Daisy Jane

Driving in Charlie's giant  pale yellow 70's car, some kind of old bomb that looked like a million others.
It was the summer of "75. We were winding our way home from a church camping trip. Charlie was in the seminary ~ college with many years left until he would be a priest. A group  of us went to Sacramento- camping. How I got invited, I have no idea. I am sure through my older sister who was a receptionist at our church. Everyone was much older than my thirteen years.   There was a boy  I went to school with that was my age. Most were five to ten years older than me. I thought I was unbelievably cool going.
I didn't care if it was a church group, I would not be home for a week, plus I had never  really been camping. I would learn many lessons of a life time from this trip.

Ellie was someone I absolutely idolized. Wanted to be. I never copied anyone in my life like I did Ellie.
Every girl wanted to be her, every dude wanted to do her. She had platinum blonde hair, tall [compared to me] very thin, and very tanned. Cool back in the day. I remember on this trip she couldn't lay on her stomach while sunbathing, because her hips stuck out too far. You guessed it, I wanted my hips to stick out. My Italian heritage wasn't so forgiving. I liked meatballs too much. Everyone always thought Ellie had  a tapeworm. This was 1975. Eating disorders weren't hip yet. I would watch this Golden Goddesses
every move. Even the way she laughed, her hand gestures.

There were many personalities on this trip. "Ducky,"  I don't remember why, she must have dug ducks.
The person who lead this fine and noble expedition  was a fellow named Bob, who  actually was
going to live in Sacramento, to become a Deacon in the church.  There were some other people,
but I do remember three brothers from Torrance. One named John that was very cute.
John had his sights on Ellie. Who didn't?  I had nicknames for everyone.
You will understand this one quite easily. Snake~o. This gents name was Mike. He was there with
his bro Mark [ the kid my age] Mike was about four or five years older than me. He thought he was
quite the ladies man. Only problem was...... the ladies didn't  think the same. Mike had to take drastic matters. I am snickering like nobody's biz as  I am traveling back in time. The girls were all laying out
getting nice precancerous skin lesions [who knew about staying out of the sun] as we slathered on baby oil. There was a cliff over our "lay out spot." Mike  took this opportunity to formally introduce his naked self to us, as he dove over us, right in front. It seemed like slow motion. Just a nice group of Catholic chickadees   hanging out on a summer day. Snake~o is now born. What can I say. I was thirteen. First thing that came ti mind as I saw that thing swinging in front of me.

Then there was the bathroom accommodations. Duckie showed me the ropes. She told me to pull up a log. Literally. We both sat on logs, while she sang Stevie Wonder's "Someday at Christmas" in July.
I can say I have never forgotten that song. Duckie sure knew how to sing it. Good times.

So many memories of this summer that have lasted a lifetime. Ellie, sweet beautiful Ellie
was not meant for this world. She died when my daughter was a year old.  That is now almost twenty years ago. Hard to believe. I think of her often. She influenced me in so many ways.
She never knew how special she was. So many addictions took over her life, her body.
Before her death, she had turned her life around. She left behind four small children.

I think of that drive back home to LA. Charlie driving that long stretch of freeway. Tunes blasting out.
Learning so much about life with all these unique people. I haven't seen Charlie much through the years.
I know he was in the Vatican for awhile. Sweet Charlie that I teased mercilessly. A priest for many years now. He is back home now. I miss him I think I will give him a call.

As we drove on, everyone in the car but Charlie and me were asleep, as the landscape blended into one pool of gray highway.We sat silently, which was not our way. Constant badgering, harassing, attacking,
playful, the only way we knew how. Thump, thump, thump.... that beautiful
heartbeat  sound  from the radio. "Daisy Jane" was on~  by the group America. I fell in love with it.
The wind blowing in my hair, the long, lonesome highway...... and the silence.

I haven't changed an ounce. The music, the wind, the highway still call me. I know something was born in me from that trip. Many things were.  So many memories I hold so close to my heart, that summer of '75.