PIT2/5: Cause and Affect 2

Points in Time

Westlake Village, California

December 30, 2010

Writer Notation: Like the ‘Susan’ submission, getting to the cause of the separation of Barbara Herzon and Mitchell Lipensky is a bit complicated. But we will get there on… Too complicated to get to the reason on this post, but I promise we will get to it on the next post when Mitchell...

First: Will Elizabeth and Mitchell reunite in September of 1961?

‘Yeah’! This much the writer does know.

Will Elizabeth forgive Mitchell for the way she had been abandoned on 1963?

Don’t know yet.

If Elizabeth does forgive Mitchell and does return, will she still be the ‘ex’ fat girl or will she be the ex-‘ex’ fat girl?

Don’t know yet.

Will Elizabeth even be the one to return to Mitchell and to remain until ‘death do they part’?

Don’t know that either, but we’ll see.

As we are attempting to get to the reasons for the life altering ‘break-up’ with Mitchell Lipensky’s remaining three loves, and not wanting to waste a whole bunch of words with inconsequential information this writer will move along with the barest of thumb-nail Points in Time

On 1/5/59 … As Mitchell Lipensky and family were on their way to their new lives to Peoria, Illinois — Fighting Chicago’s frigid winter wind as she attempted to hold onto her fuzzy pink head covering with one hand and her ‘Transco Company’ sample and order case with the other, Elizabeth Herzon hastily made her way along the (easterly territory boundary) west side of Wabash Avenue to her second ‘call’ of this morning.

1/5/59 to 4/25/60

Peoria, Illinois...

A town dominated by ‘Caterpillar Tractor Company’, driving there on December twenty-seven, Mitchell had rented a two story, two bedroom attached townhouse in a large family oriented cove occupied by many ‘Caterpillar’ workers that — befriending three couples that Marsha thought of as ‘hillbillies’.

Mitchell learned to fish for catfish and, distastefully, how to clean them while drinking from a jug of homemade, ‘Pappy Yoakum’s Kickapoo Joy Juice’. Making a good living and away from all family influences life for the Mitchell Lipensky family had never been happier…

Until 7/4/59 When an early morning phone call from Marsha’s older brother, Roger, tearfully informied Marsha that their father had been murdered.

In the Jewish religion, so it is said, ‘The soul of a deceased loved one cannot rest until a newborn is given their name of or named for. On...

4/25/60 , weighing in at six pounds, twelve ounces, the little girl was named Ellie Jan Lipensky.

Elizabeth Herzon

1/5/59 to

Extremely amenable to both male and female purchasing agents. Intelligent and knowledgeable about her product. Keeping records of her customers usage, often Elizabeth would remind them when their supply of ‘ten regulars’ or ‘nine by twelve craft envelopes’ would be needed…

And being a beautiful young woman sure did not hurt relations with male customers.

Occasionally a customer would ask her out. But adhering to hers and Transco Envelope Companies strict ‘no customer dating’ policy Elizabeth, very politely, refused.

All purchasing and sales were made due to Elizabeth’s intellect and product knowledge.

Elizabeth’s one-third of the downtown territory thrived as never before.

5/10/59

Tired of being alone. Tired of dreaming about a man that was, after all, married with a child.

Tired of being a virgin and — According to her mother and father, and aunts and uncles, finding ‘such a nice Jewish boy’ with good potential that told her he loved her and agreed—their mothers should only know—that they would not have children.

Insisting on a small wedding, Elizabeth Herzon and Myron Lipshitz were married on Sunday, May 10, 1959, which, coincidentally, and as she never planned on having children, ironically, was Mother’s Day.

Peoria, Illinois

October 11 through December 31, 1960

Continuing a line of light chatter since he’d stepped into the line behind him, “You from Chicago?”

Standing in the slowly moving line, waiting to close in on the Peoria Chamber of Commerce’s “Let’s Meet Our New Members” semi-annual buffet table. “Yeah, sure,” the affable, sandy haired, rather good looking man about Mitchell’s age answered. “Isn’t everyone in Peoria?”

