September 21, 1973 (Letter from Chris)

Receiving your letter this morning was almost frighteningly coincidental.  Only last night I saw Paul Rosen while at work.  He was in the Sign of the Steer for a salad and stayed long enough to watch the Riggs-King tennis match.  I only had a few minutes to talk to him since I was working upstairs, and he was at the bar downstairs.  He told me he was living on Long Island and looking for a job.  I mentioned that I hadn't seen you and was wondering what you were doing.  He asked about Tony and I couldn't offer any information.  Then we spoke of Kenny and Lauren, briefly.

It is funny you should feel the same way about Kenny and Lauren as I do.  They are both good people -- but I guess I don't see them as a married couple.  I am surprised that I feel the way I do -- that is, being hurt that I wasn't invited to the wedding.  Tony, you, Herb, Eric, Linda -- and I'm sure Liz and all of Lauren's girlfriends from State.  Not that I could have gone -- but it would have been a nice gesture of him to invite me.  The more I think of it -- the more ashamed I am of myself for feeling this way - -but I do feel it.

On top of this thought is the thought just relayed to me when I called home today -- that Judi Haberman just got married to an old friend of mine.  I know they were going to, but just hearing of it and about how swanky the whole thing was makes me sick.  (Perhaps it's jealousy -- and that's what really scares me.)  For some reason I think of Judi often and though I've had several girlfriends and lived with a handful of women since her -- I can't seem to forget her like I have the rest.  Hell -- I can't even remember what Liz looks like.  Yes -- those 3 years at 4028 Bailey Avenue were real fairy tale years -- my whole 4 years at UB were like that.  And now here I am -- in real life -- a worthless piece of shit -- stagnating in a job with little intellectual satisfaction.  All the people I ever knew and were close to are doing something -- (even if it's getting married -- at least they're happy -- or think they are.)  I know I'm not happy. 

And often the thought comes to me of how I've gone and lost some good friends.  Herb is foremost in my mind -- but even you and Kenny were close to me and at one point I felt I knew all of you.  Now I wonder if either of them would even know me if they passed me on the street.  As far as Eric and Linda go -- all I can say (when I'm not laughing) is that they deserve each other.  What more can one say about two people who you know will be absolutely the same when they are 80 years old and living in Miami.

I don't know if you are aware of what I'm doing now -- but it's the same thing I've been doing since I finished school.  I am the assistant manager of Sign of the Steer Restaurant on Main St. down from UB.  I am also the Head Bartender which can be taken either one of two ways.  I've been here since last Oct 4 when I returned to Buffalo to live with Judi and found out that she didn't want it that way anymore.  So that makes it almost a year now that I've been here and maybe soon I'll need a vacation.  Toward the end of June I decided I couldn't take Buffalo any longer, so I gave notice.  So -- I packed up and split cross-country with a girl I had been seeing. UCLA so I decided she was a good excuse to move to L.A. see some of the good old USA.  It was a big mistake -- the trip was nice -- and there is some beautiful country here -- but the big towns are all the same, and people don't change.  L.A. was really a drag, and when I couldn't find a job and had to pay $240/month for an unfurnished 2 BR apt. -- I decided that it just wasn't the right time to be there.  So I came back to Buffalo and got my job back.  I stayed with a girl I had been seeing before I left and we went to find an apartment together.  So now here we are, Cheri and myself in a real nice, cozy (small) place on Lisbon right off of Bailey (across from Mueller's Delicatessen).

I sure hope you can get down here some time.  We could sit and reminisce, in case you are interested we do have a phone (unlisted) 716-833-9661.

Now that we are writing -- let's try to keep it up.

I'd write more now -- but it's time for me to get to work and I want to get this off to you today.  Take care and keep your head together.

