Chapter 12 A Sentimental Journey
Dear reader,
Still with me? If you have read the Life of Rudy Chapter 01-11, you have made the trip with Rudy and me from March 1947 to May 1967.
You have journeyed with me Twenty years in the life of two personalities. The next chapter picks up the narrative approximately fifty-four years later.
As you can imagine, much has changed in the interim,
I won’t bore you with the details, but here are some background facts.
The Rudy Vallentine persona had been pretty much dormant during this period.
I married a southern gal named Wanda Faye Barton in April of 1969.
By and by, we had four children. The eldest, Tracey Ann, arrived in June of 1970.
Phillip Lee followed Tracey in July of 1973.
Jon Michael joined us during the blizzard of February 1978. A side notes on this momentous birth. We left our home in Mastic, New York, heading for the hospital in Smithtown, New York. Usually a one-hour drive, it took longer to travel the distance. At the time, I was employed as the head of the purchasing department for the hospital. We arrived on the morning g of February 3rd. I dropped my wife off at the maternity ward and headed downstairs to my office. By noon, the weather had gotten so bad that I decided to send my staff home. Jon arrived in an environment buried in snow, and it would not be until the following Tuesday, February 8th, that the roads would be deemed safe enough to releaser us.
The last arrival waws Amy Corrinne, born September of 1979.
Over the next few years, the family migrated to the California Bay area for approximately five years. Finally, we moved again to the Chicago suburbs to accept a promotion and advance my career.
Another move in 1990 found the family living in central Florida.
By this time, all the children had left home to begin their own families.
A double hurricane, which ripped part of the roof off of our house, convinced us to move one final time to Georgetown, Georgia, where my daughter Tracey had made her home.
This somewhat dull historical narrative brings us to July 8, 2011, and the events I am about to relate to.
At this point, let me suggest that you review a relevant BLOG article https://chronicles.traxproject.com/reach-out-and-touch/. The event-related there shed some light on pertinent events.
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This entry is basically a transcript of a journal entry. All Journal passages will be entered in italics commentary in standard text.,
July 8, 2011
10:05 EDTY\ -After much running around I have finally arrived at Columbus Airport to begin my sentimental journey back to New York.
Last night was my second night back at Lakepoint Resort and I had to leave directly from work, this was to be my first flight since our trip to San Francisco some years ago.
As fate would have it, dad fell on the floor this morning, He’s OK, but wonders why he can’t just let go and be done with it. Hope he stays OK until my return.
1414 EDT Back in the air over Atlanta headed for New York, the First flight from Columbus was twenty-five minutes.
Atlanta airport only provided limited Wi-Fi unless you paid for it. Same with the plane, $10 for internet access for the duration of the flight. What a Rip off!
Anyway, this flight was supposed to be only an hour and thirty-five minutes, so I would be in New York an hour earlier than expected.
Hope there are no problems with the car rental,
1440 EDT – Another thirty-five minutes due to a traffic hold over Washington DC
In my 2000+ logged miles of flight, I had never been in a holding pattern. I was diverted once to a Podunk airfield In Louisiana (Baton Rouge). That one did not turn out well,
As we continued to circle around Washington, I was reminded of a “Twilight Zone” episode “The Odyssey of Flight 33”
If I see the 1939 world’s fair outside my window I am really going to freak. So much for gaining an hour on the flight.
1515 EDT Another thirty minutes of a circle jerk and we may have cut into my free time at the start of this run.
This would be worth it if someone dropped a load of rotten eggs on congress. But no such luck.
1541 EDT -WTF? Now the pilot is talking about going back to Atlanta!
This should teach me not to plan long trips anymore. At least, not in the air!
Bad weather all up and down the east coast. Negative Karma all the way.
1557 EDT It’s confirmed! We are Atlanta-bound with no eta on a New York arrival.
Looks like my plans for a Brooklyn visit have hit the shitter.
Also, my car reservation is most likely lost.
After arriving back in Atlanta, at almost the exact time we were scheduled to arrive in New York, we were instructed to deplane and walk the length of the terminal in order to arrive at the Customer Service Center.
2311 EDT Touch down at La Guardia, finally.
Long story short, we finally departed Atlanta at 2045 EDT arriving at LaGuardia at 2312 EDT.
At which time we were made to wait twenty minutes for a gate assignment. Add to that a thirty-minute delay for the rent a center shuttle. Finally arriving at the hotel at 0200EDT. All in all, a lousy travel day.
July 9, 2011
Rose early with the intent of getting an early start and surprising Marty Pina.
Looks like I am doomed to travel in circles on this trip. TomTom was apparently set to return to the airport, so after an unnecessary $8.00 bridge toll into New York, I had to circle back into New Jersey,
Finally arrived at Marty’s home at 1100 EDT.
