18. Eudora’s Knight

The rhythm of the rain reminds the roaming reminiscing romantic that the tree top fog had dissipated. Some other pilgrim may notice the change in weather. Clouds coast along the night sky, mysterious and emancipating simultaneously. Sometimes some wet wanderers are not aware how or why their cigarettes remain lighted in the rain. While others still unknowingly puff away at rain soaked butts, unlit , as they gradually fall apart. The river runs rapidly and the banks can wash away any indication of the previous presence of once welcomed wrestling lovers and nested geese. The great space that once allowed vessels of various sizes flow freely under the bridge to nowhere can be narrowed by the rising waters only permitting the passage of a lonely log drifting aimlessly downstream.

 

Sundance dashing from the bedroom to the fridge for two more beers for himself and his momentary lover asked Isabella

 

“Where’s Jake?”

 

“Oh, he went out for one of his famous walks in the rain” she said annoyingly looking up from her textbook.

 

Sundance grabbed a third bottle of beer and squeezed himself onto the couch where Isabella lay. Making sure the bedroom blanket adequately covered his lower half of his body he gifted the third beer to Isabella.

 

“To Jake!”

 

She raised her bottle half-heartedly in response.

 

“I guess.”

 

Sundance continued,

 

“Ya know I remember one night last fall when it was pouring so hard my family frantically scrambled to look for Noah’s boat design in the bible when all of a sudden there was a ring at the door bell. There stood a drenched worn down pilgrim who had just walked seven or eight miles during that precursor to the probable great last flood. He looked like a pathetic puppy abandoned along some unmarked county road in the middle of Nowhere Ville, New Jersey. And, yet…I couldn’t believe it …and yet…there he stood with his big silly grin standing in the doorway as my mother answered the door and he says ‘Hi, Mrs. Cassidy is Sundance home?’ Good ole vagabond soaked Jake standing there just as if it were a same as any other night.

 

My mother looked around and didn’t see his car and as she invited him in she inquired ‘ where’s your car? Did someone drop you off?’

 

He wiped his feet and responded

 

‘No ma’m. I walked.’

 

My mother called out for me and demanded that I get him some dry clothes while she made some fresh hot chocolate. Though I apologized for my mother Jake was unusually grateful. My younger brother thought Jake was cool and my sister just said ‘weird’ and both left us alone in my room. He didn’t say much of anything about why he was there, something about butting heads with his father again. I tried to change the subject and soothe him by playing the song ‘Yesterday’ for him. I was proud that I had just figured out all the chords. I am not sure but I think I saw his eyes well up as I played my rendition of the song.”

 

Isabella listening intently now touched Sundance’s hand

 

“ I know about that night. “ she said and continued

 

“Jake did tell me about that evening was how welcoming and hospitable you and your family were. I know he is still grateful for your friendship. But at the same time that’s Jake. It seems like he is drawn to walking alone in the rain almost as if there are voices calling he can’t resist.”

 

Sundance took a swig of his brew as he heard Diana’s voice call from the bedroom

 

“Where’s that beer sweetie?”

 

“Well, duty calls and I am here to serve you know. He’ll be ok. He always is isn’t he?”

 

Isabella smiled

 

“Yeh , I am not worried. Now go live up to your duty and I can get back to my studying.”

 

Isabella was quick to get lost again in her studying and the next time she looked up from her books three hours had passsed since Jake had made his departure. Coincidentally, as she checked her watch again to see if the time was really what she thought it was as she heard the front door open slowly. Jake was not too effective in being inconspicuous squishing his way across the parquet floors leaving big duck like wet footprints.

 

He saw Isabella awake on the couch

 

“Hey, you ok?”

 

Isabella smirked

 

“I think the question is ‘Are you ok?”

 

“Yeh, just a little wet. I need a drink. You got any smokes?”

 

Sometimes certain exchanges are better off not to pursue or to continue the path down a certain line of questioning. Sometimes silence is the best course of action. She was totally aware that if Jake wanted to talk about where he had been and so on he would have presented himself at her feet immediately upon passing through the portals of Diana’s castle giving full report of his short pilgrimage with accompanying eight and a half by eleven black and white glossies if he could.

