Clattering Sparrows (7 page)

One morning in early April, Joe Russo, Tony’s father, was found dead in his car which he had parked along side the Sears store on K Street on the other side of Bladensburg Road. He had run a hose from the exhaust pipe into the cab of the car allowing carbon monoxide to kill him. By morning when the car was discovered, it was no longer running because it had run out of gas. He left no note, but early rumors said he was heavily in debt to his bookie. Years later we would learn his New York family was deeply involved in drug trafficking, and he was their main link to one of their largest suppliers—Hu Chen’s wife. As the Chen trial was nearing its end, and the papers stated that investigations would continue until all involved were found, he evidently felt that his exposure and arrest were imminent.

The aftermath of his death had devastating consequences on Tony’s mother who suffered a stroke at his Wake. Tony’s sister who was married and lived in New York came to help sort things out, but in the end, there was just so much she could do. When Tony’s mother was well enough to travel, Maria moved her to New York to live with her family where she could care for her. She did not want to leave Tony, but she could no longer spend time away from her husband and two small children. She felt it was time for her to return home.

Until graduation, Tony remained in the house. Everyone pitched in to help and took turns having him for dinner or sending food in. Tony who had recently turned eighteen was completely overwhelmed. He moved as if in a fog, but we all gave him credit for sticking it out. The five of us spent many evenings together trying to give him hope for the future, but in reality, none of us could put ourselves in his shoes and identify with his feelings.

May was a whirlwind month with both our Senior Cruise to Marshall Hall and our Senior Prom. Judy’s parents relented once again and allowed Judy to go with Tony—who really cared little about attending either social event, but gave in at Judy’s urging in the end.

Prior to her return to New York, Maria hired an attorney to settle their parents’ affairs. She instructed him to sell the house and deposit the proceeds in Tony’s name. She further implored Tony to get a college education, but by then he had made up his mind. June 10
^th
was Tony’s last day at Eastern. By graduation day June 17, 1954, Tony had enlisted in the Navy Air Corps and was on his way to Pensacola, Florida.

By the end of June, thirteen years after we had moved into our houses on Oates, the five of us found ourselves scattered like the Mah Jongg winds—north, south, east, and west. Tony and Billy had enlisted in the service; Jenny was off to New York to begin a special summer session at Julliard; Judy was spending the summer in New Jersey with relatives; and I was caught up in the excitement of my father’s new job and moving to our new home. I missed my friends terribly especially Judy, but during past summers we were often separated by family vacations, and keeping busy certainly helped.

***

Had the butterfly that landed on my wall of tiles actually brought me good luck? Had the Tarot Cards that foretold of exciting new horizons and new beginnings for me proved accurate as well? It certainly seemed that way to me. I won first place in the short story contest, and my father was going to realize his lifelong dream. I was off to college in the fall on a full scholarship that I had been awarded by the Washington, D.C. Chapter of the American Legion, and by the end of the year, my brother would be home from the service. For me, An Lei’s interpretation of the cards had been right on the money!

I often wondered if she had read something in the cards that day pertaining to Su Ling and herself and if perhaps that something had warranted their quick departure. Where were Su Ling and An Lei? How I missed them still.

6

IT WAS A SUMMER of firsts. For the first time since moving into the houses on Oates, Judy and I were separated for most of the summer which nevertheless seemed to fly by. We moved to our new home in Bethesda, and for the first time, my mother was not working along side my father. She decided to take whatever time she needed to tackle the tedious chore of unpacking and setting up our new home. I helped as much as I could, and my father helped, whenever he wasn’t attending meetings in preparation of his new position at the National Institutes of Health in the fall.

Judy came home from New Jersey in early August and stayed at our new house for a few days. Not looking forward to our approaching separation, we wanted to spend as much time together as possible, and we had a great time. When Judy left for New York to attend Barnard two weeks later, we cried and promised faithfully to write and call as often as we could. The next week I started classes and officially became a freshman at George Washington University.

We were true to our promises—writing several times a week, and calling whenever we could. Several days before Thanksgiving as I sat studying for an exam the next day, my phone rang. It was Judy.

“Hi Sara, how are things? I’m really sorry I haven’t written, and I apologize for not returning your calls, but I have so much to tell you. I’m so excited I don’t know where to begin, and I don’t know how to say this, so I’ll just get to the point. Tony Russo is in New York and we had dinner together. He’s here visiting his family and ran into Jenny Kiatta in Manhattan. They made plans to meet for dinner. As you know, Jenny and I see each other as often as we can, and when they agreed to meet, she told him that she had a surprise for him. The surprise turned out to be me. Sara, I was thoroughly blown away. I thought Tony was gorgeous in jeans and a tee shirt, but you should see him in his Navy uniform. Wow is all I can say! Wow! I think my heart actually stopped beating when I first saw him.

