PIT2/10: John & Stanley
Chicago, Illinois
Friday, November 22, 1963
It Was a Sunny Day…
Surprised at seeing him leave the lawyer’s office so soon, the magazine she’d been reading, dropping onto her lap.
“Mitchie…?”
“Lizzie…” His mind in a state of turmoil. Coming from the lawyer’s office, hesitating a moment, looking at Elizabeth. His heart thumping,“...I need the toilet!” Thinking, I love her! What do I do? Rushing from the room. I love Lizziie! But my kids!
‘He needs the toilet’’? Elizabeth thought, looking at the empty chair to her left. Why’d he take his coat?
Going into the hallway and catching a down heading elevator as the door was about to glide shut. “Lobby,” he said impatiently to the elevator operator.
It Was a Sunny Day…
Looking at his watch: 12:28.
Glancing at the swirling acclimation of snow outside as Mitchell rushed to the phone booth he’d seen when he entered the lobby to meet Elizabeth. Dropping two dimes into the slot, dialling…
It was a sunny day…
Des Plains, Illinois
Friday, November 22, 1963
‘A cheater knows a cheater’, So Marsha Lipensky thought for at least the thousandth time since forcing her husband from their home a week earlier.
Although he’d admired nothing, ‘A cheater knows a cheater’, Marsha ‘knew’ that her husband had been fucking that— in her mind, ‘fat ass’ bitch.
And, really, when Marsha thought about it, it wasn’t so much a blow to her self righteous sens abilities, but more so a blow to her ego, as for the now seven years of their marriage she’d considered her husband a ‘dupe’ and a ‘dope’ that had lost all control of his wife and their marriage and the very thought that he’d actually worked up the courage to find someone else to fuck. And ‘especially’...
Remembering her shock when first meeting Elizabeth at Transco’s Christmas party in 1958.
The young woman’s beauty ‘jealously’ registering within the mind of Marsha Lipensky, and her delight in noting that Elizabeth’s ass was a bit… in Marsha’s mind, more than a ‘bit’ on the large side.
Although admitting nothing… ‘I love you Lizzy’ muttered in his sleep , shocking at first thought...‘shocking’, and whats more a blow to Marsha’s ego as …
Saying and doing whatever she pleased to keep Mitchell, so to speak, mentally off balance: Her purposely staged silent periods causing him to wonder ‘what’ if ‘anything’ he did to bring about a new round of his wife’s silent anger.
Cynically in most cases, it was ‘nothing’ the husband said, or did do.
When eventuality his wife’s anger, so he thought, dissipated, when given even the slightest possibility of a, ‘so-be-it’, limited sexual interlude, all was immediately forgiven.
‘All was immediately forgiven’ after the first time she threw him out —When into the second year of their marriage, at Marsha’s instance, in court appearing for a legal separation, the kindly judge convinced them to ‘try again’.
The dupe!
‘All was immediately forgiven’ including the time she’d emptied their apartment of everything but his clothing and what was left of that box of rubbers he’d purchased before his discharge from the Coast Guard.
The dupe!
Oh,yeah! Marsha certainly remembered how he looked on the ‘Fourth of July, 1958’; the first time she’d seen him after their two and a half month separation, when he’d lost all that weight and developed some muscle—no where near Stan’s muscles, but her husband looked good enough for her to want to get his cock into her mouth and his tongue into her pussy.
Thinking of Stanley Jacobson. To this day Marsha Lipensky still could not tell for certain if ‘Sammy’ was Stan’s of Mitchell’s kid.
Locating her teenage lover a couple of months after their return to the Chicago area, Marsha picked up where she’d left off a few weeks before marring Mitchell in 1955… When there was the ‘possibility’ that she might have been pregnant with Stan’s baby, forcing a rush to become pregnant with her new husband’s baby. (The Shower)
Though both married at that time, Stanley and Marsha were able to ‘get together’ on mornings when Mitchell was at work way downtown, and for the three hours when both Michael and Ellie were in school.
Born a year after returning from Peoria, Samey was a large baby with noticeably broad shoulders and blue eyes… Both as were Stanley’s.
Which all might have been brought up for question except, both Marsha’s father and uncle were broad shouldered and 'Eli' Marsha’s father, had blue eyes, and there was enough of Marsha’s appearance to eliminate ‘any’ question. So there never was a question.
Except in the mother’s mind.
The fact that Mitchell Lipensky truly loved his wife, made ‘no matter’ to the wife.
The dupe!
Now — in Marsha’s mind approaching middle age — at age twenty-seven with three children, Marsha Lipensky wondered what her possibilities might be to find a man that still found her desirable enough to want to put up with a stretch-marked divorcee with saggy tits and three children.
Chicago, Illinois
Glancing at the swirling acclimation of snow outside as Mitchell rushed to the phone booth he’d seen when he entered the lobby to meet Elizabeth. Dropping two dimes into the slot, dialling...
