Chapter 7; Bird Song
Max and Cheryl flew in this afternoon . Karen has her house in Kensington on the market , interest rates being what they are it may be some time before she unloads it . When Max sees the for sale sign at the bottom of the long driveway he jokes to Cheryl “ Welcome to your starter home” . We are experiencing a ridiculous heat wave , October opened with temps in the upper nineties so they’ll be making good use of the pool . Donna’s in school and Daisy is in LA until tomorrow helping Karen set up a new boutique so it falls to me to give them the house tour. I have also brought along dinner , free range chicken roasted with cilantro and chili peppers along with a couscous salad loaded with shrimp , aged provolone cheese , plum tomatoes and lime . The work it took prepping was well worth it as the meal was delicious and the look on Max’s face when I explained couscous to him was priceless . After learning the dish is of middle eastern origin Cheryl jokes that she hopes the guests of the Iranians in the American embassy are eating this well.
After dinner while we are out on the patio drinking a local white wine that was made by the family of Imre’s newest fling ( he really is determined to marry money) I drop the big surprise on them . Fifth row seats for the Dead’s final date at The Warfield Theater . Even non-deadheads are buzzing about this run of shows which are featuring an opening acoustic set for the first time in ten years . Daisy will be back up in time to join us which surprises Max , Dead shows aren’t really her thing , I don’t tell him she half joked she was coming along to make sure I don’t end up layed out at the bottom of a waterfall.
Max tells me Shirley seems to be holding on to sobriety, Cheryl believes she will always be an accident waiting to happen. They met with my dad to talk about getting a loan to buy a house . Max has purchased an old ,broken down Good Humor truck which Ted is going to completely overhaul and have ready to go by spring . I’d thought that was a franchise deal but apparently it is now an independent set up. Max thinks he can do 20 -30 hours a week in night shifts at UPS and an ice cream route 6 days a week. Cheryl is starting to make real money not only with band gigs but has been getting session work . Her band played on a ticket with three bluegrass ensembles at The Bottom Line in The Village , before the show Trace and Sophie took them to Joe’s Pizza on Bleeker St , Max says it will be months before he can even look at a pie from Pavolo’s .
Dad has told them that until rates come down it would be foolish to buy a house when there is plenty of room for them to live with Ted . He also says they should vote Republican if they want to see the markets under control , he promises “ I won’t tell Danny “ . I ask Max if he ever would .
“ I’d vote for Charlie Manson if it helped us get a house! “
The next day I have a light schedule at school and am able to pick them up at 1 or so . We’re doing the hippie tourism thing , Cheryl promised their bass player Paul she’d get a pic in front of 710 Ashbury St , Max wants to take in the street scene and hit up a couple of psychedelia shops for vintage posters . A girl busking on Haight Street is doing a beautiful rendition of Joni Mitchell’s California , Cheryl drops a dollar in her guitar case.
Donna will be staying over at her new best friend Beth’s house while we do the Dead show Tuesday night . Beth’s father is a history professor at San Francisco State and her mom teaches sixth grade at Donna’s elementary school . Beth tells me she will run away and join the navy rather than sit in her mother’s classroom . She says this in front her mom , Liz responds “ That would be a smart move kid you should start doing your morning calisthenics now to get in shape for it”. Ed tells his daughter “ Good plan punkin , you’ll look adorable in bell-bottoms .” Beth rolls her eyes but she is grinning . Daisy and I really like these two , Ed has talked me into donating to and being part of a letter writing campaign for Amnesty International .
Tuesday afternoon I pick Donna and Beth up from school , we shoot over and grab Max and Cheryl . Take-out Chinese for dinner after which Max and I walk the girls up Shattuck to Ed and Liz’s house . Max has the kids in stitches doing his little Monty Python skits , when he starts singing the Lumberjack song I notice passerbys giving us concerned looks . I fear I may owe Ed and Liz apologies as Beth and Donna are now trying to outdo each other emulating Max’s really bad stab at British and I’m guessing it will go on all night.
