Pretty Smile

I force a smile, feeling like somebody who’s never smiled before.  It hurts to smile.  I don’t want to. ---Samantha Lucero, Let The Devil Wear Black, a novel
Leave it to Paloma to remind me to see a movie on dinosaurs.  She also crafted a unique plant on her word processor for me to enhance her stationery.
Dear Michael,
See…I can make some nice drawings too!  That’s one of Jonathan’s favorite games now.  He loves to play with the computer.
Did I tell you we took him to see JURASSIC PARK?  He wanted to go.  Have you seen it?  He was pretty scared.  Well, in fact he spent half of the movie 2ith my hand on his eyes.  We don’t have the picture of a dinosaur in our computer.  Too bad!
So...you are planning to go to London.  You’ve already been, right?  What is that you like in London?  It’s going to be cold in February.  I like the States way better than England.  I often have English customers.  I don’t understand them as well as Americans.  In fact, last summer I even hired an English girl called Samantha.  Aren’t English people a little bit cold?  I know it’s kind of stupid to say that.  You’ve got everything everywhere.  In fact I’ve been to London four times and every time I had a great time (especially for shopping).  That was a long time ago.
I’m sending you three pictures we took last summer.  On two of them you can see me.  I’m sure you knew.  I’m with Unmi and Duane.  Remember I told you about them:  the Chef and the Painter from San Francisco.  And on the last one may be you will recognize Jonathan in the back on the left.  On his right you can see Gary which is Caroline’s son (one of her two sons, the older one.  You remember Caroline, right?  You went to her wedding and the two little ones are Giulia and Enzo (Coco’s children).  Coco is Caroline’s sister, remember?  Coco spent her holidays here with her mom and the three kids.  That was fun.  We all went to the beach which is right under our building (also with my mom and my brother, Edouard).  The picture was taken under our apartment.
Did I tell you that I have a motorcycle now?  I’m getting old and I don’t remember much.  I sometimes repeat myself (but we’re the same age, right?).  I’m just planning to use it at summertime to avoid traffic jams.  Jonathan is crazy about it.  He just lost one tooth in the front—that’s so funny.  I now call him “Pretty Smile”.  The other day a little girl bumped into him, he had a black eye.   Without his took and the black eye he really looked like he had just been boxing.  I am sure you’ve already lived things kike that with you nieces…maybe less now that you are in Los Angeles.  Don’t you miss them?
Well, I have to go now.  So..til next time!
Love, Paloma
Alan sent me a cool quad of postcards from his trip to Israel.  I’m wondering what course he plans to take at UCLA.  And I am really wondering what he plans to paint.
July 3, 1993
Michael,
Today:  1.  Walking town of walled city; history of Jerusalem.  2. Lunch at a View Restaurant = Excellent! 3. Tour of Yas Vashem, the memorial to the six million Jews exterminated in WWII.  4. Tour of Art Galleries (alone), Great!  I miss you.  I’ve decided to take a course at UCLA, get wealthy and start to paint.
Love, Alan
July 4, 1993
9:30PM  (2:30PM L.A. Time)
Michael,
Tel Aviv, ISRAEL looks like any cosmopolitan city.  We ate dinner and now all of us are going to the Main Street to walk and have a cappuccino.   It’s the equivalent of the 3rdStreet Promenade.
Love, Alan
The best card Alan sent me from Israel was a Black and White photograph by George Rodger of the Sahara in 1957 (the year my parents got married):

July 5, 1993
Dear Michael,
I’m sitting on the bus listening to AS TEARS GO BY for the 20th time and thinking about you. 
This morning I went swimming in the Mediterranean Sea at 5:30AM.  The water was 80 degrees and beautiful.  We spent this morning in a museum which teaches Jewish History.  It had replicas of Old Synagogues from all over the world.  The weather is very HOT.  It is 12:50PM (5:50AM L.A. on Monday).  I’m missing you! 
Tel Aviv was like an Israeli Paris or Riviera City (not like Tossa De Mar, Spain though). 
As you know, the Jewish people are quite handsome.  You’d love the guys.  I’m having a great time but am also lonely.  I’ve spent my time with Gloria, Jack, Sam, Miriam and Susan.  I think Gary Leo is getting jealous but hopefully he’ll marry her!  I wish. 
I’ve lost two pounds in two days because the food is at best mediocre.  I’ve eaten a lot of salad and fruits.
So far—no stock tips.  Tonight we’re staying on a KIBBUTZ (near Syria).  The most amazing part of Tel Aviv is total absence of police or army.  It is a completely safe city with virtually no crime.  Kids stay out alone and are not afraid. 
Carrie and Lauren miss you and keep asking about you.
I hope you’re being good!
This card clearly shows Israel even though its not the desert and palm trees it is HOT.  You’d love the heat.  That’s all for now.  I’ll talk to you later.  By the way 2.60 shekl = $1.00 dollar and the hotel last night had CNN.
Love, Alan
July 6, 1993, 10:30PM
Michael,
It’s HOT…like Las Vegas or Palm Springs in the summer.  Today I
1.       Spent half of the day in Golan Heights, near Syria and learned History of the Israeli Wars
2.       Spent half of the day canoeing down the Jordan River
I’ll be easy tomorrow.  Only ‘14’ more days to go.  Love, Alan

And Alan’s mom, Gloria, also sent me a postcard from Israel.  How sweet is that?

July 6, 1993

Hi Sweetheart,
It’s so HOT here and it saps your energy.  We are having a History lesson on the History of the Jews in the Holy Land.  Today we went to runs that date back to 1500 B.C. 
Miss You,  Love, Gloria and Jack
Alan wrote a postcard to my mother, using the BUTTERFIELDS, West Hollywood postcard:
Dear Virginia,
CONGRATULATIONS on the closing of your townhouse.  I’ve enclosed some postcards from Jerusalem.  I think you’ll like them. 
See you in August.
Love, Alan
P.S.  I heard you liked GEOFFREY’s in Malibu and the coffee at IL FORNAIO in Venice.  I’m sure Michael has some more planned for August in Santa Fe.
I look forward to Alan’s return.  I miss his pretty smile.


Memories are forever.  Some memories are bolder than scars.
--Samantha Lucero, Let The Devil Wear Black, a novel