It was a sunny day…
Des Plains, Illinois
Negative thoughts of her future possibilities swirling through her brain.
A forgotten cup of tea on the oversized, Formica topped coffee table. Folding children’s clothing, Marsha was paying scant attention to ‘As The World Turns’ when the phone rang. Rising wearily, going to the phone on the ‘family room’ wall, “Hello.”
“Marsha.”
Unable to sleep more than a few minutes at a time. Her attitude constantly swaying from anger to sadness to loneliness to fear of the future —t o mostly loneliness and fear of the future — unable to eat more than a few mouthfuls at a time since that morning seven days ago.
This being the first time she’d hear from Mitchell since he left.
Her tone harsh, “What do you want, Mitchell?”
It was a sunny day…
Noting the tired, uncaring tone of her voice, “Marsha…”
Her eyes listlessly shifting to the television…
“We’ll see a marriage counsellor, if you’d like…”
It was a sunny day in…
“But would you… Can I come…”
It was a sunny day in…
“Oh, my God!”
Thinking she was speaking to him, “I miss you and the kids, and I’ll do…”
“Oh, my ‘God’ Mitchell!”
The tone of her voice now of horrid amazement…
It was a sunny day in Dallas, Texas…
“Marsha, what’s…?”
“The president!”
“Kennedy? What?”
Other than the distant, muffled sound of television…
The line silent…
“Marsha, what?”
“Just now, in Dallas, President Kennedy…” Her voice rising, “He was shot! Oh, my God!”
“Jesus! Is he dead?”
“Don’t know yet.” Stretching the line, taking the receiver with her, “Mitchell, wait.” Turning the volume up…
“Here...” the announcer said “...is a bulletin from CBS News.”
“In Dallas, Texas...” Walter Cronkite announced “...three shots were fired at President Kennedy’s motorcade in downtown Dallas. The first reports say that President Kennedy has been seriously wounded by the shooting.
“More details just arrived. These details about the same as previously: President Kennedy shot just as his motorcade left downtown Dallas. Mrs Kennedy jumped up and grabbed Mister Kennedy, she called, ‘Oh, no!’ as the motorcade sped on.
“United Press says that the wounds for President Kennedy perhaps could be fatal.
“Repeating a bulletin from CBS, President Kennedy has been shot by a would be assassin in Dallas, Texas.
“Stay tuned to CBS news for…”
In tears now. “Oh, my God!”
“Please, Marsha, can I come home?”
The line silent… Silent….
“Marsha?”
Nearing middle-age. Twenty-seven years old with stretch marks, saggy tits and three children.
“Yes, Mitchell, come home.”
For better or worse
END
Writers Notation: Yes, ‘Becoming’ and ‘For Better Or Worse’, my two mid-twentieth century (1939-1963) American ‘Coming of Age’ novels do end at this place and at this time…
I mean, ‘really’’, what more dramatic place to ‘end’ this near eleven hundred page story than with the assassination of a Untied States president?
Although there is a prologue that I will not go into now.
Please also note that ‘anything’ coming after 11/23/63 is new and is ‘not’ part of the professionally edited ‘Becoming’ or ‘For Better or Worse’ novels.
One more ‘Writers Notation”
Eliminating Marsha— getting years ahead of the 1963 point in time, as Marsha and Mitchell divorced in 1986 — considering many things can change in twenty-four years; who knows what might happen in the years leading 2010.
As for Elizabeth? Cold she ‘ever’ forgive Mitchell for running out… For the cowardly way he had deserted her?
Again, many things can change in forty-seven years.
The saga does continue because what about ‘Lita’ and ‘Barbara’?
We do know what caused the eventual divorce with Marsha and Mitchell and the separation of Elizabeth and Mitchell. But what caused the separations with these two ladies.
Also, this writer still has ‘no’ idea which, if ‘any’ of the four ladies will eventually return to reunite with Mitchell.
So stay tuned as this somewhat factual, somewhat fictional saga will continue with…
PIT2/11: Who?
An Elizabeth Footnote:
Not wanting to be ‘forever more’ known as ‘that ‘other woman’ and having second thoughts about helping to be ‘financially responsible’ for child support and alimony — for God only knows how long.
Thinking she knew that Mitchell would not be returning to the lawyers office… After waiting ten minutes…
By this time totally ambivalent. “Sorry to leave this way…” Elizabeth told the attorneys secretory “...send today’s bill to me.”
November 27, 1963 Elizabeth Herzon gave two week notice to Transco Envelope Company and two weeks later began her career at ‘International Business Machines’ (IBM).
April 13,1972 The one and only time Mitchell Lipensky and Elizabeth Herzon would see each other for the reminder of the twentieth Century would be standing in opposite lines waiting their turn to purchase tickets to see ‘The Godfather’.
Elizabeth, arm in arm with a grey haired, regal appearing gentleman.
Mitchell standing alongside Marsha.
Though their eyes touched, neither Elizabeth or Mitchell acknowledged the other.
Next PIT2/11: Who?