July 31, 1969 (Letter from Kenny)

Sorry I haven't written but I just haven't had time.  Not that I've been doing anything great.  A lot of things have happened.  My mother went to Europe on July 21 until Aug 12.  The 26th I had a party.  It was supposed to be dated but not many guys came with dates and I was only able to get 2 single girls.  First of all the week before that me, Eric, Chris tripled.  He and Eric doubled he had a 15 yr old blind date and I went out with the 16 yr old I told  you about while Chris went out with one of his many 15 yr old girl friends.  It was a piss.  She said she was depressed.  I was in a great mood and me and Eric had a pisser.  We met Herbie and Barbara at John's (ice cream parlor, they probably don't have then in Warren.)  I can't possibly write all the funny things me and Eric were saying but you can imagine.  Chris has gone hippie, horn-rimmed glasses, uni-sex shirts open to the navel to show his hair.  A long thick mustache.  Guess what?  I got bell-bottoms.  3 pairs already!  I don't think they look too bad.

Getting back to my party, I had a great time.  Hal, Billy, Rosen, Nick (Hal's friend from UB), Eric, Vignola, Jack all came stag.  Gary and Patty, Herb and Barb, Chris and Karen (after BS&T concert), and a few couples from Wantagh.  A lot more from the concert never made it.  Eric had a bad time but it was because he didn't have a date.  I didn't have a date but I got drunk and really had a good time.  Hal, Nick, and Rosen smoked and got wrecked and at 4 AM left for upstate to visit Howie's camp.  I almost went.  Herbie's having his troubles with Barbara, but I'm sure they'll work out, just minor.

The Mets got ridiculous again yesterday, 16-3, 11-5.  Today my mother called from Madrid.  It was great getting a transatlantic phone call.

Oh well, that's about it.  Regards to everyone.

P.S.  Taking my road test Aug 7 here's hoping.

July 23, 1969 (Letter from Herb)

You are now the proud owner of yet another letter from me.  It's hard to believe the summer is more than half over.  Maybe you want it to go fast but I sure don't.  Barbara is fine.  We've been seeing quite a bit of each other, as you can imagine.  Since I wrote to you we went to two more concerts -- Blood Sweat and Tears and Led Zeppelin.  They were both terrific.

Guess what happened last weekend.  Chris set Eric set up and Kenny, Chris, and Eric all went out.  Picture it.  Kenny and Eric the two playboys out with girls at the same time.  To say the night was a disaster would be an understatement.  Anyhow I'm sure you'll hear about it from Kenny.

Kenny's mother went to Europe on Monday.  So Kenny's planning this really wild party for Sat night.  Barbara and I are going.  Chris and Karen are coming.  A lot of Kenny's friends from Wantagh.  Even some of his fraternity bros are going to be there.  I know he invited Garry and Patti.  Just think Patti in Kenny's apartment.  I hope he'll be able to control himself.  Oh, Rosen's supposed to be coming to it should be pretty good.

That's about all the exciting news I have to tell you.  My job is still coming along fine, and it seems I'm still as far in debt as I was when the summer began.  But that's life.  Say have you heard from Tony at all?  Sometimes I wonder how he's doing in his toy factory.  Hope things are fine with you.  It'll be sooner than you think that we'll be back to sheer up things.  Sept is only a month away.  Take care.

June 28, 1969 (Letter from Kenny Tuchman)

My dearest Everett, (I never wrote that before)

It was splendiferous hearing from your.  The summer is going too fast, almost 1/3 is over already and is it shiity.  How is summer school?  Hope you don't flunk out.  Guess what?  I pulled a 3.3 last semester groovy, huh?  I got another C in economics, how I don't know, otherwise I would have had a 3.5.

Many jobs have fallen thru but I'm finally settled now.  The Wall Street job fell thru then my cousin got me in as an apprentice carpenter at $125 for 35 hrs a week but then there was a strike and the boss couldn't hire me.  Then I was going to work in a diamond and jewelry place really cool though.  You have to wear a badge and doors open automatically and there was a lot of kids (20's) working there full-time and the guy really liked me and gave me a summer job, the only one, the salary wasn't good but I figured I'd have a good time.  You have to take a lie detector test before you work to see if you're an addict (?) or alcoholic and would steal stuff because it's all real valuable.  So I took a day off from where I was working for the test knowing the job was mine and the machine was broken and would take 2-3 weeks to fix.  So I'm working in a tag factory that my cousin got me into.  They make all kinds of tags for everything.  I work real hard though lifting heavy stuff and running errands all over the city.  I get 2.25 an hour which isn't bad and have to get up at 6:30 AM which is terrible.