 

He grabbed a beer, found a communal cigarette pack on the kitchen table and chugged the bottle and smoked a butt all in what seemed to be one big inhale.

 

Isabella couldn’t resist and succumbed to her nature

 

“Are you sure you are ok?”

 

“I think me and Sundance need to head up to Walden Pond tomorrow and spend some time there before I head back home.”

 

“Ok. I wasn’t really expecting you guys to be here in the first place. You talk to Sundance about this? “

 

Isabella sat up and continued

 

“This is kind of abrupt isn’t it? Anything happen out there?”

Jake slowly began to lie down on his back finishing off his cigarette.

 

“ I don’t know. It’s weird ya know. There I was walking along the Charles River when I saw this dark figure standing on the outside of the railing on the bridge that crossed the river. I went up to this person and it was a girl. Actually she looked a lot what I imagine my sister would have looked like if she had lived. So I asked this girl if she was ok. She mumbled something of how her fiancé’ was MIA in Vietnam and how no one could give her good answer or any hope. I think she was crying. I really couldn’t tell with all that rain. When I asked she said her name was Jen and I reached out to help her back to the walkway side of the bridge. Without any discussion we both just strolled together, just talking about general stuff: weather, Boston  …you know. I saw a coffee shop still open and asked her if she would like a cup. We went in and just like that this girl just went on an on talking for a couple of hours about nothing specific, just talking bout stuff. I just kept pouring coffee trying to keep awake and listening while she went on about this and that. When we walked out the coffee shop she squeezed my hand, said ‘your sweet’ and gave me a quick peck on my cheek. She turned left and walking up a hill disappeared from view and I came back here. I have no idea who she was, where I was, how I got there or how I got back. It’s just all very strange, ya know. I felt like I should have a catcher’s mitt or something. “

 

Isabella joined the speculation

 

“Maybe this incidental encounter is one of those mystical planned coincidences as to why you came up here with Sundance in the first place. Maybe that’s why you ended up at Diana’s. Maybe that’s why you felt called to go out and walk in the rain. Maybe you were meant to meet that girl and in some way save her. You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind’s blowing, so let it be.”

 

She was teasing him but Jake took everything she said seriously, as always. Jake bent his head rubbing his eyes and answered

 

“Yeh , but maybe it was all a dream. ”

 

“Well don’t over-think or over-analyze it like some populist pundit philosopher or fledgling English professor! You might hurt yourself.“

 

Isabella thought twice about her curt remark and then leaned over to the floor where Jake was lying down and whispered in that sweet seducing soft voice to Jake

 

“I am sure you were helpful to that girl .You do give good ear, Jake.”

 

“Wha?”

 

“Jake, you must be tired. Let it be.  Get some sleep and maybe you are right …maybe you need to just head home tomorrow.”

 

Jake was almost completely asleep on the floor by the time Isabella could get back to the couch. She picked up her books and muttered

 

“Ah, just another night in paradise.”

17. Prometheus Unwound

Some distant wind of unknown origin carefully relieved an acorn from her last thread of attachment falling to an undiscovered patch of earth and tumbles to the banks of a stream that carries her away by the rising rain-filled waters easing into a great mountain river flowing aimfully to a great distant sea. She carefully secures herself in post flood plain. A roving robin either had keen eyes or randomly noticed her in his bombsights and made a swift dive to grab her up higher and higher where he is pursued by the great hunting hawk. More dives and turns the robin loses the acorn floating spiraling downward into some undiscovered landscape.  The acorn transforms in time and becomes home providing Frostian branches for some farmer’s son’ imagination until that same farmer requires fuel for the hearth to ward off the frigid winter that seems to have frozen everything. The gods had different plans with that acorn’s companions who were also shaken free by that same wayward wind. A few were gathered by hungry squirrels who anticipated a rough winter while others were loosed into the stream that lead to the river that emptied to the sea and were never heard from again.

