Ellie Mae

Ellie Mae
Beautiful Ellie Mae

Freddie, the French Bulldog

Freddie, the French Bulldog
Lazing on a sunny afternoon

The artist

The artist
Ollie Mac

Ollie and Annie

Ollie and Annie
Azorean grandmother

Acrylics and watercolors

Acrylics and watercolors
Cannabis and sunflowers

Papa and Ollie Mac

Papa and Ollie Mac
Priorities, Baby

Acrylics and watercolors

Acrylics and watercolors
Hollyhocks

Mahlon Masling Blue

Mahlon Masling Blue
My friend and brother.

Mark's E-mail address

bellspringsmark@gmail.com

Sunday, February 26, 2017

K. C.


K. C.

The following is an excerpt from a journal I kept in 1983. This passage was written in January, of 1983, and I copied it word-for-word.

I stared into my son’s blue eyes. I remember thinking that everything had gone exactly like we talked about all along; nothing had gone wrong. We had known it would be hard and it was. Harder than we even remember, I am sure. But nothing could diminish the feeling of triumph, the feeling of accomplishment, and I wanted to shout it to the clouds above.

Kate gave the baby back to Gluten-Free Mama, who suddenly realized she was famished. Of all things, she asked, “Markie, will you get me a cheeseburger?” I thought she was having a relapse since cheeseburgers used to be last on her list of palatable foods, but I realized she was just starving, and the good old A&W was only two blocks down The 101 from Howard Hospital. Off I went.

I was hungry also so I ordered for me too. After I had ordered, it hit me again that I had a son. “But my son doesn’t have a name,” I almost blurted out loud. We had picked several girls’ names but had not settled on any boys’ names. As I was sitting there thinking, in drove a monster 4-W-D pickup truck, all decked out in polished chrome, and parked right opposite me.

Gradually, as it came into focus, I noticed the off-road lights on the front bumper. What I zeroed in on were the initials on the two, cloth-covered spotlights, K C on the left and K C on the right. K C, K C , KC,  Casey. It was perfect, even if I was not particularly thrilled with the A & W parking lot as a source. But I thought the name was the best in the world.

I wasn’t sure if GF Mama would go along with my choice of names, or not. Others we had considered included Doyle, Graham and Blaise, but all of the sudden I liked the name Casey more than any other.

I could already hear him running into the house, shouting, “Dad, let’s get the baseball and toss it back and forth.” He doesn’t have to play baseball; I don’t plan on forcing him to do anything he doesn’t want to do. But if he’s into it, he will find me a willing participant-if my legs will still carry me.

Somehow I can still see myself playing baseball at sixty. I guess it’s because I think of baseball as a state of mind, and not a physical achievement.

Later as GF Mama and I chatted quietly, I asked, casually, “What do you think of the name, Casey?”

“K. C.?” she asked.

“No, not K. C. Casey,” was what I replied.

She asked me if I liked it. “Yeah, it sounds Irish. Casey Stengel, Casey at the Bat. You know. Kind of All-American and home-townish.” My voice was still very calm.

She agreed. “It is a well-known name but certainly not common. It is kind of nice. Let’s think about it.”


The rest is history. The A&W is gone now but it left behind some memories. 

One of them became a legend.

3 comments:

  1. I have heard this story before but I always love to hear it! Casey was an excellent choice!

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  2. I had not heard the story before. I liked the name from the beginning but it's fun to hear the bask story. Middle name is Tomas? Or Thomas? Right? Annie's dad's name?

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    Replies
    1. Correct. Annie's dad is Thomas; Casey's middle name is Tomas. xoxo

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