This gave us about two hours for a one-on-one chat while Marty completed preparations for her July Event.
Marty Pina planned a July 4th celebration at this time of year for friends and family, this year she had invited Rudy to participate, the tradition carries on to this day.
Marty introduced me to her husband and her two daughters, Marty and Marlena.
Guests began arriving at around 1330EDT with the first to arrive being Bobby Pina.
Bobby apologized for not remembering me and we proceeded to become reacquainted.
Ralph Pina arrived a short time later and we enjoyed each other’s company the rest of the afternoon.
I Met Ralph’s son David and Ralph’s ex-wife, Judy. We all had a great afternoon enjoying each other’s company.
Finally, the time came to depart.
After forty-seven years, Marty Pina finally got to fulfill her fantasy to kiss Rudy Vallentine.
Upon questioning Marty later as to who she was kissing, Rudy or Leon, her response was “Why Rudy of course! Suffice to say that the kiss was a bit beyond what a pair of friends otherwise engaged, should be partaking in.
July 11, 2011
1602 EDT
Back on “de plane boss!” Hopefully all my circling is over and I can look forward to an uneventful flight.
Did not catch up with my entries from yesterday, so I will do that now.
Got up early yesterday hoping to get to Kings Park, NY relatively early. As usual, I forgot to take New York traffic into account. Got to Kings Park shortly before noon after an 800EDT start.
Managed to get the Pizza Parlors shot that Nikki asked me for. Nikki is my Son Jon’s wife. He was brought up in New Jersey When she heard I was going to be in New Jersey, she asked me to get a picture of a Pizza place for her.
When I stopped for breakfast across the street.
The sausage croissant was lousy.
Arrived in Kings Park and Brian Barton, my brother-in-law, volunteered to take me on my “photo journey”
First stop was his auto shop so he could show me the operation. While there, he wanted me to meet an employee of his. A Latino named Julio. I asked Julio where he was from. Lo and behold, he was from Spanish Harlem. Specifically, 98th street, just like me, and he was one year younger than me. The possibility that we may have crossed paths was high.
We then drove out to Mastic to visit my former home at 68 Tonopan Street.
While there, we had a pizza lunch at a shop on William Floyd Parkway,
We then returned to Kings Park to visit the grounds of Kings Park State Hospital. Kings Park Hospital was where my wife Wanda and I first met. The Hospital employed me and most of my family and a large portion of hers. Wanda’s family lived nearby on Whittier Drive.
Brian was unable to find the house on Whittier Drive where he grew up. We decided to wait until Brian’s brother Michael arrived.
We returned to Brian’s house.
Bobby Hamilton and his wife Dinah had arrived as well as Michael, his wife Sue, and Brian’s mother-in-law.
After some lively conversation reliving the past, we departed with Mike to find the house on Whittier Drive. Piece of cake for Mike!
Rome there we proceeded to visit Group 4 on the abandoned hospital grounds. Group 4 was where my wife and I first met. It also was where my mother, Wanda’s mother, and her aunt Maurnice worked. We then visited the Church Street apartments,
first home to Wanda and me, and finally the church we were married in.
Earlier we had visited the house on Linda Lane, Central Islip, and we managed to drive by the house at 78 Split Cedar drive where George Munch and his family lived. Many changes in the intervening years. Smithtown General Hospital, where my daughter Tracey had been born, had since been razed to the ground.
After returning to Brian’s house, we were treated to a wonderful meal and more lively conversation. After the guests had departed, Brian put on a CD of the PBS Doo-wop concert.
July 11 (finally)
The Morning of my final day and I was off to visit Centereach and 21 Wilson Street, my first home after my departure from the army, After a brief cruise of the hood, I was off to Brooklyn and Flatbush Avenue.
Traffic was so horrid, I only managed to visit Flatbush Avenue and the Bedford Avenue side of Erasmus Hall HS.
It seems to me that Brooklyn has shrunk to a smaller size and been stuffed with insane drivers. This prompted me to cut my visit short and retreat to the airport by 1300EDT.
Happy to be off the streets.
Now awaiting our imminent departure. It is 1620EDT.
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Wow, that was harder than I thought it would be. Don’t get me wrong, it was fun writing this, but I had no idea how hared it would be to read my own writing after eleven years.
I had no idea how difficult this would be to write upstream to lousy internet service.
If you spotted grammatical errors in the text, they were left intact in the spirit of the journal tone.
IF you have been with me, you will see this is a radical departure from my writing style. It is also an insight into how I write to myself.
There is only one more entry in this series, even though only loosely based on “The Life of Rudy”.
The final entry will also be copied almost verbatim from journal entries.
So, a show of hands, Journal style or narrated?
February 1, 2022.
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