 

The wind blew in from north, south and west all at once on one unusual day in the spring of 1966.  Things would not be the same. Jake would never forget that time, that year when he was shaken free. Completing anxious research for his tryout for the high school debating team he came across a number different reports of Vietnamese Buddhist monks self immolating in protest of the war in their country. The black and white photo on the cover of some national magazine of a monk sitting and burning in furious flames was an image that burned like a branding iron on Jake’s heart. He could almost feel the heat himself. He vaguely recalled how Jesus was quoted as saying something like “the greatest love is to give up one’s for his friend” and he had heard of heroic acts of soldiers and firemen who sacrificed their lives to save another. But, this was the first time where he had read of and seen individuals who would cover themselves in gasoline sacrificing themselves in a protest against war and as an act of desperate love to implore others that peace and love were the only ways to exist in this world. 

 

In one of those random but not so random acts Father Adolph had assigned Jake to lead the “anti war” team and Sundance the “pro-war “ team in their Oxford style debate. After the debate Sundance grabbed Jake by the arm into the hallway

 

“What the fuck was that all about? Since when did you get so compassionate about pacificism? You don’t care that much about anything except beer, music and Mary Lou!!!”

 

Mary Lou had Jake preoccupied a lot lately.

 

“ And. And, how dare you call me Mr. Cassidy, you smug bastard!”

 

Jake didn’t feel like he wanted or needed to explain anything about what he had learned in his research readings from famous catholic writers like Thomas Merton, Dorothy Day and Daniel Berrigan.

 

“The Wanderers will think I am weird if they knew what I was reading.”

 

His quasi-insecurity restricted him from mentioning anything about how the picture of the burning monk or the stories of these monks had shook his core. He even tried to deny and ignore his own feelings.

 

Earlier that week Sundance had casually mentioned that he would be the captain of the “pro-war team “ in the debate team tryouts Jake’s spirit became fired up… with a blend of excitement and anxiety. He knew Jake could never win. His friend, Sundance, diligent, bright, gifted and articulate. Jake’s mouth usually loose and fast would be tested. He accepted the challenge as a personal task to see if he could at least hold his own in a structured debate against his long time friend. Jake was uncomfortable with structures of any kind. Though after the tryouts his stomach still churned upside down and inside out in the end he felt he didn’t do half badly in the war of wits…. and maybe that upset Sundance just a little. Father Adolph refused to share the score by the other judges, one who was a teacher who had mentored Jake just a little in preparation for the event.

 

Al and Billy just happened to pass Sundance and Jake in the hall after the verbal skirmish and in unison each raised their two fingers on one hand in a “V” - saying

 

“Peace.”

 

Jake gave that almost tight lipped half-smile

 

“Peace to you too”

 

Sundance just shook his head and walked away and Jake darted quickly into the boys room before jumping into Black Beauty to find Mary Lou.

 

So in the stepping up to the Cambridge brownstone duplex door Jake didn’t realize that this arriving at Diana’s place years after that debate that he would be investigating what happened to him after the day the wind shook him free.

 

“ Oh my god. Jake, it is so good to see you. Who is this handsome fellow you brought over for me? Is he a gift?”

 

That was Diana for you.

 

“Yeh , he’s a gift alright.”

 

The fair-skinned Sundance wasn’t aware how much he blushed.

He pretended not to hear a word of their exchange.

 

“Pleased to meet you. Jake has said so many nice things about you.”

 

Sundance laughed….

 

“Of course he has. He knows I would kill him if he said anything different.”

 

Diana quipped

 

“Now that’s what I call a friendship.”

 

Diana had trained herself to be the perfect hostess. It was a goal of sorts. She had a specific goal in attending Harvard Law School. She had no intention to follow in the footsteps of famous female jurists but rather to meet some US Senator to be. She would never marry a congressman or lobbyist.

 

“God forbid!”

 

Her desire was to secure a place within the DC beltway and be that perfect hostess entertaining international dignitaries while holding her own in political and legal conversations.

 

After the boys settled down and cracked open the beer and the Jack Daniels Diana ran off to the bedroom and returned with a medium football sized ball of aluminum foil.

 

“Come here guys”

 

They sat in a circle on her faux Chinese rug as she religiously ceremoniously carefully folded back the sides of the ball to expose the inner communal gift.

 

“Holy shit! Is that all pure grass?”

 

Sundance murmured.

