PIT 4/7: Chicago & Back
Points In Time
March 19, 2010
Westlake Village, California
8:28 PM
Beverley's last words fading...
The trumpets last note fading.
Carefully stepping from the boat to the dock, going to Beverly, taking her hands. “Thank you!” Tear trails on both cheeks. “Never…” looking from Beverly to the trumpet man “... ‘Never’ could I even begin to imagine anything this beautiful.”
“It’s okay…” taking Marsha’s hands into hers “...those two guys…” nodding towards the boat and Milt and Mitchell “...have been a couple of my favourites since I bought…” nodding backwards “...the joint and I am truly happy for you and Mitchell.” Releasing her hands. “Champagne’s on me tonight. I’ll send a waiter over to take your orders.” Noting a group gathering at her hostess dais. “I’d better get back to work.”
Coming ashore. “Hold on Beverley.” Hugging her. “That was beautiful…” kissing her cheek “...thank you!”
“My pleasure, Mitch.”
As Beverly turned to return to her dais, Mitchell saw one of the half dozen people remaining at the patio rail.
As Marsha still hadn’t returned to the boat, and not wanting to draw her attention, the fat lady made a quarter wave that ended with the ‘OK’ circle of thumb and four-finger, then a ‘thumbs up.
Distastefully forcing a smile, nodding to Elizabeth Herzon – who hadn’t the slightest idea that this lady… this new bride at Mitchell Lipensky’s side was the same lady he’d been married to way back in nineteen-sixty-three.
Distastefully forcing a smile, nodding to Elizabeth Herzon without the slightest concern that Marsha would recognise her – as the only time they had even remotely seen each other was...
Evanston, Illinois
July 17, 1972
The Godfather...
Released in May of 1972, the epic film, ‘The Godfather’ — having taking two months to reach neighborhood theaters, a long ‘V’ shaped line of a couple hundred people snaking their way to the double ticket sellers kiosk.
Marsha and Mitchell Lipensky, mid-way through the rapidly moving line, walking hand in hand were anxiously awaiting the transfer of cash for tickets when....
Sensing eyes upon him. Looking to the corresponding ‘V’ shaped double line...
On a near equal plane no further than fifteen feet distant, Mitchell’s eyes made steady contact with the almond shaped, green eyes of Elizabeth Herzon, who’s arm was inked in the arm of a hansom, though much older man…
The ‘one’- ‘two’- ‘three’ second familiar, mutually heart piercing, eye locked stare projecting instantaneous thoughts that neither mind of Elizabeth nor Mitchell could properly process…
‘love’? ‘lust’? ‘loss’ ?
Elizabeth’s line moving five feet forward, the intense eye contact lost.
The face of the other lost to the other...
Throughout the lifetime of Elizabeth Herzon and Mitchell Lipensky, ‘never again’ will either meet.
Until…
July 4, 2009
Last seen In Evanston, Illinois, and ‘go figure’,
in Westlake Village, California
Accidentally meeting while shopping in one of the areas supermarkets, it was Elizabeth that recognized Mitchell due to the fact that in the thirty-eight years since they had last seen each other – gaining at least eighty pounds, Elizabeth Herzon had become morbidly obese.
Pushing the basket towards where he’d parked – which was no where near Elizabeth’s Bentley.
Having no idea what to say as he rushed to get away from her. Having not the slightest intention to. “I’ll give you a call sometime.” he called over his shoulder.
Not wanting to, or asking for her phone number, he never did, and never again ran into Elizabeth Herzon.
Until...
Distastefully forcing a smile, nodding to Elizabeth Herzon, taking Marsha’s elbow, he gently prompted her back to the boat.
9:20 PM
Remaining moored at The Landing Restaurant's dock, Milt and Mitchell working on icy martinis from the old coffee pot. Marsha working on what remained in the second bottle of champagne as she cut into the last rib from the rack of lamb she’d ordered, as Milt and Mitchell work on their rare and medium rare, AAA Prime rib steaks.
“So…” Milt asked, making a sour face as he drank the last of his watered down martini “...what’s the plan now?”
Gnawing the last bit of tender meat directly from the bone, wiping his lips and hands on one of The Landing restaurants no longer sparkling white napkins.
“Tomorrow, we’re going to make flight reservations…”
Draining the last of her fourth fluke of champagne “ ‘Round trip’ reservations…” Marsha interjected “to Chicago and back..”
“ Yuck!” Finishing the last of his water and gin. “Where we’ll take a couple of days figuring what we want to keep of…”
Dabbing the napkin over her lips. “My furniture and stuff…”
“And make arraignments with the movers…”
“And ‘Goodwill’ to take the stuff we don’t want leaving her nephew..”
“My nephew Marty will get the listing on my apartment.’’ Adding. “That he thinks his mother should have left him as part of his inheritance.”
“Tough shit. At least he’ll get the commission...”
So once Mitch and me head back here, he’ll be in charge of…” not much of a drinker, the champagne going to her head “...Marty’ll be in charge of everything when…”
“Marcie and me leave to come back.”
“You don’t have a car there?”
“Never needed one, Milt. My shop was in walking distance and my cousin lived right downstairs.”
Getting teary thinking of her cousin. “I used Maxine’s car whenever I needed something or wanted to go somewhere, and it’s still there, but it belongs to Marty. And besides, doubt it it would make it to California.
Chicago, Illinois
Tuesday, 3/23/2010
11:50 AM
Met at O’hare Airport by Marsha’s cousin, Marty, the three of them jammed onto the front seat of Maxine/Marty’s 1998 Cheviot Malibu, the trip to the far north side of Chicago taking about an hour.
