I left Sally at Max’s friends pied a terre and walked across the park to catch the IND. It had gotten suddenly warm for December. Well, it wasn’t really warm. I still needed my winter coat, but I could open a few buttons and feel refreshed and comfortable as I hurried across the Park. The snow was almost all gone, but there were slushy puddles in gullies and near curbs. Yes, I needed to hurry back uptown for Max’s meeting, but I also needed to walk, and think.
Janet said she had spent some time with Lady Day, and she was trying to get the impersonators to come back. She knew they really wanted to do the show, but she wasn’t sure yet exactly what was preventing them from auditioning. I couldn’t tell Al we were having a huge personnel problem and I couldn’t tell him we were gonna have to invest in costumes and I had no idea where that money was coming from. Unless that money I had from Juliana—No! That’s not to be touched. I walked around the park enjoying a December warmth.
I followed the sidewalk around the park to the Arch. Waited for the two green and yellow buses to pass through the arch, then crossed to the other side. The Greenwich Village residents with a subgroup, The Park Mothers, were having a big fight with Robert Moses, a big shot in the city government; Moses wanted to build a highway through the park. Horrible! The Park Mothers want to prevent cars and buses from coming into the park at all, except in an emergency. I think that ’d be wonderful.
At least Sally had smoothed things over with “Stanley.” There she stood with Stanley and his wife making believe she was the Avon Lady. At least she was dressed. No underwear but that didn’t bother Sal. Then, I found out she was an Avon Lady. She even had her book in her purse. While I’m stuck in that closet Sal is out there selling Avon products to Stanley’s wife and the two of them are talking like girlfriends. She sold her a Rhinestone Brass Compact with pinkish, taupe powder. After she got Stanley to say yes to the compact—I suspect there was a little guilt in that purchase—Sal went on to get him to buy his wife a faux turquoise and coral cross. Then Sal threw in a free perfumed talc. Stanley and his wife left happy. They went to get a New York City brunch at a place Sally recommended. It was the beginning of their second honeymoon. Before they left, Sal gave Mrs. Stanley an Avon murder mystery paperback, gratis.
“You can come out now,” she called to me.
I pushed open the door. “What book did you give her?’
“The Bludgeoned Teacher.”
“That’s a terrible choice.”
“Not for that girl. She’s going to need some exciting entertainment if she’s going to spend her anniversary with Stanley. No pep where it counts.”
“How do you know?”
“I told you my life changed. He’s going to be supporting my career in exchange for me teaching him a few things. Now, that I met his wife I feel more dedicated to the job. We girls have to stick together.”
Someday Sal will make some girl a great companion. I faced the fountain spewing water at the sky. It was a nice fountain, but not as grand as the one we had at the Mt. Olympus.
Soft voices singing, harmonizing. I followed. The corner of the park, a few people in unbuttoned winter coats stood listening. Folk singers. I loved folk singers. I didn’t need folk singers, but I took a few extra minutes to listen. I stood in the back of a crowd that had formed.
Three young men, one playing acoustic guitar, another playing both a harmonica and an acoustic guitar and the third playing a banjo. A few people passed by and threw change in their cases. A handmade sign wedged into one of the cases said, ‘The Lucky Duckie Trio.’ Were they joking? What a terrible name. Who’ll take them seriously? And yet they made such sweet sounds and there was a sincerity in their faces. I knew there was something here that could be developed. That was my manager self coming out. Someday I must get back to that. I glanced at my watch. Oh, gosh, no! I’m gonna be late. I ran like heck to the subway.