My social life is awful, even worse than that.  Last nite I went out for the first time in two months.  Herbie and me doubled he set me up with a really cute girl Barbara knew.  Her name was Bobbi.  She was really nice 5'5" thin light brown hair with a flip at the shoulders.  I don't think we went over too big.  What's new?  We saw "Finian's Rainbow" which was pretty good.  Bobbi has a sense of humor exactly like mine.  She was ranking the hell out of everything and anything and was really funny.  She had the same fake voices and facial expressions as I usually do when I'm out with a bunch of guys.  I was quiet in a way but pulled off a couple of goodies.  Fuckin' Herbie was zapping everyone he destroyed me.  If I would have been on form I would have killed him, but I was trying to impress Bobbi and wasn't myself which was bad.  I wasn't aggressive enough I guess because I didn't even kiss her goodnight don't ask me why.  I was waiting for her to move towards me and she was waiting for me to move toward her which was the right way.  Anyhow it was a standoff.  Oh well.

I talked to Eric about a week ago and we were bullshitting about our many blind dates.  Me and him are gonna double on a blind date and rank the shit out the girls.

I'm going to see Rosen tomorrow (Sunday).  HE's been pretty low, too. I think I'm going to go to a monastery and forget girls.  I can't wait for my mother to leave because I've got big plans for the parties, July 21-August 12, come on down.

The Mets are returning to reality they even lost to the Pirates.

Take it easy and write soon, call me sometime if you want (212) 847-9718.  Don't call collect because I won't accept the charges and will laugh my ass off.

P.S.  I saw Peppermint Patty and she's gorgeous. Jerk off once for me too.
eaVE BECAUSE i'VE GOT BIG PLANS FOR THE PARTIES, jUL

June 6, 1969 (Letter from Kenny)

It was really great hearing from you.  I got so fuckin' excited I started to cry and pound my feet against the wall.  Glad to hear you had an exciting time in the TKE apt.  I imagine what Buffalo is like when you really have nothing to do.  I've talked to Herbie a few times and have seen him.  He told me bout your trip to Colden, it must have been a piss.  I've talked to Chris, Rosen, and Hal also.  I'm gonna see Bucelli tonight.  He's going to California Wednesday for good (work and grad school).

Guess what?  I got my hair cut, it was a real pain, but it's not too bad now but I had to go for job interviews so I had to look like a clean-cut kid.  I got a job selling Collier's encyclopedias from door to door worked for a week and a half and quit yesterday.  It had its good points and bad.  Training was 1 week you didn't get paid and you worked on commission the next week then you started salary $155 per week a lot of money but if you didn't produce you were out.  The hours were ridiculous 2PM until by the time I get home 1AM so I could never talk to anyone so I gave it up.  I won $10 for having the best presentation by a college kid.  I told my boss I had to go to summer school and asked him if he could get me a job in the Buffalo branch during the school year he said he would.

Some of the things that happen from door-to-door are hysterical.  One day it was 95 and with a jacket and tie on I was dying.  I went to one house and the door was open so only the screen door was there.  I knocked and glanced in.  The living room was off to the left an lying on the floor was this young fat lady with her bra and panties on and her husband, real fat and just wearing his boxer shorts and they were rolling around together it was a piss I almost died laughing when she saw me she screamed and ran to get dressed.  Another time I was working with my field supervisor watching him work and we knock on a door and a single (unmarried) girl comes to the door just wearing a CPO nothing else.  It was rather nice, I saw some real nice girls that way while I was working.  I should be getting a job on Wall Street now.

Herb is parking cars and making a fortune.  He started yesterday.  Chris is pounding baloney.  Rosen is working on Wall Street.

Did you find out your grades yet?  I still haven't got mine.  Oh yeah if you want to go out with that girl Barbara I went out with at the beginning of the year her number is TF9-2939 she's some action so try it.  Have you done some shit lately?  I haven't though I'll probably be starting soon I'm sure.  My mother is going away July 21-August 12 so come down if you want.  That's about it for now.  Take it easy and regards to everyone.

P.S.  If you need shit ask Borelli he's at Englewood.

Paul, remember always the passion-filled evening we spent together.

RAQUEL

P.S.P.S.  The day I left when you woke up I thought you were going to throw the clock at me.