 

Diana retrieved an ole burned lipstick tainted corncob pipe and added

 

“And it is the best appetizer to accompany Jack.”

 

For a moment Jake was a little skittish as he thought she meant him but she explained she was speaking about the bourbon not him. Their contemplative atmosphere of focused solitudinal silence was disrupted only slightly with the ringing of her doorbell.

 

“Oh that’s probably Isabella. I said she could study hear if she wanted.”

 

Jake choked on the smoke that filled his mouth and lungs exploding out the smoke and sputum around the room and grabbed the Jack out of Sundance’s hand taking an enormous priest-guzzling gulp.

 

“Really? Isabella’s hear, now?”

 

He jumped like a worried half trained puppy to get the door and kissed Isabella as she squeezed by him through the doorway as she said

 

“You know I have to study and no funny business!”

 

“What? Well, I have to work on my petition to the draft board to approved as a “CO” (conscientious objector.)”

 

Jake just grabbed that one out of the air as quick as he could. He had procrastinated for weeks on crafting and submitting petition that was due within the next two weeks. He had rationalized that he didn’t need to prove to anyone that he was a pacifist but the reality was that the Department of Selective Service of the United States government required a little more evidence than just Jake’s word. Of course Jake wasn’t too keen at putting his short life on the line for some politician’s desire to prove that the United States would beat the shit out of any country that questioned it’s world dominance. So it was either heading for Canada or fighting authority. He always preferred the battles with authority.

 

Diana exhaled a great blow squeaking

 

“That is so cool, Jake. I can help you write it. I am on the law Review and am used to writing briefs where one is trying to build and prove a case! We’ll need more Jack and beer then!”

 

She fell backwards laughing and the ever-courteous Sundance helped her sit upright again.

 

“Thank you, you are such a sweet gentleman.”

 

There was that Cassidy cool blood boiling flowing to Sundance’s cheeks again…bright red! He was smitten a little by Diana’s tantalizing teasing and surprised that Jake had taken this anti-war pacifist notion to such an extreme. He didn’t want to say anything too complimentary to Jake yet and wanted to hear what Jake had to say about his views before Sundance would pass judgment or accept the fact that Jake was genuine about this. Actually, Sundance was smugly thinking

 

“I can’t wait to hear this fable!”

 

They all found their positions: Isabella on the couch with text and notebooks in hand; Sundance on his back placing the stereo’s speakers on both sides of his head listening to Dylan’s Rainy Day Women; Diana snuggled next to Jake with yellow legal pad and pen, and Jake of course drifting again watching the four gold fish circling each other locked in a world of their own in the bowl on the coffee table not making any progress.

 

Diana bubbled up

 

“Ok let me interview you Jake and then you can build your letter to the draft board around the responses to my queries.”

 

“What? Huh? Oh yeah”

 

Isabella tried to focus on her studies but couldn’t help but to shake her head.

 

Diana probed forward and not looking up from her pad she began

 

“So, when did you first realize that you might have pacifist tendencies?”

 

“ Well, ya know, I uh. I guess it all started being brought up Catholic. I mean I used to think about how Jesus is never quoted as saying “let’s kick the shit out of those folks” or “Let’s kill those Romans or Samaritans.”

 

“Ok, let me put it another way, when did you first feel that war and killing was wrong?”

 

Jake rambled on about the high school debate about the war in Vietnam, the readings he had done to prepare for the debate and how the self- immolation and sacrifice of the Buddhist monk moved him into another frame of mind about violence and war. He admitted that he was an angry person and how in the past and even sometimes now he was quickly tempted to use physical violence to protect himself or others. But it seemed that he had a semblance of sincerity as he elaborated about how he didn’t like that side of himself or others who acted in a similar fashion.

 

Sundance was now in the middle of “Ballad of a Thin Man” by Dylan as he opened his eyes, lifted his head and interrupted Jake.

 

“Oh, please!”

 

and he quickly returned back to the floor and the music.

 

Diana curious and writing not looking up continued

 

“But is their an event or person who may have influenced you more than any other?”

 

Jake explained that in a Russian Literature class he wrote a paper on how the writings of Thoreau influenced Tolstoy and Tolstoy’s writing left an impression on Gandhi and subsequently Gandhi’s writings and actions influenced Martin Luther King’s approach to non-violent protest and anti-war activity.

