January 1, 1964
Dear Patricia:
A little while ago I had dinner at “Original Joe’s” – a whiskey sour (made too sweet for once) and a bowl of minestrone – and of course – because of the place, not the minestrone, I thought of you. A little later as I left, I had additional reason to think of you – and how you had enriched my day.
The air was briskly cold & windy & it was raining lightly and I thought how fortunate I am to know you. For some unaccountable reason we seem to understand and share each other’s appreciations! Most girls & women & not a few men seem always to protest the wind – as if it bore no good to anyone – it [illegible] their Lair; they resent any cold; it blows leaves out of the trees that have to be raked up, etc. Yet all these are natural phenomena without which we would be deprived of so much else that everyone wants or at least recognizes as essential to our well-being – the rain that brings up the grass, weeds, & wild flowers & covers the earth with verdure; the changing seasons, the pleasant days of spring as well as the cold ones of winter, etc. These things you seem to appreciate & put into their proper settings; in addition to which you enjoy the beauty of the snow on our mountain backdrop and you have fun in skiing, etc.
I am delighted also to hear you say, as you did this morning at breakfast how good it was to be able to awake relaxed because of the little I had been able to do help bring this about. This, my dear, is the sort of thing I want more than anything else to be able to help make possible – and I rejoice to see you make the most of it.
Incidentally, I raised my glass in a silent toast to you at the beginning of my meal: “To Patricia, beauteous and lovable; may she always retain the spiritual as well as the physical beauty that she now radiates; may the bonds of interest, affection and understanding between the two of us endure as long as life permits them to have any meaning, apart from, regardless of and without interfering with any of the worthwhile & wholesome professional & artistic activities in which we may individually or together engage – and without prejudice to our varied friendships!
In connection with my new membership in I.P.A. – you see I’ve begun to dream consecutively & permanently – I’m exploring mentally the possibility of offering you full time & amply paying secretarial work to ensure that you may share in any of the interesting contacts I may make, even though these might ultimately open for you an entirely separate and richly rewarding future. I cannot, of course, match your friends fabulous $10,000 in a year in Anchorage, Alaska – and I do not believe that, by any stretch of the imagination, you could match it either. I’m pretty sure that took the kind of bulk & physical stamina that neither you nor I could offer. Also, it probably was possible only at the critical time of the initial rebuilding of Anchorage. And we could hardly hope for another such catastrophe to open up another such possibility – nor would we want to. However, so long the I.P.A. in scope includes not only informed persons who can lecture and write effectively but also persons in the field of entertainment & the diffusion of culture, which is where your contributions could come in, it would seem to offer stepping stones to success. We can get a better idea when I receive a list of members, which I presume will be in due time.
Incidentally, for a potential writer (or a philosopher) (or any intelligent human interested in the general social scene in these United States, there are certain rewards to be had in occupying an elevated hotel room, such [page 3] as my 427 (?) in the Sainte Claire, for a few days. Across the street & barely beyond the corner, is the San Jose Ambulance Service, so at all hours of the day or night the sirens advise me of the frequency with which ambulance service is needed, especially on prolonged New Year’s holidays. I suspect most of the calls have been accident calls, but there have been many, and the sirens begin to wail as soon as the ambulances get out into the traffic lanes & head for the destinations.
Then, I’ve seen more police cars – locals, traffic, etc. than in any other place I’ve lived – sometimes on missions – quiet or noisy – of their own, sometimes sudden outbursts to halt traffic violations.
Just a few minutes ago, and reminding me of the newspaper accounts, of persons crying for help as others looked on from nearby buildings while they were shot or stabbed to death (there goes another siren now), a girl or woman screamed repeatedly outside & close by. Looking out the window, it was evident that she was a member of a group of 8 to 10 young adults (20 to 40 years of age) on the corner opposite the hotel. There was no violence – only screams. When the lights changed, the group crossed to the St. Claire side & turned toward Original Joe’s. Screams intermittently were uttered but there were no struggles, no restraint of anyone so the whole matter remained a mystery. Also – no police car rushed up from anywhere. Isn’t that an episode for a story or a columnist or some type of writer?
Well, darling I’ve made so big a claim on your time as I can justify for now – perhaps exceeded my welcome – (or is this what you told me never to say?) so I’ll say “Goodnight!” and I’ll see you next time – Monday probably since tomorrow is Sunday & you probably have it planned. So night- night & sweet dreams. Carl
For a while this morning – against a backdrop of pale blue sky, I watched the broken fog clouds drift steadily eastward, borne by the pervading westerly (or southwesterly) winds that we talked about yesterday.
Dinner Jan. 3
To Patricia
Who fills & dominates my emotional & spiritual horizon – the loveliest creature who has ever come into my life.
Carl.
Patricia:
Here’s an incidental news item that answers a question we were discussing a couple of months ago (or was it longer?) namely: How much protection do Playboy Club Bunnies get from the management. It is obviously as complete as the management can make it.
However, if I can make enough from my new opportunities opened by membership in the I.P.A. (International Platform Association, maybe a full time secretary’s job for me will make your “get rich quick” dream seem unnecessary. At least, I’m going to try.
Carl.
Dr. Carl Duncan and Patricia Whiting Collection (SJSU)
