I wrote a book. The publication date is May 29, 2024 (if you’d rather not deal with Amazon, your bookstore can also order it from the distributor Ingram Spark, or print-on-demand if they have the equipment). You can read it for free here, although it’ll be in serial form. My fond hope is that you’ll find it so compelling that you just buy the book instead of waiting 8 months to see what happens. There will be a chapter each week, 33 in all.
In Chapter 2, we recounted Len’s retirement from Chrysler in 1990, and his lack of any real plans. He does get on Prodigy, though!
Reading in serial form has a long and honorable history. My cover artist sent me this “Read Like a Victorian” website. Enjoy.
====== Janet and Walt Come to Visit ===========
In October, 1990, Janet and Walt came to visit Len at the ancestral home in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.
Len met them at the airport. Walt had never been there. He said if he hadn’t married someone from Detroit, he’d probably never have come.
Len hated Detroit’s decaying Metro airport. Janet said it reminded her of all her trips home when she was at MIT. Nothing had changed since then, she said, except it was older and shabbier.
They got on I-94 and then north on M-39. Walt asked if they were going to go through Detroit, and Len reassured him that he probably didn’t need to worry about flying projectiles. Later this week they could go in there if he really wanted. Len hadn’t been to Detroit since he retired, and he couldn’t think of any reason he would go, except maybe to see a Tigers game.
He’d been retired for four months, and still hadn’t settled into any real activities yet. Whenever Janet called him, she always seemed worried about that. He always laughed it off, with “Hey, I worked my whole life, and before that I was in the Army! Can’t a guy just enjoy some relaxation finally?”
They wound through the streets and ended up at Len’s house in Bloomfield Hills. Walt was seriously impressed. The streets and trees were beautiful, and the house was way better than Walt’s and, actually, most houses in Silicon Valley. Four bedrooms, three baths, two stories, on a third of an acre. And this wasn’t even the best house on his street.
Len showed them to their room on the second floor. Walt complimented Len on what a nice house he had. Len was self-deprecating.
“It’s a pain in the ass keeping it up these days. And how am I going to get up these stairs when I get old?” He smiled.
Janet had been worrying about that very thing, but this wasn’t the time to mention it. They put their suitcases in the room, got settled, and came back downstairs. Len was sitting in front of the TV, and held up his bottle of Ardbeg.
“Hey, what do you say we open my retirement gift? I think this qualifies as a special occasion!”
Walt said, “Well, that’s right gentlemanly of you, sir. Don’t mind if I do,” and Len poured him a glass. He offered one to Janet, who declined. Walt noticed that the bottle was nearly full, and glanced meaningfully at her. She was always worrying that he was drinking.
“Well, what do you two want to do this week? I have plenty of time to show you around now that I’m retired.”
Walt said, “Thanks, Dad. Janet’s been wanting to show me her old haunts around here, and we’re going to take you out to dinner tomorrow!”
“Oh, boy. I usually get the early-bird special these days, if I go out at all.”
They both laughed. Janet said, “Too early for dinner for me! We’ll take you at a civilized hour.”
“OK, I guess I can have a snack at 4:30 to tide me over.”
On Monday, Walt and Janet walked around the neighborhood and drove to her old high school, and Janet reminisced about her childhood here. Walt had never been to Detroit, and after a lifetime of hearing about Motown, he really wanted to, so they planned that for Tuesday. He thought it couldn’t really be that bad, could it? Len nervously advised them to go during daylight hours and be home before dark.
Tuesday morning after rush hour, Janet drove Walt downtown. They parked at Renaissance Center, a group of skyscrapers that was one of the crown jewels of the Detroit Renaissance, originally started twenty or so years ago by a group led by Henry Ford.
Janet looked around and said, “Wow, most of this wasn’t here when I was growing up!” Walt agreed that it was impressive. It seemed to be a gigantic hotel, so they walked around the lobby and then bought tickets on the Detroit People Mover,
an elevated monorail that went all around the downtown district. That hadn’t been there before, either. They got off at Cadillac Center, because Walt liked the name.
Walking around, Walt marveled at how it looked like a big city, and yet it was missing all the people. The streets were almost empty. Janet remarked on this, too. There would be a parking lot or an empty building right down the street from an impressive skyscraper. She remembered coming here as a child when it was a real downtown.
They got back on the train. It was getting towards noon, and Janet said, “So are you up for Greek food? I always used to love going to Greektown.”
Walt was agreeable, so they got off the train at the Greektown stop and walked down Monroe Street. She said, “There’s a place that I used to go to when I came home from college. I think it’s called Golden Fleece. I hope it’s still there!” It was. They both had gyros, which were as good as she remembered them. Neither was still hungry, but she insisted they had to try the baklava.
Walt asked, “So you liked to come down here? I hope you don’t mind my saying so, but Detroit does look like it’s seen its better days.”