The street scene outside the Warfield was strangely electric yet at the same time subdued . I’m sensing close to half of those in line have already caught one of these shows and an even higher percentage trying to score tickets are recidivists. Fairly heavy police presence but they are doing the laid back law enforcement approach . Heads aren’t even trying to hide their joints , two girls that can’t be older than 15 are squatting on the sidewalk sharing a very expensive looking water pipe.
We get inside and seated early . Max says the theater reminds him of the Beacon back in NYC where we saw the band in the summer of 76 . Cheryl thinks she spots Joan Baez over on the right side of the stage chatting with a couple of roadies.
Four hours of music , the opening acoustic set was everything that had been promised and then some , Dire Wolf thru Ripple with old folk classics , Dark Hollow and I’ve Been All Around this World being two of my favorites , alternating with wonderful originals like Cassidy and Bird Song .The first electric set is good but maybe a bit on the safe side , the final set is stellar if also safe , the Brokedown Palace encore is sublime.
Cheryl can’t stop raving about Garcia’s acoustic guitar stylings , Max and I agree we loved the show but miss Keith and Donna , Daisy feels less would have equaled more but admits Uncle John’s Band was wonderful . Still a warm night I lead us down to Mission St for a visit to La Cumbre and their gigantic foil wrapped “ Mission Burritos “ , perfect ending to a great night .
The next afternoon when I get home from class there’s a note for me to head down to the boutique . When I get to the shop Max is sipping wine with Mary and Carla making them laugh telling stories about our misspent high school days. Daisy and Linda are doing Cheryl up in “ early -wedding gifts ” Daisy has her in flared ,embroidered jeans with a wide kimono sleeve top , Linda is adorning her with a mixed stone necklace sporting a small but thick silver peace sign . Cheryl is beaming.
Friday morning I’m in the student center going over a paper when a poli sci professor whose course I struggled through , yet enjoyed , two years ago tells me he and his wife were 3 rows behind us at the Warfield. He asks if I’m familiar with The Freight and Salvage Coffee House. On San Pablo Ave in Berkeley I’ve been there many times Folk , Blues and all manner of traditional music from around the world . Love the place and have gotten to know the people who run. it pretty well ,most of them have been there since it opened in the late 60s. Anyways, he tells me he is bringing a group there tonight . Papil Indians from western El Salvador near the border of Guatemala who will be doing their ancient traditional music and dance . Pre Hispanic reaching back into Aztec it sounds intriguing with an unusual array of instruments, gourd rattles , ancient style hand carved flutes , accordion , and all manner of strange percussion, including turtle shell .
The band he is presenting are fleeing from being caught up in the middle of horrific political violence which the professor is certain is only going to escalate . Any donations given will be highly appreciated and helpful. I tell him three of us will be there early. I’ve read enough about the current state of affairs in poor south and central American countries to know he is not exaggerating the potential for continued violence and I know our nation in it’s obsession with anti communism almost always adds unnecessary fuel to ongoing fires . In the spring El Salvador had been in the news after the abduction , rape and murder of 4 American nuns who had been advocating on behalf of the poor . It came to light that the Carter administration had been giving military and financial aid to the government . Public pressure and Congress forced a moratorium but I am now finding out the blood money was quietly resumed after only a few weeks. One had hoped following the disaster that was Vietnam and LBJ that the Democratic party had learned a few lessons , fuck no to that I guess , had thought Jimmy Carter a bit more decent and honorable . Perhaps instead of fretting about “lusting in my.heart” he could reconsider American power aiding and abetting the murder of shamefully poor people south of the border on his watch.
Regardless , I love the idea of helping real people in desperate need rather than trying to save the world a drop in the bucket at a time. When we get to the club/coffeehouse it’s early but there is already a decent crowd . My professor introduces us to is wife Dolores who then introduces us , sort of , to the band . They are a bit older than I expected and seem extremely self conscious and shy . Their English appears to be non existent and my high school Spanish would no doubt be embarrassingly useless.