 

“Yeh, but that’s academic but is there any one incident or major influence?”

 

Jake paused… and paused, took a sip of Jack Daniels and paused some more.

 

“Well, when I first arrived at Fairleigh Dickinson University at the Madison campus I nervously stood on line to register for classes. There I met this older woman, Dr. Weingarten. I had no idea who she was. All I knew was that she was assigned as my academic advisor. As I sat down to begin our conversation about class selection she said ‘ so tell me Jake what are you about? Who are you and what do you want to contribute to society while your alive?’ I was beside myself. I couldn’t answer her. I was speechless”

 

Both Isabella and Sundance interrupted simultaneously and in harmony

 

“Now, that’s hard to believe”

 

and they returned to what they were doing.

 

“She then frightened the beegeebees out of me by suggesting that I take Calculus explaining that if I could learn that I could learn anything. I told her that I was afraid that if that’s the case I might not be able to learn anything. She asked if my grades in History were accurate, they were always A’s and if my SAT score on the special History SAT was accurate, it was almost 700. I told her they were and I had planned at that point to be a History Major. When I was done with her filling out this form I had noticed that she signed me up for a course she was teaching ‘The Anthropology of War.’ I had no clue about what that meant or who she was but at that point I figured ‘what the hell!’

 

When I bought the textbook for that Anthropology course I read the author’s autobiography, it was Dr. Weingarten! Actually she had been a famous anthropologist, women’s rights advocate from the 1930’s and a peace advocate who was not granted tenure at Columbia because of her anti-war activities in the 1940’s.

 

In the beginning of that text book ‘Anthropology of War and Hate’ were some of Dr. Weingarten’s opening remarks at the conference on The Art and Science of Living in a Peaceful Society held in Montreal around 1939 or so.  If I can recall it went something like  ‘War and violence have always been about control; control of land, control of purse strings and of course control of how and what people think and feel. Blah blah, …Consider how those who desire this control become out of control with their propensity for violence against others when they perceive that they have lost control or their control is threatened.’ Blah and blah…you know. Well, Meeting her and having her as a professor changed my outlook on why wars and violence happen and how we need to try and stop …war and violence I mean. I guess I had been ready to hear the news and begin to soak in what I had read just a year or two earlier in high school.”

 

“Wow, I think I have read some of her stuff. She is one of the primary movers of the original women’s movement back in the early 1900’s. But we are still on the academic side of things here.”

 

Diana had ceased her faux calligraphic writing as she listened to Jake.

 

“Let me continue…. and just a year later Dr. G assigned my English class to read ‘Johnny Got His Gun ‘ by Dalton Trumbo, a novel I will never forget and then there were the Aristides husband and wife professors who were also dismissed from Columbia for their anti war activities who taught a class I took on “famous Pacifist writers”, and by coincidence, if you believe in coincidences, my ole high school buddy Billy invited me on a pilgrimage to my first peace rally at St. Peters College where Daniel Berrigan the Jesuit radical priest, who’s writings I read years earlier ,  spoke and  …”

 

Diana turned a little nasty for a moment

 

“Ok, Ok…let’s take a break and think about your formation as pacifist. But before we do I wanna know if you are such a pacifist why are you wearing a POW bracelet?”

 

“ Well it has the name of Lt Fleming J. Baumer who is actually missing in action transport pilot who was shot down over Laos in ’67 on his way to deliver food and medical supplies to the Tom Dooley Foundation for Refugees. Too many people have sacrificed too much just so a few can protect their economic-political-religious interests. I didn’t see anyone coming to the aid of the Dalai Lama and Buddhists when the Chinese invaded Tibet or …”

 

“Ok ,Ok…she gets it “

 

Isabella had heard all this before and had to stop the two-hour tried and true repeated speech on the nature of poverty, racism and war in the world.

 

Diana jumped to her feet grabbing at Sundance’s arm still resting on the floor.

 

“Ok, time for bed. We will continue at dawn. I work best at dawn. So get some sleep because I have a million questions for you to answer. Remember to make love not war! Ha…. Peace brother!”