At the two story duplex, with copies of Marsha’s house keys along with the extra set of Malibu keys in his pocket – With minimal emotion saying ‘goodbye’, switching to his 2009 Buick Special, Martin Klein drove away.
“Hey…” up the one flight of steps into Marsha’s apartment “...this is really nice!”
“Sure…” Marsha said, pinching his ass”...what did you expect?”
Two fairly well sized bedrooms, beautifully furnished living room and dining area along with a kitchen that contained an antique appearing oak kitchen table with six matching chairs and a refrigerator that was ‘at least’ thirty years newer than his old Kenmore.
Going from room to room, deciding – actually Marsha decreeing and Mitchell completely going along with her– all but the furnishings of her master bedroom would be shipped yo their home in Westlake Village because Marsha actually liked what Mitchell previously had done in what had already become ‘their’ bedroom.
Small, fragile items carefully packed in cardboard boxes obtained from local supermarkets. Sticky tabs stuck onto all that was to be shipped to California and what was to be donated to ‘Goodwill’… Which Marty was to oversee.
March 24, 2010
Chicago, Illinois
8:20 AM
“You in any big hurry to get home?”
Standing back, wondering if there was anything they had forgotten, but everything boxed and tagged and separated awaiting tomorrow mornings pick up by ‘Goodwill’ and later in the afternoon the Moving company.
“You in any big hurry to get home?”
In that mystical, specialised period in the lives of many married people and long standing friends, even at this time – though in actuality knowing each other all of their lives, having an idea what he was getting asking… and sometimes the annoying finishing of conversation.
“Where do you want to start?”
“Doubt we’ll ever be back. Think I’d like to see what my old neighbourhood looks like now.”
“Sure!”
“Wonder if ‘Askanaz’ and the ‘J’ are still there.”
“I’m about ready for breakfast anyway.”
“Okay. And after Askanaz, we’ll swing by the ‘J’. Then…” Marsha questioned “... You think you remember how to get there?”
“It’s been sixty years, but sure I remember how to get to the west side.”
“Maybe see, if anything is open there, maybe we can spend tonight in ‘Union Pier’? Maybe at ‘The Lakeview’?
“If they’re open, yeah! Why not?”
“I’d love that, Mitch!”
When Marsha had packed on the seventeenth – the evening before flying to Los Angels in her desperate attempt to renew her life with Mitchell, having no idea how it would work out, nor how long she would be in California, she had taken enough clothing for three days.
Expecting to return to Westlake the day after tomorrow, she took one suitcase with clothing enough for two days allowing all else to be shipped to her new home.
Mitchell had packed enough for three days, including some heaver clothing because the weather here was much colder than in Southern California.
Calling United Airlines, Marsha had no problem switching this afternoons flight to two-fifty tomorrow afternoon.
8:50 AM
Loading the two suitcases into the Malibu’s trunk along with Marsha’s small overnight case. Saying ‘goodbye’ to her apartment, Marsha directed Mitchell to Morris Avenue and Askanaz – where Marsha Goldman had eaten most every day of her young life.
Only problem was…
“My God, Mitchie…” holding back tears “...I can’t believe it!”
Askanaz was now a City of Chicago Parking Structure.
9:12 AM
It was about twelve minutes from Morris Avenue on the far north side of Chicago to the ‘J’ – The Max Strauss Center, better known to the teen age kids of Marsha and Mitchell’s generation as the ‘J’; the J standing for the J.P.I., The Jewish Peoples Institute– That on Thursday evenings had become the ‘meet up’ and ‘pick up’ location for the north side kids.
It was at the ‘J’, on 3/20/54, his first night home on leave, when Marsha and Mitchell – for a ‘very short time’, had found each other the second time.
The ‘J’ standing for the J.P.I., ‘The Jewish Peoples Institute’ , that had now become a multiple floored structure: ‘The Jewish Home For The Aged’.
9:34 AM
Having had breakfast at the local ‘I Hop’ – not familiar with the newer highway systems in the greater Chicago area, however remembering the streets…
Driving west on Lawrence Avenue to Kimball then continuing south on Kimball until Madison Avenue.
On Chicago’s west side, Madison Avenue being the dividing line between North and South Chicago, where Kimball becomes Homan Avenue.
The Lipensky family had lived on the south-eastern corner of Ogden–with it’s clanging streetcars– and Homan, on third floor of ‘1847 South Homan Avenue’ from the time Mitchell had been five until the age of sixteen when– in 1951, following ‘white flight’, the family had moved to Skokie…
On Homan Avenue approaching from the north Mitchell could see there was…
The hundreds of ghetto apartments within the square city block that had housed their thousands of people that had lived within the four corners of Mitchell Lipensky’s block…
That had lived within the four corners of young Mitchell Lipensky’s world…
...had been demolished so many years in the past that other than patches of high growing weeds sprouting from age dried bare earth there was not the slightest trace of long gone human life.
Sitting a long moment,“Mitchie…” noticing tears in his eyes “...come on, Baby.”
Sighing, “yeah.”
10:16 AM
Making a left on Ogden, the Malibu travelled easterly until merging with Madison, then continuing onward until turning southward on the ‘Outer Drive’, then onto ‘Lake-shore Drive’, becoming ‘US 90’ out of Illinois through Hammond and Gary, becoming ‘US 94’ through Michigan City, Indiana, through New Buffalo Michigan to Mitchell’s Union Pier and Marsha’s Lakeside.
The one time little cities and small villages now immensely larger, with populations into the hundreds of thousands.
The entire one hundred, seven mile journey from downtown Chicago…
12:12 AM
The entire journey from Marsha and Mitchell’s new life into their old life taking less than two hours.
Next PIT 4/8: Chicago & Back 2