The music begins . At first the wind instruments and percussion are putting down a motif that I could imagine undergirding the “space” part of a Grateful Dead second set. And then comes the accordion which hints at a surreal polka overlaying the already established melodic weirdness . Two beautiful young indian dancers have appeared out of thin air and are circling the musicians and weaving through the crowd while trading masks back and forth . I have no idea what is going on but I love it , Max is as mesmerized as I am, Dolores is physically shaking and might even be crying .
Before the evening ends I will put 50 dollars in the clay pot they’ve placed on the floor for donations . Max, at Cheryl’s insistence, reluctantly parts with a twenty dollar bill . Cheryl has been chatting with one of the original founders of the coffee house who has shown her a picture on the wall of David Grisham and related memories of him in the early 70s playing late into summer nights creating a blend of jazz and bluegrass unlike anything else he’s yet heard .
All in all one of those magical, spooky evenings that somehow hang on far into the future , even to the point of creating subtle ripples in one’s personal trajectory . Many years later I am still involved ( in a very small way) in trying to shine a light on the myriad horrors and injustices suffered by the poor people of that small, bedeviled nation , mostly through continued work with Amnesty International and fundraiser/awareness events in my cafe . I have also hired and trained quite a few El Salvadoran refugees in the fine art of brewing coffee while getting money out of hipsters , and placed many more with either Daisy in her shop or Sarah and Sam on their growing farm. I am getting way ahead of myself and my story though.
Sunday afternoon and we are all at the airport seeing Max and Cheryl off , Donna and Beth ( they’re becoming inseparable ) are pestering me to get them ice cream . It is not even noon and I’m explaining to them “soft serve” is not really ice cream. Donna tells Beth “ ignore him , Daisy and I do when he gets like that “ , Beth seems well aware , they get their ice cream after lunch . Max and Cheryl both insist on hugging everyone. They are also still both trying to talk us into coming back east for Christmas .
Woke up Wednesday morning two weeks later with Ronald Reagan as the “ President Elect “ of The United States , I was unsurprised ,the tea leaves portended this way since mid-summer . Was a bit put off by how shocked most everyone on campus was though , not just possibly naive fellow students but respected professors seemed to have been living in a fantasy world. I am sure back at Dad’s country club the bartenders would be busy all week. I was up far too late watching Walter Cronkite’s coverage of the election . It was called early , while I feel Jimmy Carter was overall a disappointment his concession thing was classy and it is hard not to respect the man. Reagan’s speech was almost reassuring as it was far less bombastic than I’d expected it to be . I still find his vaunted sense of humor to be weird and off putting . Can’t imagine his one term will be anything consequential , hope the democrats can come up with something better than Ted Kennedy or Ed Muskie to take him down in four years .
A secretary from an Assistant Dean’s office has interrupted 19th Century French Art to ask me to follow her for an important phone call. Comfortably daydreaming as the guest lecturer was droning on about the importance of Edouard Manet’s relationship and possibly repressed romantic feelings for his sister-in law the American Impressionist Berthe Morisot . I actually knew the secretary from conversations in the student center , she was auditing literature classes and loved discussing American fiction , pretty sure I’d talked her into having a go at Ken Kesey . Heading over to A building she walked briskly and wouldn’t answer any of my questions ,making me as nervous as she now appeared to be .
When we got to the Dean’s office he told me he was sorry , now I’m lost , Karen , the secretary, has to show us how to take the phone off of hold and they both quickly exit the office closing the door behind them. It’s Dad .
“ Danny your mother has already spoken to Daisy , Max was in a car accident on Rt. 80 just east of the Mall 2 hours ago , he died instantly , Cheryl is in intensive care , we know nothing about her condition . Your sister and Sophie are on their way home from New York , your Mother is with Ted , he insisted on going to the hospital to see Cheryl . Your mother talked to Daisy about me arranging a flight for the three of you early tomorrow . Your mom said for me to tell you Daisy and Donna need you now. “
When I left the office I managed to mumble thanks to the Dean and headed to the parking lot. Karen followed me to the car offering condolences and suggesting I might want to sit and collect myself. I was feeling numb , maybe even calm, and knew I needed to get to the girls as soon as soon as possible . Starting the car up I was stabbed with a vision of Ted in his grief , making the nightmare start to feel real. Somewhat speeding on the winding roads leading down and west away from school I wondered if I was going to be able to call up the strength and resources which Dad had implored me to find .
