Last week, I needed a boost. My body contained too many red cells and they needed more blue ones. So on Friday, I took the Metro-Link to downtown, the purple line to Western, and the Super Seven to West Los Angeles. Li'l Nell would be two years old in a couple of days and Connie Glickman always has one of her five bedrooms reserved for me.
To refresh your memory, Connie had been the surrogate Mother for my brother Mel. She lived a few blocks from my Dad in the South Central part of Los Angles. She met the love of her life at a dance at the Palomar Club on Third and Vermont. When she told her Mom she met a Jewish boy, she celebrated. Her Dad died as he could not make a go of selling furs. Max made it big in the plastic business and they bought a home in Beverly Wood
The Seven bus took us to Santa Monica and the Third Street. No longer does Li'l Nell sit on Connie's lap. She is a kid now and wishes her own space. It is exciting to be the God Father of Li'l Nell. She now refuses to sit in the stroller unless, ah, she gets a treat like chips or candy. In fact, now she walks so fast I can't keep up with her.
After a week of cold weather, the sun came out and welcomed a high seventy degree day. Nell began to run when she saw the bean bag game. The purpose of the game is to throw the bean bag into a hole. Well, Nell took no chances. She camped by the hold and kept throwing the bean bags into the hole.
Of course I become a kid again when I am with Nellie. But since Connie is always looking inside stores for good buys, I have become the baby sitter and need to keep my eyes on her all the time, or quick as a wink, she is off and tries to get lost. There she goes now leading a long rope. She is almost to Santa Monica Blvd now but I have collared her. I carry her back and then a baby German Shepard has gotten her attention. She begins to feed the dog with dog bites she finds in a glass bottle. She loves, and I do mean loves all dogs.
All awhile entertainers are singing, doing a version of break dancing or strumming a guitar. I give Nell a dollar to put inside a money pot. But this time, she did something out of the ordinary.
"Nell, don't take out the money. It isn't yours...I'll get you an ice cream."
We now sat outside on the patio of a convenient store. Connie paid six dollars for some Jerky and to for a canned coke. I asked Nell for a lick of the chocolate but she would have non of it. We now proceeded to the shopping center and upstairs to Mattel's kids play house. She is now at home climbing and having fun. She finds a balloon and is ecstatic when an older kid snatches it away from her. She throws herself on the floor and looks up. People stare at me but I don't move. She arises in her time and continues to play.
Well it is now getting dark and we return to the Fourth Street bus stop. Karen picks us up at the Robertson stop and places her in a car seat, fast asleep. Nell slept that night and most of the next morning. But for me, I was in Seventh Heaven and with a recharged battery, ready to return to Surf City again and the worst mass transit system in California.
