PIT 4/8: Chicago & Back 2

Points In Time

March 24, 2010

Union Pier, Michigan

The one time little cities and small villages now immensely larger, with populations into the hundreds of thousands.

Enjoying the ride from the past into the present, not pushing it, the entire one hundred and seven mile journey from downtown Chicago…

Present time: 12:12 PM

The entire journey from Marsha and Mitchell’s new life into their old life taking about an hour and a half.

Union Pier: 1949

Having nothing more than a north angled cut-off on the east bound two lane highway leading to ‘UNION PIER’ and ending in the ‘Union Pier Bowling Alley’ parking lot which was also served as the ‘Grayhound’ bus stop.

Year, 2010

An overhead four lane cloverleaf showing two directing lanes leading to ‘UNION PIER/LAKESIDE’.

The bowling alley no longer there, in it’s place stood a ‘Piggy Wiggly Supermarket’ with parking for at least two hundred cars… And the enclosed Greyhound bus depot.

Union Pier: 1949

Once past the bowling alley there was a one-story, wood-frame building, the ‘Union Pier Business Center’, consisting of a grocery store; a gift, novelty and drug store; and a real estate office.

Year, 2010

Sharing the huge parking lot, alongside the ‘Piggy Wiggly Supermarket’ was a long, ‘L’ shaped one story, yellow brick mini-mall containing– among other businesses – ‘The Union Pier Business Center’ which was actually a ‘Century 21’ Real Estate office. A ‘K-Mart’ and a ‘Walgreens Drug Store.’

Union Pier: 1949

Just beyond the business center was a narrow, rutted road that lead to the ‘Palladium’.

Besides the bowling alley, the Palladium’s rows of clanging pinball machines and its open dance floor was the only entertainment in town.

Year 2010

At the far end of the mini-mall was a paved road with a sidewalk leading to the ‘Union Pier Entertainment Center’ housing the vastly enlarged, five thousand square foot ‘Palladium’ that still had a hundred– no longer ‘clanging’, electrically operated pin ball machines along with an electronically operated modern arcade.

To the far side, away from most of the pinball and arcade noise, was a fast food counter serving beer and wine alongside a dance floor large enough to hold a six piece band and fifty dancers.

Union Pier: August 5, 1949

It was at the ‘Captain Kidd’ pinball machine in the Palladium at approximately 7:55 PM that a near fifteen year old boy the name of Mitchell Lipensky watched a cute, extremely curly black haired, near thirteen year old girl by the name of Marsha Goldman rack up games on the broken machine.

Union Pier: 1949

Another dirt road, angling to the north, went about a quarter mile from the Palladium to merge with the black-topped ‘Old Highway’ a half-mile north of the Old and New highway junction, actually making a quarter mile shortcut for anyone coming from Union Pier or Lakeside to shop at the business center, go to the Palladium or the bowling alley, or wait for the Greyhound bus that stopped in front of Union Pier Bowl.

Larger boarding hotels on the lake side, and tree-lined groves of cottages on the land side, followed one after the other on the old, two-lane highway.

With the exception of a few hardy gentile families, in winter the entire area was desolate and all but totally isolated.

Year 2010

No longer a dirt road, a two lane paved road still giving a short cut to anyone going or coming from the well maintained, so called ‘Old Highway’ to or from the thriving heart of Union Pier.

Structures on either side of the ‘Old Highway’ no longer boarding hotels on the lake side, and tree-lined groves of cottages on the land side, but more so minimally two hundred thousand dollar homes on the land side and near million dollar homes on the lake side.

In winter, however, the area was still desolate and all but isolated.

Year 2010: 12:12 PM

Taking the overhead cloverleaf exit road to ‘UNION PIER/LAKESIDE’…

The last time Marsha and Mitchell Lipensky had been here had been in May of 1957 after cementing their – up to that time, third separation… When local conditions in 1957 were pretty much as they had been in 1949.

So all now, in year 2010, Union Pier appeared as a futuristic overlay covering all that Marsha and Mitchell had known of this beautiful place where once a year families packed the kids and went to a different place.

When a ‘different place’ from their frantic world was needed – called ‘a vacation’.

Present time: 12:14 PM

“Wow! They sure did a number on this place.” Marsha distastefully said as the Malibu veered off the highway onto the two lane paved road shortcut separating the Mini Mall from the Palladium grounds.

Red letters painted on a white canvas background strung over the wide welcoming door:

‘Open 24 hours: Food … Dancing… Entertainment’

Coming abreast the Palladium. “You want to stop here and grab a bite to eat?”