“He’s in the Navy Air Corps, and he’s already earned his wings. He’s on two weeks leave which he is spending in New York with his sister and her family, and then he’s headed back to Pensacola, Florida, for his permanent assignment. His visit has also greatly lifted his mother’s spirits who hasn’t been doing well at all.

“It’s been great seeing Tony, especially seeing him so excited about life again.

When his father died and his mother had the stroke, he was devastated. The last time I saw him just before graduation, he was in pretty bad shape and feeling quite sorry for himself. It was a time in his life that the world should have been opening doors for him but instead they had been slammed shut. One evening as he sat watching television, he saw a segment on the news about Navy pilots training at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola. In an instant he made his decision. Not wanting to be talked out of it, he sold his car to get some cash, and he just took off without saying good bye to any of us.

“We’ve talked for hours about why he didn’t write or let any of us know how he was doing, and although he’s not proud of his actions, he said he really needed his space to think about his options for the future—our future. He knows how my parents feel about him, and when he left, he simply felt he had nothing to offer. He asked for and received his diploma before enlisting, and said he intended to write once he straightened things out. Meeting up with Jenny and me in New York was just fate. Remember when An Lei said my future would bring many surprises?

“Anyway, it’s been so great seeing him. We’ve spent every possible moment together since dinner with Jenny. Sara, I’m in love with Tony, and I think I always have been starting way back when we were five. But I guess that isn’t news to you. What is news is that Tony loves me too.”

I listened quietly as Judy chattered on and on about Tony. Deep down I was really happy for my friend. She was right. The strong attraction between them had been there since they were kids. They were truly soul mates long before love entered into the picture.

At last I said, “If I were writing an article about your meeting up with Tony, my mind would conjure up words like incredible, unbelievable, remarkable, and maybe even amazing, but my heartfelt words are simply that I think it’s wonderful, and you know I am honestly happy for you. Learning that Tony is okay and back on track is great news. You’ve always been a couple in my eyes, and I hope the future holds great things for both of you.”

Changing the subject, I asked, “When am I going to see you? Are you coming home for Thanksgiving?”

“Well, no I’m not. I called my parents and told them that I had two tough exams coming up. and that I would really rather stay here in New York and study over the weekend, instead of spending two days traveling down and back for dinner. I think they were a little upset, but they said they understood. I’m going to Tony’s sister’s house Thanksgiving Day for dinner. He leaves for Pensacola the following Tuesday, so we want to spend as much time together as possible.”

“That’s ironic. I thought you’d be coming home, and I would see you since we’re not making our usual trip to New York this year. My mother’s family is coming here, and Mom has been working on her dinner plans for weeks. She’s done a great job getting the house together, and it looks a lot different than when you were here. Most of the boxes are gone, and the ones that are still unpacked have been relegated to the basement. Hopefully, we can get together at Christmas. You will be home then, won’t you?”

“Absolutely, my parents would disown me if I try to back out on that one. Well, I’ve really got to run. I do have two big exams coming up but they’re both scheduled before Thanksgiving. Talk to you soon—I promise. I love you and miss you terribly. Bye”

“Me too Judy, I love you back. Go study so you won’t flunk out. Kiss Tony for me, and tell him that I love him too. Bye.”

I hung up the phone and sat staring into space. I wasn’t sure if what Judy just told me was going to have consequences or not. Basically they were both of legal age and could pretty much do anything they wanted to do, but I was quite certain that the Ruth and Harry Levine I knew would think otherwise.

The weeks following Thanksgiving passed quickly, and when Judy and Jenny came home for Christmas vacation, we had somewhat of a reunion in order to catch up. We were so glad to see one another that we talked nonstop, each of us hardly able to get a word in edgewise. Since Jenny had hooked her up with Tony in New York, Judy could speak freely about him to both of us and our conversations seemed to go on forever.

Jenny was excited that her parents were selling the house on Oates. They were moving into her grandmother’s big house on 16
^th
Street, N.W., just two blocks down from the St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Church where her grandmother had worshipped since moving to DC. Several months before, her grandmother had fallen ill, and was no longer able to live on her own.

Judy’s parents were also selling their home and moving to Chevy Chase, a mere stone’s throw from Bethesda; Judy and I were definitely okay with their choice.

“With everyone moving out of the row of houses on Oates, have you heard anything about what Billy McAvoy’s mom is going to do? And have you heard anything about Billy?” I asked.