 

Sundance was not reluctant to the pull on his arm as he followed immediately behind to Diana’s bedroom not even bothering to turn around or smile or anything. He slammed the door behind them. Bang!

 

“Don’t even think about it”

 

 Isabella grumphed from behind her text book and added

 

“I need to study so find something else to do.”

 

Jake reached for his cigarettes, lit one. Grabbing his tattered corduroy jacket, he easily slipped his arms through the sleeves in almost one magical motion.

 

“I need some air now”

 

And eased through the door that he had come through just a few hours earlier and was gone. He didn’t even notice the gentle rain.

 

Not looking up from her books Isabella said sweetly

 

“Ok, be careful. You’re not in Kansas anymore! Dreamer!”

 

 

 

 

15. A Kairos Wrinkle

 “Real or not here I come."

                            J. Niebo

 

The survey says that there are a number of road maps in prose and poetic form that seem to be required to fill the closeted rooms of spiritual spelunkers. Jake often worried that a few selected probably banned in Boston texts in his private library would get him locked up with Patrick McMurphy as a roommate in some long lost institution.  Jake was careful to hide these selected books with his marble coated journals. He wasn’t sure if these peculiar writings of others were providing insight or a waste of burning candlelight. The Beatle boot box was just the right size for securing this collection and he covered it up in the crawl space where he once trapped a squirrel. Every once in a while he checked in on them as a father would check a sleeping child. The Interpretations of Dreams; Being and Nothingness; and The Marriage of Heaven and Hell were hidden under a separate layer of newspaper in the box. He hidden these as a preteen would hide Playboy magazines from his parents, hidden but quickly to access when feeling alone. Of course he had other books some were semi-secrets and others his trophies, standing obvious and proud for anyone who wanted to see. Sundance was never concerned about such things and his complete library was open and obvious to everyone. Jake wondered about how many secrets Sundance had not shared.

 

“Everyone has secrets”

 

Naturally articles about Timothy Leary’s Harvard Project popularity supplemented both boys’ collections, as the reports seemed to be the sugar cube sweetener for their self-investigatory plunges. Attempting to replicate Alice’s sojourn down the Rabbit hole became a desired pursuit for Jake and Sundance. While Grace’s incantation was necessary for Sundance to take the leap all Jake needed to do was to close his eyes.

 

 

 

Sundance called out

 

“Jake hurry quick they need you!”

 

“What? Who? What?”

 

“They need you!”

 

Jake continued to fumble his sweaty fingers over the worn marks and numbers on his combination Master Lock.

 

“ I can’t remember! I can’t remember!”

 

Sundance now went to grab Jake.

 

“What are you talking about?”

 

Jake still frustratingly furiously fumbling with the combination lock,

 

“ I can’t remember the combination! How am I ever going to get this lock opened? How will I ever get into my locker again? I need to get in there!”

 

All Jake could see was Sundance, the lock and the box-like locker.

 

Sundance was completely befuddled

 

“What’s so important in there?”

 

“I am not sure what’s in there. I think I left my books, my poetry in there!”

 

Sundance laughed

 

“Who do you think you are, Paul Simon?”

 

“I don’t know who I am.”

 

Sundance began to boil and now annoyed yanked on Jake and started to lead him down the hallway.

 

“Look you have people who need you now! So let’s get your guitar and get you onstage.”

 

It didn’t take Jake long to get completely confused. He had no idea what Sundance was talking about or where they were going. Sundance explained as he dragged Jake that there was a band onstage that needed another guitarist to complete the group so they could play for the gathered audience.

 

Jake protested

 

“What stage? Where? Who? Why? I don’t have a guitar with me!”

 

 The next thing Jake knew was that some dark dressed stranger was strapping a Guild electric around Jake’s neck, plugging it in to an amp and pushing him onto a stage. The other faceless musicians onstage pointed to the microphone as one shouted out to Jake

 

“Twist and Shout in C”

 

“Am I singing lead? Am I playing lead? Who’s counting off? Wait I can’t sing it in C!” “

 

One of the musicians lifted his head from the dials on the control panel of his amplifier and carefully walked over to Jake. He looked just like George Harrison! It was George Harrison!