“At least it’s not saying ‘strippers’. No, baby…” Marsha said “...I want to see what my aunts and parents old place looks like.”

Both feeling deeply sensed nostalgia as driving the road they’d walked the night of their first meeting, sixty-one years ago. As…

Union Pier: August 5, 1949

Walking on the land side of the Old Highway, the raucous sounds of the Palladium soon faded and the only sounds the four heard were those of their gravely footsteps, each others voices and the steady hum of cicadas. Every now and then the headlights of an approaching car would waver in the distance throwing long and short shadows as it traversed the dips in the road, the light becoming stronger and brighter until it fully lit the asphalt for the moment it took the car to pass, then once again they were left to walk in the moonlit darkness.

Year 2010: 12:30 PM

Slowing up looking for… Watching for any sign of the cottage his parents had rented for the two summers they’d spent in Union Pier…

“Where the hell are the rentals?”

“Guess on the ‘other side of the tracks’.” answered Marsha

...But well maintained yards ran side by side without the slightest hint.

12:32 PM

There it was!

The – at the time, ‘majestic’ three story ‘Lake view Hotel’.

However now, to Mitchell and Marsha Lipensky...

Loosing ‘all’ of it’s ‘old world’ charm. No longer a brilliantly white painted wood frame structure, now a white brick and dark brown wood framed five story structure that contained– to Marsha and Mitchell it’s one and only redeeming feature...

Stopping on the opposite side of the road. Looking! Remembering…

Union Pier: August 5, 1949; 8:57 PM

As cars approached from behind, they would move onto the soft shoulder until the vehicle sped by, then went back to walk on the asphalt lip of the Old Highway.

Reaching the stately Lakeside Hotel, they stopped at the whitewashed, split rail fence to look, and to listen.

Appearing as fireflies, thousands of tiny, winking lights had been wound through the limbs and around the trunks of the old oak trees that lined both sides of the long hotel driveway. Soft music, played by the live band on the hotel patio, wafted softly over the fairyland-like grounds. The scent of pine mingled with the sweet odor of blooming lilac bushes.

Listening, the flickering light reflecting in the liquid pools of her dark brown eyes, “Oh, Mitchie...” cocking her head, squeezing his hand “...it’s so beautiful!”

“Marsha...” feeling a catch in his heart, tentatively putting his arm across her shoulders “...you’re beautiful.” Finding it hard to speak, yet, oddly, “So beautiful!” the words came without thought.

The words ‘So beautiful’ inscribed in her heart, Marsha moved deeper, closer into the hollow of Mitchell’s shoulder.

Marsha’s face turned to Mitchell’s face and the brushing, light touch of their lips generated a sweet mental shock that passed from one to the other. Parting a fraction, their lips touched again, softly, warmly, devoid of passion, yet lovingly, and Marsha felt the thrill of this, her first kiss, as it traversed body and soul… Their closed eyes opened, and in the semi-darkness of this starlit, moonlit night each looked wondrously at the flickering fireflies in the dark pools of the eyes of the other.

“Mitchie.” Bewildered by the emotion she felt, Marsha forced her mouth from his. “God, Mitchie…” catching her breath “...we just met each other!”

Having no response. Wanting nothing more than to kiss Marsha again – unaware of her desire to be kissed again, but hearing the words, taking the words ‘we just met each other’ as a reprimand for kissing her this soon after first meeting, reluctantly taking his arm from about her shoulders.

Hesitating, looking, listening for another moment, the two turned from the overwhelming beauty of this place and the firefly-lit night and continued walking.

Year 2010: 12:40 PM

Two and a half miles from the Palladium to Lakeside,

Marsha was able to spot the dirt road– that was no longer a dirt road, leading from the highway to the ‘Old Highway’ that ended in the small parking lot of ‘The Red-Dot Grocery’... which is now a ‘convenience Mart’.

“You know mother always left wit the men on Monday morning, so whenever Roger or I needed, or wanted something form ‘Red-Dot’, we’d’ just go in and get it, and Daddy would catch up on what we charged the last week…” quiet a few seconds “...good thing Dorthy always had a good supply of ‘Hostess Cupcakes’ and ‘snowballs’.”

Trying to lighten the situation. “You like the white or pink ones?”

“Duh...” Tapping his forehead with her forefinger “...they’re ‘snowballs, after all… The white ones.”

“Makes sense!”

Knowing the way, the Malibu turned right, but the cove housing the six cabins of family and friends could not be seen from before the six foot high, cream coloured stucco wall that completely encompassed what had been a cove of six cabins.

