Johnny Schaefer

In fact, I used to tell my students 'situation and character' are life to a short story and plot kills.
-May Sarton, December 11, 1993
At Eighty-Two, A Journal

Twenty-five years ago today:

June 1, 1986
Sunday

It’s time to end my vacation in Palm Springs. It was wonderful except for seeing Paul Margolis. What the hell. He plays no part (directly) in my life.

I am anxious to go home to hear what—if any---recorded messages I have on my answering machine.

I went to see Mike Miller and Greg Manechevitz and treated them to breakfast at DENNY’s before I left Palm Springs.  Mike Miller drove me to the Palm Springs Airport.  I bid them farewell on their own road trip.

I arrived in Los Angeles at about 1:45 in the afternoon.  I had to wait until about 3:15PM for the flight to Oakland Airport.  While I was at the Los Angeles Airport I met Johnny Schaefer, an aspiring singer who knows Melissa Manchester personally.
“I idolize her,” Johnny said.
I didn’t quite know who she was but I had heard her name before.
Johnny continued by saying, “I’ve been over to her place and I’ve met her husband.  He’s twenty-five and he’s seven years her junior.”

Johnny was on his way to Oakland Airport to attend a wedding and meet some old school chums. As it turned out he missed the festivities. He had no idea where they were, so he called me! I had given him my telephone number while at the airport.

I invited him over to my place. We finished a bottle of RIUNITI wine and watched the Mel Gibson movie, “TIM”, together. We also talked and stuff. He stayed the night and I ended up driving him to the Days Inn-Daybreak Restaurant in the morning. We ate there and then I took him to the airport for his flight back to Los Angeles.


Mom had picked me up earlier when I arrived at Oakland Airport on this day. She’s such a sweetie. It was good to see her.

Everything has a trace of the divine in it.
-Yann Martel
"The Life of Pi"