PIT 4/4: Old New Beginnings
Points In Time
Zuma Beach, California
Friday, March 19, 2010
2:42 PM
“I love you, Marsha.”
“Me, too, Mitchie. I love you, too.”
Thinking a moment. Making up his mind, Mitchell glanced at his watch… If we leave now, we might get there before it closes.”
“Before what closes?”
“Thousand Oaks City Hall.”
“ ‘City Hall’?”
“Marcie…” taking her face between his hands “...will you marry me?”
Completely non religious, not even knowing if there was really such a thing as soul. Yet the thought had come to Marsha for a second time…
Soul-Mates? Marsha thought. Why else? How else… ‘Soul-Mates’?
The split second mind ruffling of years and times; some good, most bad – the bad far outweighing the good included three separations and one divorce from the then fourteen year old boy she’d met standing along-side the pinball machine she had been playing in Union Pier, Michigan in 1948 to the fifty-two year old man man she had run from and divorced in1986…
Why? How?
I love him!
“Marcie…” taking her face between his hands “...will you marry me?”
“Soul Mates!”
“ ‘Soul Mates’, Marcie?”
“Yes! We’re ‘soul mates’! Mitchell,! I love you and will ‘never’, so long as I have breath, love any one but you… So ‘yes!” Standing. Gathering the basket and blanket. “Lets hurry, baby!”
City Courthouse
Thousand Oaks, California
3:23 PM
“Yes...” Looking up from her cubical desk in ‘Administration’ “...can I help you?”
An older man and woman on the other side of the wood and glass cubical.
“We want to get married!”
Dressed in loose fitting slacks and a light weight jacket with what looked a bathing suit bra top beneath.“ ‘Now’!” the old lady said.
Looking at the clock on the wall. “We’ll be closing in a half hour.”
“Well, you’re not closed yet.” the old man said.
“You still got a judge around?”
Not the usual type of people coming in demanding a late hour immediate marriage, these two.
“ ‘Dellwood’ might still be here.”
“He a judge?”
“ ‘Judge Dellwood’. Yes, Miss, uh…?”
“Lipensky, Marsha Lipensky.”
Looking At the man.
If time wasn’t running so late, he’d be enjoying this ladies consternation. “ ‘Lipensky’.”
Confused. “You two married?”
“ ‘Were’.” Marsha said.
“Doing it again…” the old man said “... check, on the judge will you, please.”
Lifting the phone, punching three numbers. “Donna, it’s Beverly… Yeah, I know. But I’ve got a couple here that wants to get married and are insisting on doing it now…
Yes, ‘right now’!”
Looking at Marsha. “No, this lady…” giggling “... she
don’t look too pregnant.”
Smiling. “Been there, done that...” Marsha said, adding “...a long time ago.”
From an office somewhere on the second floor. “Hold on…” Donna said “... let me check with Howard.”
A suburban city halls not exactly as – say a Los Angeles city hall.
Gesturing to a bench. “Why don’t you two sit down, she’ll be back in a minute…”
Answering the call. “Donna. Okay, good. In about fifteen minutes you say…Yeah…” looking at the two old people sitting on the bench “...I’ll hang around to witness.”
Breaking the connection. “He’s someone with him now. so the Judge’ll see you in about fifteen minutes.”
“Can I use the phone, please?”
“Sure.” Handing it through the open area.
Dialing… “Milt!”
“Hey, Mitch!”
“What you doing?”
“Playing with myself.”
Suppressing a smile, “You still get it up enough to do that?”
“Asshole!”
“Really, what are you doing?”
“What you think? Nothing.”
“You dressed?”
“Yeah, of course! Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Then get your ass over here. ‘Quick’!”
“Get my ass over ‘where’?”
“T.O. Courthouse.”
“The ‘courthouse’? Why?”
“Marcie and me are…”
Realizing. “Getting married!”
“Yeah.”
“I’m on my way!”
Two years Mitchell’s senior, Milton Abrams and Mitchell Lipensky had been friends for the past twenty-four years.
Being forced to sell this home that he loved, in this beautiful place he loved and feeling bad at having to leave his best friend and next door neighbor, as both he and Mitchell are old now, and every now then in need of a helping hand, and was glad and hopeful when Mitchell’s ex wife – whom he thought Mitchell ‘might’ still have feeling for, came back into his life.
Milton's two children insisting he sell his home in Westlake and move to Palm Springs – a place Milton hated! A place where it was too hot to even step outdoors six months a year – where they could ‘keep an eye on the old man’. And, of course, have easy access to his money when the old man passed away.
So there was now a ‘For Sale’ sign posted at the curb.
December 17, 1955
Chicago, Illinois
Palmer House Ball Room
6:20 PM
Marsha looked forward as, releasing her elbow, reaching to the side, taking her sweating hand, Mitchell clasped it tightly as…
“Ba-ruch A-ta Adoni, Eh-lo-hei-nu meh-lech ha-o-lam.”
The ceremony began…
“Do you, Mitchell, take Marsha…”
“I do!” Leaning forward, he sipped sweet wine from a silver goblet.
“Do you, Marsha, take Mitchell…”
“I do!” Lifting the veil, she sipped sweet wine from a silver goblet.
“With this ring, I do thee wed.” Repeating the Rabbi’s words, Mitchell put the wide band of white gold onto Marsha’s finger.
“I now pronounce you husband and wife.”
“I now pronounce you husband and wife.” With these words, Mitchell stamped upon the bulky napkin that had been placed beside his right foot, shattering the wine glass within.
“Mazel tov!”
March 19, 2010
Thousand Oaks California
Thousand Oaks City Hall
3:54 PM
Milton Abrams and Beverly Schmidt and Donna Hammond in attendance as witnesses.
Dry hand holding dry hand, Marsha and Mitchell standing before the desk of Municipal Judge Howard Dellwood...
“Do you, Mitchell, take Marsha…”
“I do!”
“Do you, Marsha, take Mitchell…”
“I do!”
“Is there a ring?” Dellwood asked.
Looking at Marsha, Mitchell shrugged his shoulders.
“Yes…” Marsha said “... but it’s back in Chicago.”
“Okay, considering the circumstances, we can do without…” Going on “... By the power vested me by the State of California, I now pronounce you husband and wife.”
The newlyweds kissed.
Next PIT 4/5: The Wedding Shower
