Abraham's Son, Chapter 12

INT. ABRAHAM'S BEDROOM - DAY 

On Friday morning ABRAHAM sits on his bed, in his pajamas, feet on floor. He is somber after catastrophe previous night when he confronted SARA with his request to have his baby. He should be on his way to work, but it's as if he's frozen. Finally, he places call to cellphone of his assistant, JANET. Her phone rings. She answers.

JANET (O.S.): Hello. 

ABRAHAM: Janet, it's ABRAHAM. How are you? 

JANET (O.S.): ABRAHAM, morning. This is a surprise. What's the matter? 

ABRAHAM: Nothing. Listen, I'm taking some vacation time, today and all next week. I'll be back in the office a week from this coming Monday. Please tell everybody. Okay? 

JANET (O.S.): Sure. But is everything really okay? This is quite unusual for you. I'm concerned. 

ABRAHAM: No reason to be. I'm perfectly okay. I appreciate your concern, but there's nothing wrong. I just need a break. I expect to travel some. I'll see everybody in ten days. Bye. 

JANET (O.S.): Bye, ABRAHAM. Have a good trip. 

ABRAHAM hangs up phone. After waiting some moments, he looks in his wallet and finds card his friend ROBERT gave him. He calls him on his cellphone. Phone rings. ROBERT answers. 

ROBERT (O.S.): Hello. 

ABRAHAM: Robert, it's ABRAHAM, your old friend from Queens. How are you? 

ROBERT (O.S.): ABRAHAM, it's great to hear from you again, especially so soon. What's going on? 

ABRAHAM: I decided to take you up on your offer to visit D.C. How about I come down on Amtrak tonight? We can have dinner. I can stay for a few days. What do you say? 

ROBERT (O.S.): Oh, wow! This is great news. Sure. Let me know when and I'll meet you at Union Station. I have a guest room you can use for as long as you want. 

ABRAHAM: Fine. I'll call you a little later with my arrival time. Bye-bye. 

ROBERT (O.S.): Bye, ABRAHAM. 

They both hang up their phones. ABRAHAM again waits some moments before making another call, this time to his cousin SYLVIA. Phone rings. SYLVIA answers her cellphone. 

SYLVIA (O.S.): Hello. 

ABRAHAM: Sylvia, it's ABRAHAM. How are you? 

SYLVIA (O.S.): ABRAHAM, I'm so glad to hear from you. I'm so happy about you and SANDY. She's the right woman for you.

ABRAHAM: Yes, SANDY's great, but right now I need to talk to you and you have to promise me you won't mention any of it to SANDY. Please, can you do that? 

SYLVIA (O.S.): What's going on? That's a strange request. 

ABRAHAM: Not strange. Necessary. I'm not ready to talk to SANDY about it, but I am with you. Promise? 

SYLVIA (O.S.): Okay. Promise. What? 

ABRAHAM:  I've been thinking a lot lately about having a child of my own. I feel it's something I need in my life, for many reasons. Obviously, there are obstacles. 

SYLVIA (O.S.) (incredulous): ABRAHAM, you're sixty years-old. Not thirty. I'm sorry your child didn't survive, but that time of your life is over. 

ABRAHAM Why? I read all the time about older men, men my age, having children. I'm up to it. 

SYLVIA (O.S.): Okay, you're up to it. How are you gonna get one. Marry a young woman? Adopt? Look for a surrogate mother? What?

ABRAHAM: That's still up in the air. 

SYLVIA (O.S.): You know, this is not gonna sit well with SANDY. She doesn't want you and a baby. This is not the lifestyle she's planning. 

ABRAHAM: I realize that. I'll have to take that risk. But, right now, my priority is a baby, not SANDY. 

SYLVIA (O.S.): Want to know what I think? 

ABRAHAM: That's why I called. 

SYLVIA (O.S.): I think you're crazy. It's foolish. You're mashugana. I can't think of any other way of putting it. Please reconsider, ABRAHAM. 

ABRAHAM: I'll take what you said under consideration. I appreciate your advice. But, again, not a word to SANDY. 

SYLVIA (O.S.): Believe me, she's the last person I would tell this to.

ABRAHAM: You must tell no one. 

SYLVIA (O.S.): Okay, okay. 

ABRAHAM: I'm going to Washington tonight to visit an old friend from high school. I'll be back in a few days. Bye and thanks.

SYLVIA (O.S.): Bye. 

__________

I will be on vacation next Sunday, Christmas Day.  Next post will be January 1, 2023

Jim Brown

 Jim Brown was born February 17, 1936 in St. Simons Island, GA.  At eight years of age, his family moved to Manhasset, NY where his mother worked as a domestic.

Jim Brown attended Manhasset High School where he excelled at football, lacrosse, baseball, basketball and track.  In 1953, he matriculated at Syracuse University, a mere 40 miles (65 KM) from my hometown, Oswego, NY.  As such Jim Brown and the Syracuse Orange became my favorite college football team.  I was able to listen to their games on the radio.