Jenny smiled, “I have news about the McAvoys as well. Billy is flying jets just as he planned. He’s been training at Edward’s Air Force Base which, if you don’t know, is on the western edge of the Mojave Desert about 90 miles north of Los Angeles. We write to one another occasionally, and he’s waiting to hear where he will be stationed. But the big news is that Billy’s mom is getting married. She’s been seeing a really nice guy whose wife was killed in a car accident several years ago, and they’ve decided to tie the knot. Billy met him when they came out for a visit and liked him instantly. I think he’s quite happy that his mom won’t be alone anymore.”

Judy sighed, “I guess everything does change. Our old neighborhood sure has, but that’s called progress and aren’t we constantly told that change is good and without change there can be no progress?”

The remainder of our Christmas break passed quickly and all too soon, Judy and Jenny were on the train headed back to New York. I was a little sad, but it had been great spending time with my two friends and hearing all the news about our old gang—
The Fabulous Five
— especially since we were now living miles and miles away from each other.

We parted looking forward to spring break.

***

Growing up during World War II exposed us to loss and death at far too young an age. We entered high school with more of a purpose to excel than perhaps the generation of women before us. The world of single parents evolved as a result of the many men who didn’t return from the fighting, and the many who did that simply couldn’t cope with the life they had left behind. As a result of the War, women had become major players in the workforce, and more and more parents encouraged their daughters as well as their sons to get a college education.

This quest for higher education and a career in our own right drove the enrollment figures for female students higher than ever before. Marrying and starting a family right after graduation from high school was no longer the norm.

Although we had experienced many changes in our short lives, we became complacent with our choices in our own little world somehow neither seeking nor anticipating what lay ahead. We were caught up in the excitement of our first year of college and everything that life had to offer us.

So far, Judy and I had managed to remain close, just a phone call away, but by spring break, calls between Judy and me had escalated. Albeit her previous call telling me she had met up with Tony in New York surprised me, I was totally unprepared for her call telling me Tony was missing and presumed dead. In February, while flying a reconnaissance mission, he failed to return to the base.

To say that Judy was hysterical would have been an understatement. Her irrational behavior began to affect her studies and everything around her. She had no one to talk with but me, and I was there for her as much as I could be carrying a full schedule at GW. She checked in daily with Tony’s sister, but after days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months, the Navy held out little hope that he had survived, although his plane had never been found.

When Judy came home for spring break, she was a wreck. Keeping up appearances for her parents were also taking a toll on her. She looked pale and unwell, and for the first time in her life, it took all she could do to keep her grades at a passing level. When we finally got together, she fell into my arms sobbing.

“What am I going to do? I can’t believe Tony is gone. We just reconnected and everything was going so well. Although I never told my parents I was seeing him, it feels like I was lying by not telling them. I just didn’t and still don’t want to go there. He was leaving, and I had my first year at Barnard to contend with which in my mind, left no room for disagreements with my parents. I guess I wanted to hold onto that euphoric feeling of being in love as long as possible.”

As I held Judy, I could feel her body tremble, and her crying showed no signs of stopping. Holding her at arm’s length, I said, “Judy, I want you to freshen up, and we’re going downstairs. I’ll make sandwiches and some tea. I know it will make you feel better. My mom is due home at any time, and I really don’t want her to see you like this.”

For several minutes, we ate in silence, each lost in our own thoughts. Suddenly Judy looked up and said, “Sara, I’m pregnant.”

We were eighteen years old, and I can honestly say that for the next 50 years of our friendship, Judy would never again utter so astonishing a statement to me as, “Sara, I’m pregnant.” In 1955, it was neither fashionable nor acceptable to be unmarried and pregnant. In fact, many colleges would not even permit married students who were pregnant to attend classes.

Judy was overwrought with guilt and sadness yet she was level headed enough to begin making plans for the future of her unborn child. Fortunately, she was in New York, miles away from her parents, and this allowed her the freedom to think rationally. Enlisting the help of Tony’s sister, she confided in her that she was expecting Tony’s child. Maria was more than willing to stand by her and help in any way she could. So far the pregnancy had posed no problems, and although she was in her fifth month, she barely showed.

In less than two months, the semester would be over, and she was making plans to remain and give birth in New York. The baby was due in August. She had until semester’s end to come up with a story to tell her parents. Beyond that she wasn’t thinking. Would she keep the baby or put it up for adoption? If she kept it, she would have to drop out of school and how could she possibly afford to support herself, and a child? She was quite certain how her parents would react to the fact that she was pregnant, and when they learned it was Tony’s child, she felt confident that all hell would break loose. She was further convinced that there was no way possible they would encourage her and support her to keep the child, Tony’s or not. There was also no doubt in her mind that her mother would go to whatever harsh extremes she deemed necessary to keep the whole situation under wraps.

We returned to classes after the spring break, and the next few months would prove to be our longest separation yet.