar Valley, still no sign. Got to Pebble Creek – what the Heck? Where were they? They did not leave THAT far in front of us… and it was about then that it dawned on us, close to 2 hours after taking the left at Roosevelt Junction, that they must have gone straight at the junction! How they missed the sign pointing to the left for Cooke City and the northeast entrance is still beyond me. They either had their heads down pushing themselves as hard as they could and didn’t see it, or were just completely oblivious – you decide…. Either way, we then sent the sag wagon to go rescue them where they were found nearly to the top of Mount Washburn on Dunraven Pass after having struggled up some 20 miles past the junction, all of it uphill riding.

So Susanna knows about uphill struggles. And knowing Susanna as well as I do, I know that this is not Susanna’s time to go. This is just another hurdle for her to gracefully ascend and summarily dispatch as she has so many other hurdles in her life.

Sorry Cancer, many others have tried to claim Susanna as their own, and you will have no better luck than most of them have had. Don’t be sad, oh cancerous affliction, just know that her shining essence is not for you. You may bathe in her light for a short time perhaps, but then like the rest of her suitors that have tried and failed, you must move on.

Susanna on her morning walk, April 16, 2016