Stopping on the opposite side of the road, looking past Mitchell, Marsha attempted to bring forth the mental picture of the home she loved away from her winter home that she hated… “Oh, my God, Mitchie, I loved it here and couldn’t wait for summer and now it’s like…” thinking a moment “... bring in any rich neighbourhood.

“But the beach hasn’t changed, Marcie.”

“I know, baby. First let’s find someplace to eat and someplace to stay tonight, and then let’s go and take a long walk on the beach.”

“You want to go back…” nodding his head “… to that place?”

“Can’t think of anyplace else, so, yeah, I guess so.”

“Want to go back the way we came?”

“No…” without even considering “...it’s too depressing. Take the highway.”

12:48 PM

Familiar ‘fifties’ jukebox music in the background.

Listening to Frankie Lane and ‘Mule Train’, their interest on the surprisingly good medium-rare hamburgers near as much as in this song they hadn’t heard in almost sixty years…

That both Marsha and Mitchell remember hearing in this very same, though completely different place in nineteen-forty-nine.

1:02 PM

Drawing the last his ‘Coke’ through the straw, then motioning to the middle-aged man behind the extremely well polished counter…

“Yes, sir?”

“Any place nearby where we might be able to find a room for a night?”

Having been asked this many times before, but never by any people this old. Smiling slyly. “Yes, sir…” looking at the two old people; he in Levis and she in some kind of designer jeans “...it’s kind of expensive, but the closest would be the Lakeview hotel on the ‘old Highway’.”

“ The Lakeview’s open?”

“Yes, ma’am. They need to keep a skeleton crew throughout the winter anyway, and keep open part of the lower floor for anyone, uh…” these two are too old to do it “that wants to get away for a night with, to, uh…” Blushing, but leaving no doubt to what he was getting at.

“Nah…” nudging Mitchell with her elbow “...we’re too old for that.

1:25 PM

“A single or a double bed?”

“Single.”

“Name?”

“Lipensky…” Marsha said “...Mister and Mrs Lipensky.”

Writing on the register. “That’ll be one-ten for the night.”

“I’ll pay.” Reaching into her purse, Marsha removed one hundred and ten dollars in twenties and tens.

“We’d like to go to the beach for a while. You got a couple extra blankets?”

“Might be a little cool at the beach now mister.”

“Not going swimming.” Shrugging his shoulders. “Doesn’t matter.”

“There’s extra in your closet.”

1:40 PM

Their two suitcases in the room, wearing the warmest clothes they’d packed.

“Don’t want to go to the beach here, Mitch.”

“Wherever you want, honey.”

“Lakeside.”

2:10 PM

Following Marsha’s well remembered path– although no longer a sandy, weed strewn path, but a concrete staircase located behind ‘Red-Dot Grocery’ although ‘red-dot’ was now a Convenience Mart.

Standing at water’s edge, his arm about her waist.

“There…” Marsha said pointing to a place in the sand “That’s ‘my’ place and every sunny day, on every beach day that’s where I’d be along with my friends.”

Memories of the times, of the friends, and this place inundating Marsha’s mind.

“Come on, baby!” Urging Mitchell to follow her to a large water and climate weathered log that had washed ashore…? Before Marsha’s memory.

“Here, baby.”

Spreading one of the blankets, Mitchell sat with his back against the log.

Scooting between his legs, Marsha cuddled her back against her husband’s chest.

Spreading the other blanket over his shoulders and wives body… “Warm enough?”

Pulling the two sides together, “I am, honey, only…” opening her jacket and unbuttoning her blouse – not wearing a bra, Marsha placed Mitchell’s crossed arms onto her stomach, snugly beneath her warm, soft breasts.

His eyes closed to the warmth of Marsha’s soft breasts.

The air cold on his face… his body beneath the blanket cuddled by Marsha… the weight of the undersides of his wife’s breasts radiating through flesh and mind…

Quiet…

But for the sound of lapping water and the slight, cold breeze.

“Marcie…” the side of her face between his shoulder and chin “… I love you,” Spoken softly directly into her ear.

Turning her head enough to look into his eyes. “Oh, my, God, Mitchie, me too..” her tone serious “...but I need you to promise me something.”

Waiting for some sign or word.

He nodded his head.

“When I die…”

Jerking forward, seriously spoken. “You’d better not!”

“Mitchie, if I go before you, I want you… I ‘need’ you to promise me something.”

“I will, baby… I promise!”

I want to be cremated and my ash’s spread into the water…” pointing to her childhood summer spot “...there. ‘Promise!”

“Marcie, I can’t even imagine life without you!”

“ ‘Promise’!”

“I will, baby.”

March 25, 2010

Marsha and Mitchell returned home.

Next: A new Phase 1