After his freshman year, Jim Brown became the star running back on the 1954, 1955 and 1956 Syracuse teams.  As a sophomore he was the second-leading rusher on the team. As a junior, Jim Brown rushed for 676 yards (5.2 per carry). In his senior year, he was a consensus first-team All-American. 

Jim Brown finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting and set school records for highest season rush average (6.2) and most rushing touchdowns in a single game (6). He ran for 986 yards, third-most in the country despite Syracuse playing only eight games and scored 14 touchdowns. 

Then on New Years Day in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Jim Brown rushed for 132 yards, scored three touchdowns, and kicked three extra points in a 28-27 loss to TCU.  He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame.

Perhaps most impressive was his success as a multisport athlete at Syracuse.   In addition to his football accomplishments, Jim Brown excelled in basketball, track, and especially lacrosse.  He is in the Lacrosse Hall of Fame.

In the NFL draft, Jim Brown was chosen by the Cleveland Browns (named for their coach Paul Brown).  In those years, Cleveland was the arch rival of my favorite team, the New York Football Giants.  Thus, he went from being on my favorite college team to being on my least favorite NFL team.

During his nine year NFL career (1957-1965), the Giants & Browns had many battles and Jim Brown broke my heart many times.  However, I can't deny his greatness.  I was happy for him when his Browns beat the Baltimore Colts in 1964 to become NFL champions.  

I was privileged to have seen Jim Brown in person three times:  against the Giants in Yankee Stadium in 1962 (Browns lost 17-13), the Philadelphia Eagles at Franklin Field in 1964 (Browns won 28-20) and again in 1965 (Browns won 35-17).  The night before the '64 game I saw him walking on the street in Center City Philadelphia while my brother Paul and I were on our way to a movie theater where some of his teammates sat in front of us.  

In 1966, Jim Brown was in the UK filming the movie The Dirty Dozen along with Lee Marvin, Charles Bronson, Ernest Borgnine, John Cassavetes, George Kennedy, Ralph Meeker, Robert Ryan, Telly Savales and Donald Sutherland.  As a result of some production delays, he was late in returning to the Browns for their pre-season practices.  In an attempt to force him to return ASAP, the team fined him for his lateness.  In response, Jim Brown retired from football.

His name appears many times in the NFL record book, despite only playing nine years at a time when the schedule was at the most 14 games per season (today 17).  Jim Brown is the only running back in NFL history to average over 100 yards per game for a career.  He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.  I and many others consider Jim Brown the greatest running back of all time.    

Niagara

There are two cities with the same name, Niagara Falls, one in the State of New York and the other in the Province of Ontario.  Between them is the world famous Niagara Falls.

"Formed by the Niagara River, which drains Lake Erie into Lake Ontario, Niagara Falls has the highest flow rate of any waterfall in North America that has a vertical drop of more than 50 meters (160 feet). During peak daytime tourist hours, more than 168,000 cubic meters (5.9 million cubic feet) of water goes over the crest of the falls every minute.  Niagara Falls is famed for its beauty and is a valuable source of hydroelectric power."  It used to be considered an ideal location for a honeymoon. 

In 1929, after her graduation from college in Oswego, NY, my mother, the former Margaret Karch, took a job as a teacher in Niagara Falls, NY.  Early in 1930, she returned to Oswego and married my father, Harry Lasky.  My mother once confided in me that she had to borrow money from my father during her year in Niagara Falls.  During my youth, my family and I vacationed at least once at Niagara Falls, Ontario, a trip of 162 miles (260 km) from Oswego.

In 1953, Henry Hathaway directed the motion picture Niagara which starred Marilyn Monroe, Joseph Cotton and Jean Peters.  It was a thriller movie that was filmed on location in Niagara Falls, Ontario.

Ray and Polly Cutler (Peters) arrive at a hotel (Rainbow Cabins) in Niagara Falls, Ontario on their delayed honeymoon only to find their reserved cabin (with a beautiful view of the Falls) still occupied by George (Cotton) and Rose (Monroe) Loomis.

George, asleep, has "not quite been himself."  The Cutlers politely accept a less desirable cabin so as not to disturb George.

George and Rose have a very volatile marriage. She is young and very attractive. He is much older, jealous, depressed and irritable. 

While touring the Scenic Tunnels under the Falls, Polly sees Rose passionately kissing another man.

The next day, Rose lures George into following her to where her lover is waiting to kill him. To let Rose know that George is dead, her lover will request the Rainbow Tower Carillon play the song "Kiss". When she hears the tune being played on the carillon bells, Rose concludes George is dead.

In fact, it is George who has killed the other man, thrown his body into the Falls, and collected his shoes at the exit instead of his own. This leads the police to believe that George is the victim. 

When the body is retrieved, the police bring Rose to the morgue to identify George's body. When the cover is lifted from the face and she recognizes the dead man, Rose collapses before saying anything and is admitted to a hospital. 

George has the carillon play "Kiss" again to panic Rose, who flees the hospital, intending to cross the border back to New York State. Finding George waiting for her at the border, Rose tries to escape,  hiding in the carillon bell tower. George catches up to her and strangles her beneath the bells, which remain silent. 

This is not the end of the film, but it is for me.  Poor Rose, Poor Marilyn.