When I got home Donna was waiting for me in the front room. She looked confused and unsure of herself in a way I’d never have imagined possible . I felt like she had been there waiting for me to show up and help her make sense of things and then when she saw me instinctively understood that wasn’t how it worked . When I sat down with her she grabbed my hand and told me her Mom was downstairs talking to Linda and Karen. Carla came in from the kitchen with grilled cheese sandwiches , I hadn’t realized she was here , had been surprised when I had thought Donna was alone .
“ Danny , I’m so , so sorry . Daisy asked me to sit with Donna until you were home . She and Karen managed to get you guys on a flight leaving tomorrow at 6am . I’m pretty sure you should call your Dad and let them know . Karen set you up with a car service she uses from the airport . After you two eat if Donna likes I can help her pack , Daisy told me if Donna doesn’t eat at least one grilled cheese I’m in big trouble . I didn’t see any soda in the fridge , what would you like to. drink? “
“Thank you so much Carla , we don’t drink soda , I’ll get Donna a milk and make some coffee , would you like a cup?’
“ Would love one Danny , I forgot about the soda thing . Sometimes when Donna visits the shop we sneak her a can of pepsi. Before you say anything you should know Daisy is the one that stocks them in the break room. “
Donna is watching me like she knows I’m ready to breakdown , she manages to eat half a sandwich , forcing myself to finish mine when her mom comes in. Daisy looks a mess and is openly crying , we ,neither of us , expected that , after the initial shock we both join her.
Donna is obviously drained and Daisy has no problem putting her to bed . We each take a sleeping pill she’d gotten from Mary . Imre is here at 5 to take us to the airport , Karen is with him , very weird seeing her in the Impala . Apparently she’s flying back to L.A. a little bit after seeing us off.
The almost 6 hour flight is interminable , I’m worried about Donna , she’s struggling and the hardest part is she is really trying not to. This is way beyond anything a bright sensitive kid is going to handle well but Daisy and I are not able to make her understand that. She keeps apologizing for not being braver, it’s breaking my heart.
The car service waiting for us at Newark retrieved our luggage and has coffee , juice and a tray of sandwiches waiting in the limo . They’ve gotten us to Rockaway before 1 , Dad is sitting in the front yard , Mom is with Ted. Before we have even finished unloading the car Daisy announces that she has to go see her uncle and tells Donna that she needs to “ stay and keep an eye on Danny to buck him up , I’m so proud of you. “ She gives me a hug and whispers in my ear “ Don’t fucking argue with me” , she leaves me with an affectionate kiss . Dad grabs my arm and Donna’s hand to walk us in the house. Donna points out the luggage is still on the lawn, I’m proud of her too.
Daisy calls after half an hour or so for me to come over and bring Donna. Ted is doing everything he can to be a rock and I find it terrifying . He reports that Cheryl is out of critical condition but her long term prognosis is undetermined . There are head injuries , back injuries and much scarring . Her Mom and Dad haven’t left the hospital and an 8 month pregnant Sherry is expected early this evening from Minnesota . Dad went with him this morning to make all the arrangements at the funeral parlor . Ted tells me he knows his son had “scads” of good friends and that he would like for me to select 5 of them to be pallbearers with me . He also wants me to help him with what and how to say goodbye to his son.
Dad had told me I had to be strong but right here I am breaking . There is a huge knot in my stomach and I see Mom and Daisy looking at me with worry in their eyes, the room is starting to swim. And then almost like he was standing right behind me I hear Max saying “ If you fuck this up I will laugh at you for all eternity” . Later that night Daisy asked why I seemed to smirk for just a second , I thought she’d be mad but after I told her it was the first time we’d laughed in over two days.