Glancing about the crowded room, “Guess so, at least at one time or another.” Holding his hand forward, “Mitch Lipensky.”

Returning the handshake, “Jay Shapiro.”

Coincidentally...

Jay Shapiro was a ‘club brother’ of Marsha’s brother, Roger and did remember Roger’s ‘kid’ sister, Marsha.

As it turned out, Jay was the ‘Old Jaybird’ a disk jockey at Peoria Radio Station ‘WHIP’.

October 14, 1960

“Come on in!”

Thinking,Wow! “Marsha, you look great!” Receiving and giving a kiss on  the cheek, looking at the six-month -old baby in her arms. “Your baby’s  really cute,” Jay said, rubbing Ellie’s fuzzy head. “Mind if I eat her here?”

“If you want,” Marsha replied, “but maybe you’d rather have a ‘porterhouse’?”

Dinner finished

“How long you been with…uh?”

“Transco. Oh…” then, “Holy shit!” Mitchell said in wonderment. “Last month was two years. Jesus! Where’s the time go?”

“You happy there?”

“I guess…You know, it’s nice getting commission for accounts I’ve never even seen.”

“Think you might be open to something else?”

“Something else?”

“Yeah. They’re looking for a ‘time’ salesman at the station.”

October 18, 1960

So far, rather impressed with the young man sitting on the opposite side of his desk, “How long have you been with…” glancing at the notes he’d been making, “Transco?”

“Two years last month, sir.”

“And before that?”

“The summer before I started with Transco I worked on a construction job. And before that, after I got out of the service, I worked for my parents selling art and commercial photography.”

Lawrence Russell’s eyebrows going up, ‘Art and photography’! An envelope salesman not necessarily having the experience to sell an intangible such as airtime, but commercial art and photography is something else,.

October 19, 1960

Hating to have to do this. “Gene, hi! It’s Mitch Lipensky.”

“Yeah, Mitch.”

May as well just say it. “I’m sorry to have to do this, but I’m calling to give you notice, and to give you time to get another man here.”

“You’re leaving us?”

“Yes. I’m sorry, Gene, but I’ve been offered something I can’t pass up.”

“Yeah, Mitch...” said rather angrily “...we’re sorry, too.”

December 23, 1960

As she never drank—apparently with the exception of ‘Pappy Yokum’s moonshine’ —even though Mitchell had three drinks, one more than his wife felt he should drink, completely enjoying themselves, on this night Marsha and Mitchell Lipensky attended Radio Station WHIP’s annual Christmas party.

Peoria, Illinois

August 24, 1961

On the evening of Mitchell’s twenty-seventh birthday…

Answering the phone. After a few seconds of light conversation, “Mitchie, it’s Gene.”

“ ‘Gene’?” His eyebrows knitting quizzically. “ ‘Tarnowski?”

“Yes.” Holding her hand over the mouthpiece, “He wants to talk to you.”

Shrugging his shoulders as though to say, ‘What’s he want’? Taking the phone from Marsha, “Gene, hi!”

“Hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

“No. It’s okay, Gene. How are you?”

“Fine, just fine… Mitch, I’ve been wanting to talk to you and thought that so long as today’s your birthday…”

“My birthday?” Looking at Marsha, shrugging his shoulders again. “You remembered...” he asked incredulously “...that today’s my birthday?”

“Not exactly.” He laughed. “To tell the truth I’ve got your job application here and…

“My old job application?”

“Yes… Look, Mitch, I don’t want to keep you too long so I’ll get right to the point. We don’t like training a high potential man only to have him leave after two years.”

Still feeling guilty for leaving Transco as he had, Mitchell said nothing.

“So...” Gene continued “...I thought we’d give you first crack at this.”

Holding his hand over the mouthpiece, “I think they’re offering me my job back,” he whispered to Marsha.