 

George leaned to Jake’s ear and whispered

 

“ Don’t worry. Just Play and enjoy yourself.”

 

George turned to the band and started in an authoritative Liverpudlian drawl, counting off ….

 

“One, Two, One, two, three, four….”

 

 

 

“ Jake! Jake! Wake up Jake! Jake!”

 

Jake felt a rough physical shoving this way and that with intermittent slaps on the face. He finally opened his eyes. There was Sundance’s nose almost touching his own as Sundance shouted

 

“Jake! Are you ok? “

 

Isabella was standing over Sundance half worried and half annoyed as she thought that this was a typical stunt by Jake. She screamed

 

“Are you on something? You know did you take some little pill or something?”

 

Jake gradually started to gain back his senses, though he really wanted to get back to playing in the band with George Harrison, opened his cotton-dried mouth,

 

“Nah, I think I just fell asleep and got lost.”

 

Sundance sat Jake up and asked if Jake could remember their names.

Jake paused, smiled a smile of success and satisfaction

 

“Isabella, Jake and George!”

 

He didn’t tell them about the dream. He really wanted to get back to playing music in the dream with George and the band.

 

Sundance and Isabella stared at each other. They didn’t know whether to call for an ambulance or laugh! Sundance began to laugh. Jake remained in his state of in and out of present consciousness. But that was normal for him. Sundance and Isabella continued their conversation, as Jake remained on his quiet private sojourn downstream.

 

Isabella smiled as she finally gave Sundance that “good cup of coffee” that Sundance had requested before Isabella had departed the two boys earlier.

 

“So what did you guys decide to do?

 

Sundance told Isabella

 

“Well, we decided that no decision is a decision! So you could say our eventual decision was default. ”

 

He continued to explain about how he and Jake had come to the somewhat half-hearted conclusion to call Jake’s old neighbor, Diana, to secure a place to crash for the night. They called her and Diana was surprisingly delighted with the call and prospect of having guests. Besides Sundance is the one who spoke with her and she sounded attractive. Sundance gently pulled Isabella aside

 

“We will need directions to Diana’s place in Somerville. You know Jake, he refused to let me ask Diana for directions when I spoke with her. He said she lives somewhere near Cambridge and that since he was able to find Fairfield he could find her place!”

 

Isabella giggled quietly

 

“No problem it is easy from here. You won’t even need a map.”

 

Satisfied, Sundance went on to share how and Jake had thought of going to Symphony Hall to see if they could get tickets for the Jose Feliciano concert that evening. Sundance described how it took some real negotiating and bribery to convince Jake to sit through a Feliciano concert. Just as Sundance was about to mention the invitation for Isabella to join them she interrupted

 

“ I need to study, really! I need to get an A in this next exam!”

 

Jake was good at pretending that he didn’t hear any of this conversation, and wondered privately what ever happened to visiting Kerouac and Salinger? He didn’t recall any of what Sundance was talking about. Was Sundance making all this up to get what he wanted out of this trip? He asked himself

 

“What did I win in the negotiation with Sundance?”

 

Silently scrounging his synapses he wondered if this was all a dream. Jake tried to focus on his watch and saw that it was now almost three in the afternoon. He concluded

 

“Time moves regardless of one’s state of mind or point of view and moves much faster than the The Charles’ lumbering current. 

But everything moves faster than the River Charles.”

 

The last glance Jake had made at his watch the time was not quite nine am. He had lost a few hours. He shook is head as if to loosen it up to recall what else he may have lost.

 

The universe was in its continued state of movement and expansion while Jake had remained still and silent for hours .For the first time in a long time Jake was trying to stop worrying about waiting or trying to remember things like the combination to his lock. Then, just for that moment he just was completely present….

 

Enlightenment sometimes happens with the blink of an eye…. Jake swiftly stood up with arms stretched out wide.

He sang out

 

“ two – twenty five – forty three “

 

It was George Harrison’s birthday, five years before his own! The numbers to the secret combination of the lock!

 

He continued

 

“Illumination!”

 

Excuses quickly evaporated realizing that sooner or later the lock would need to be opened.