Return To Forever (10 page)

His parents were naturally shocked and surprised to see Joe hobbling around their house when they came in the door. His mom immediately insisted that he stay there indefinitely and his dad did not disagree. With no job and no money to pay rent Joe had to reluctantly accept their generosity and, once he was feeling better, moved his belongings back to the room he used as a child. The police department insurance adjuster was on his doorstep within 48 hours with a settlement offer which Joe refused. He hadn’t been to a doctor yet and was not going to sign anything until he was examined.

After getting clearance from his doctor that he was fine, Joe accepted the check to repair his bike and cover his doctor bills. The cops got off easy in Joe’s opinion. It took almost two months to get his bike up and running but it would never perform as it did before the accident and Joe decided he needed the money more than the luxury of an expensive toy.

CHAPTER 18

T
he inner city was beginning to look like a war zone, even worse than what Joe had seen in the cities of Viet Nam. Joe’s suburban upbringing shielded him from seeing how tough life really was without an education or vocational training which was an important reason he chose Wayne State to pursue a degree. He wanted to earn his stripes in the urban shit just like he did in the shit of Southeast Asia.

Tuition was reasonable and he saved additional money by living at home rather than in a dorm room, which was in short supply. His plan was to pursue Criminal Justice or Music, maybe a major in one and minor in the other. He was able to salvage a few credits from his community college days and jumped in with a full class load. He had to make up for lost time.

Joe took the money from selling his bike and purchased a used Ford Torino. The car had zero sex appeal but got him back and forth without costing him a fortune in gas. This was the first non-GM vehicle to ever grace the driveway of the Fedorsio household and his dad never forgave him for betraying the “mark of excellence”.

In no time Joe was able to navigate the streets of the inner city which was home to the Wayne State campus. While a naturally gifted musician, he still needed to learn the technical side of music theory and that required intense study. His ear was his crutch that got him this far but that would not be enough to get to the next level. Most of his non-class room time was being spent watching and learning from classically trained guitarists and watching ensembles perform.

One evening Joe was thinking it might be fun to see the home town Detroit Symphony perform. The legendary Mischa Mischakoff was conducting and Joe was able to get a perfect view of the musicians. During intermission he took a moment to look at the program which listed all of the members of the orchestra. One name caught his attention…Allison Donaldson-violin. No fucking way! Mary’s little sister was playing with the big boys! Joe was proud of her as he knew her parents were. He looked closely at each violinist but wasn’t certain which one was Allison.

At the end of the concert Joe hung around to try and catch Allison as she was leaving. The stage manager was nearby and Joe asked which one was Allison Donaldson. The manager was reluctant to give him any information but Joe assured him he was an old friend of the family and had been away in Viet Nam for a while. He hated playing the lonely soldier card but it never failed. The manager pointed to a cute brunette who was packing up her instrument and chatting with other musicians about the concert. Joe decided to wait outside the stage exit rather than approach her right then.

It was a very cold evening and Joe stood shivering with a few other groupies and lit a smoke. One by one the musicians trickled out, some laughing to others, clearly excited about the work they had just completed. Allison walked out with another girl and Joe moved close enough to be seen. He had a week’s worth of beard which may have been the reason Allison walked by without recognizing him. Up close he could see the family resemblance although her facial features were more rounded than Mary’s and her hair was light brown and long.

He didn’t want this chance to slip away so he ran after Allison and asked her to stop for a minute. “Sorry to bother you but I saw the concert tonight and wanted to say how great I thought you played…all of you.” He was babbling a little and expected her to recognize him now that he was in full view and close enough to touch.

She was young but she knew when she was being hit on. “Oh you enjoyed my playing, huh? You have an exceptional ear to be able to pick me out among the entire string section. Thanks for the compliment but I have a boyfriend.” Her friend was giggling and thought Joe was pretty cute and wished he was hitting on her instead.

Joe hastened to offer an explanation. “No please, I’m a musician too. I’m taking classes at Wayne State and I do have an ear for exceptional playing and you were awesome.”

“Are you in grad school?” she asked. “You seem a little old to be an undergrad.”

“No I am a freshman. Been away fighting a war for the past few years. You may have even heard about it.” Joe couldn’t hide the sarcasm but he was tired apologizing for his service to his country and pampered kids like Allison.

“Fuck off smart ass”, she replied and turned to walk away but stopped and turned back to face Joe. “Look I respect what you sacrificed fighting that war but don’t assume everyone you meet is a hippie protester. Now leave us alone, please.”

Joe felt like shit. “You’re right and I apologize. Can I make it up to you with a cup of coffee? There is a coffee shop about a block from here on Woodward near Mack.”

Allison’s friend read between the lines. “Hey Allison my ride is here. See you at rehearsal,” and just like that they were alone. Allison’s car was parked nearby but she was torn between leaving immediately or taking up her new admirer’s offer.

“Sure, I’ll have a cup of coffee with you but get one thing straight; the only thing we are sharing tonight is a love of classical music. OK?” Her smile signaled that he was off the hook and they walked the short block to the diner. “You kind of look familiar,” she said staring intently at his face. She still hadn’t made the connection.

The coffee was thick and strong, the way Joe liked it. Allison dumped a shit load of cream and sugar in her mug but never complained. Joe really liked the grown Allison who probably didn’t say ten words to him when he was dating her sister. She had an attitude, a confidence that set her apart from her peers and revealed itself in her passionate and aggressive playing of the violin.

Joe lit a cigarette, forgetting to ask if smoking bothered her. After a couple of drags she asked him if she could bum one from him After lighting her smoke she sat back in the booth and continued to stare at him. “So you were in the army I take it. Were you drafted?”