When Mitchell said nothing, “Bill Krupper’s actually retiring in October, and… Actually it was Elizabeth… You remember Elizabeth Herzon?”

“Yes...” the name bringing about three spontaneous, involuntary reactions: an increased heartbeat, a fluttering of his stomach and a spasm within his crotch, “...of course.”

“Anyway, when Bill announced his retirement date, Elizabeth suggested, and I hardheartedly agreed, that we should offer you part of Bill’s territory.”

Bill Krupper, one of Transco’s ‘old timers’, had one of the company’s most lucrative territories.

“Mind you, we’re not offering all of Bill’s territory, because it’s being split into thirds. You know Elizabeth has a part, but I think you know what even a third of that territory can mean.”

Oh, yes! Having handled hundreds of Bill’s queries, Mitchell had a real good idea of what even a third of that territory could mean.

“I know you’re going to want to talk this over with Marsha…”

“His accounts? They’ll be turned over to… whoever takes this?”

“Yes. All but a couple that we’re taking on as house accounts.”

“How long do I have to think about this, Gene?”

“Today’s Thursday, so how’s about giving me a call before the end of work tomorrow… Oh yes, knowing the territory, we’ll give you a $700 a month draw and pay all moving expenses.”

August 25, 1961

“Okay, Gene...” calling Chicago the next day “...yes. How much time do I have? When do you want me there to start?”

“Bill’s retirement date isn’t set in stone, Mitch. He’s looking towards late October, but he’ll hang around a bit longer to introduce you to accounts, if he has to.”

“I’ll need some time to find a place to live, to move my family back and get settled.”

“If you think a couple of weeks will do it, we’ll get you back on your draw starting… What say we look for you to begin work on… Let’s say October Fifteen.”

Myron And Elizabeth

Chicago, Illinois

5/10/59 and Forward

Literally kept in the dark the first few times, upon seeing his new wife’s nude body for the first time, although enthralled with her overall beauty, the new husband also saw the stretch marks across her flaccid stomach, breasts, ample buttocks and Elizabeth’s cellulite dimpled, still somewhat pudgy thighs.

About Mitchell’s age. Myron played basketball each Sunday morning with some of his local college pals and went to a gym to work out at least twice a week, and undertook a…

To Elizabeth, her husband undertook a physically stressful campaign of indoor and outdoor exercise that in time, a very short time, became a hateful duty that….

Elizabeth’s metabolism finding its niche, telling her body the weight she was, was the weight she most probably was going to remain.

Although Myron’s regimen of exercise did keep additional weight off—along with Elizabeth’s low calorie and at times near starvation diet did ‘indeed’ do a fairly decent job of firming ‘things’ up.

However Myron’s by then despised program of exercise did nothing to alleviate the stretch marks and very little of the cellulite.

Though Elizabeth still did and always would see a—albeit a fairly accomplished— fat girl in her mirror, all in all, as ‘things’ now stood, the nude body of Elizabeth Hurzon Lipshitz was far, ‘very far’ from repulsive and, other than an ‘athletic zealot’, would sexually excite most men…

Especially those men who’s wives had given multiple births.

Which, subsequently, subconsciously might have been the reason why— after a bit less than two and a half years of marriage, when on August 18, 1961, Gene Tarnowski had mentioned that Bill Krupper had given a ‘definite’, ‘approximate’, retirement date and that he was considering whom to place into the remainder of Bill’s divided territory.

It was at that time when Elizabeth—another of those instances of speaking before thinking… maybe—had suggested contacting Mitchell.

Which, subsequently, subconsciously might have been the reason why— after a bit less than two and a half years of marriage, when on August 18, 1961, Gene Tarnowski had mentioned that Bill Krupper had given a ‘definite’, ‘approximate’, retirement date and that he was considering whom to place into the remaining one third of Bill’s divided territory.

PIT/2-6: So It Began