Joe was running out of rope and if the charade continued much longer he would surely hang himself. “No, I enlisted in the Marines. Tried a little college out of high school but I wasn’t ready.” He leaned forward, extending his hand. “I never told you my name. I’m Joe, Joe Fedorsio.”

Allison’s mouth dropped to the floor! “I thought I recognized you! If you are trying to find Mary forget it. She’s married now.” She threw the cigarette to the floor and stood up to leave.

“Please wait, Allison,” Joe pleaded. “Meeting you was purely accidental…honest. Everything I’ve said to you is the truth. I was enjoying your company so much I was avoiding identifying myself because I expected this kind of reaction.” She was hurt and, frankly, disappointed that his attention was premeditated. She was warming up to him.

“How did you know who I was?” she asked, returning to her seat in the booth. “Do I really still look like I did back then?” Joe explained how he had spotted her name in the program and asked the stage manager to point her out. “OK, Joe I’ll buy your explanation. So where is this going? I told you Mary was married.”

Joe had no idea where this was going. “First, I would like to be friends. We share more than Mary. I truly admire your playing and would like to show you my chops someday. As far as your sister goes, I knew she was getting married a long time ago. She was looking at bridal gowns in the Hudsons where my mother works. I guess what I am really looking for is an explanation. She dropped me cold turkey…no phone call, no letter, nothing. There was no indication she was losing interest or I was too blind to see the signals.”

Allison was shocked at what he was telling her. “She broke up with you before your senior prom. What are you talking about?” Looks like Mary kept their relationship a secret even from her younger sister.

Joe was equally surprised. “I thought you knew. We never broke up. That was just to satisfy your parents. We continued dating through her first semester at college. I would visit every weekend and on one visit she disappeared and never communicated with me again…until a couple of years ago when I received a shoe box with all of the gifts and pictures I had given her. No return address or note was in the box.”

Allison grabbed Joe’s hand. “I am so sorry she treated you like that. I had no idea. We were never as close as you would think. I hope you aren’t going to try and find her. Do yourself a favor and pretend she never existed.”

CHAPTER 19

A
fter his meeting with Allison, Joe was even more confused about what happened to Mary. If he read between the lines, Allison was giving Joe a warning…but why? Was Mary’s husband overly jealous and protective? Joe tried to get more information from Allison but she would not reveal anything. There was no record of Mary attending or graduating from State College but he knew she did. Without her married name he had no track to run on.

Joe had mixed feelings about continuing a relationship with Allison. He genuinely liked her and would enjoy her friendship but he guessed any contact on his part would be seen as a fishing expedition to find Mary. Fuck it, he decided. Allison was the only good thing that had come from his nightmare over Mary and he decided to call her…but she never gave him her number. He didn’t want to stalk the Detroit Symphony so the only option left was to call her family’s home, if the number still existed.

“
Hello, this is Allison. I can’t take your call right now. Leave your number and a message and I’ll get back to you.
” So, Joe thought, it looks like Allison is the lone survivor of the Donaldson homestead. The parents must have retired and moved to a more pleasant climate.

“Hi Allison. This is Joe Fedorsio. I am not chasing you to find Mary. I just wanted to invite you to my band’s gig next Friday. We are playing at The Raven Lounge. I know it’s a rough area but it is the best blues venue in the Midwest. We go on at 9 PM. I’ll leave your name at the door so you don’t have to pay a cover. Hope to see you then.” Joe had checked the Symphony’s schedule and they had nothing going that night. If she showed up Joe would know she was interested in a friendship they could share.

As a musician, Joe had outgrown Doug and their old drummer long ago. When he decided to focus on the blues, he called an old co-worker at the carpet company, Troy Hawkins, who had played with all the major big bands in the ‘40s and ‘50s. Troy was a giant of a man and took Joe under his wing immediately, encouraging him to join the Musicians Union when that was the only way to work a gig without getting your ass kicked and instruments trashed. When Joe joined the band he was the only white guy among much older black players.

In years past the Raven was 100% black. Touring jazz and blues musicians always made a stop there and the place was always packed. When the British rock bands began embracing American Blues, the crowd started to shift to a more mixed audience with a huge influx of college kids. Any band with Troy Hawkins on the drums was automatically booked and Joe’s virtuosity on solos impressed even the most seasoned blues fans.

When Allison heard Joe’s message she was pleasantly surprised. She was beginning to think that her sister had let a good one slip through her fingers. She had been to the Raven with a bunch of friends to see Jean Luc Ponty and had no apprehension about the neighborhood. Still, she wasn’t sure she wanted to start down this road with Joe. Her life was progressing exactly according to plan and he would be a detour that could lead down a rough road.

On the night of the gig, Joe arrived around 8 pm and left Allison’s name at the door as promised. He wasn’t sure if she would bring any friends so, to be safe, he said there would be four people in her group. The table he reserved for her was right in front of the stage and Joe would be able to make continued eye contact if she was up to it. He hoped she would arrive during the first set as they would not hold an empty table all night.

Like most guitar players, Joe played LOUD! These days he was using a 50 watt Marshall half-stack which he pushed his 1958 Strat through. Effects were in vogue but Joe limited his arsenal to a Tube Screamer (for mild distortion) and a Wa-Wa pedal. The sound man that the club provided had worked with the band many times so Joe was comfortable knowing his tone would be spot on.

At precisely 9 pm the band roared in to “Dust My Broom” by Elmore James and Joe was red hot, driving the other players over the top. The audience was on their feet and would stay that way through most of the first set. Joe liked to stack the early songs with high energy and the club owner loved to see people moving and sweating…and drinking. Between songs Joe kept his eye out for Allison but she was beginning to look like a no show. A couple of young college girls from Wayne State kept sending him beers and would have given him a hell of a lot more if he wanted it.