She admitted, “Yeah, most people in the ‘burbs never come here anymore. Do you want to walk down to the River? I remember doing that a lot.” He agreed. While they were walking, she asked,
“So, is it everything you imagined?”
“I don’t know,” said Walt. “I was picturing car factories and Motown bands.”
She laughed. “That’s a different part of town. We can go to a car factory if you want. I think some of them have visitor tours.”
Walt pondered that. He’d seen factories before. How exciting could it be?
“There’s the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village, but those are way out in Dearborn. Maybe we should go there on a different day.”
Walt said, “Now those I’ve read about. Maybe later this week?”
They got to Riverfront Park, which seemed to be mostly a concrete walkway along the river, with a railing to keep people from falling in. It was pretty deserted.
“So that’s Canada over there?”
Janet said, “Yep, Windsor. We could go there today if you want.”
“What’s there?”
Janet hesitated. “I think they have a casino now. And way less crime.”
Walt was silent. They walked a while, then turned back and got on the People Mover again. They got off at Renaissance Center again and drove home. Walt said,
“Well, that was fun. Now I can say I’ve seen Detroit. Thanks, Janet!’
“Yeah, we can get home well before dark. It’s still too early for dinner, or else we could go to Buddy’s Pizza. That’s about the only good thing in Detroit anymore.”
“Add that to our list.” They drove home, with traffic noticeably worse than in the morning. Len was watching TV.
“Well, you’re back in one piece! How was it?”
Walt answered, “It was, uh, interesting. I can see Detroit used to have a real downtown.”
Len agreed, “Back in the day. What did you see?”
Janet filled him in on their itinerary. Len got the bottle of Scotch out.
“How about a drink before dinner?” Walt agreed and Janet demurred. While they were sipping, she said, carefully,
“Hey, I was thinking. Mom didn’t come to our wedding, so she’s never met Walt. We should probably go visit her while we’re here.”
Len looked pained. “Without me, you mean.” It had not been an amicable divorce, and Janet had upset Betty by telling the judge she wanted to live with him, not her. This was very unusual, but Janet had held her ground. Relations with Betty had been chilly since then, at best.
Walt picked up the signs but ignored them, and said, “Where does she live?”
“In Mount Clemens. About 40 minutes away.”
Walt said, “Sure, if you want” with the same expression as he’d have used if they were going to a funeral.
“It’ll be a short visit,” she said, while patting his hand. She went to the phone and called her mom, and when she returned she said,
“OK, it’s all set. We’re going there for a quick visit tomorrow night.” Walt nodded.
The next evening they drove over there. She knew Walt wasn’t the type to bring up emotional stuff, so she started,
“I guess you figured out that Len and Betty don’t exactly get along?”
Walt said, “Yeah, I kinda got that. Messy divorce, was it?”
“You could say that.”
“And they didn’t have any kids besides you?”
“Nope. I’m really not looking forward to this. But she did tell Dad’s sister that she wanted to meet you, so she knows we’re here.”
Walt was silent. She continued,
“When I told the judge I wanted to live with Dad, Betty completely lost it. I didn’t think she’d ever speak to me again.”
“How old were you then?”
“I was 15.”
He didn’t think she wanted any comments, so he stayed silent.
“God, I can remember it like it was yesterday. I was living with her temporarily in an apartment in Bloomfield Hills while the divorce went through. I’d started high school at Kingswood, where we went on Monday, and I just loved it.”
“That was a pretty nice campus,” Walt agreed.
“Kingswood was the first time in my life I was ever treated like I mattered. Like I could do things on my own.”
“And?”
“And she wanted me to move with her to Mount Clemens.”
“You didn’t want to go?”
“Hell, no. I wanted to stay in Bloomfield Hills with Dad. And definitely not change schools.”
“Makes sense. I haven’t met Betty yet, but your dad’s a great guy.”
Janet had tears in her eyes.
“Dad always encouraged me. He used to take me to the library every week, when Mom just wanted to take me shopping.”
Walt put his hand on her arm. “Well, you turned out pretty good, as far as I can see.”
“Oh, Walt…” she trailed off. They got to Betty’s house and rang the bell.
Janet hadn’t seen her since her own wedding in the early 70’s. In her mind, Betty was still the attractive, fortyish woman in smart, tailored clothes she was then. She’d tried to prepare herself to imagine her mom twenty years older, but still, it was a shock. She’d gained at least thirty pounds and had that sort of short, poofy hairdo that older women tended to have, very large glasses, a white blouse with a black sweater over it, and way more makeup than she ever used to use.
“Janet! And this must be Walt! I’m so glad to finally meet you!” They shook hands. “Come on in!”
Janet hugged her longer than she expected to.
“Mom, how are you? You look great.”
Betty stepped back to take a better look at Janet.
“Oh, I’m old, but thanks for saying so. But you look fantastic, dear. I can tell you’re taking good care of yourself.” She took their jackets and hung them up. “Let’s go sit down. Can I get you anything?”
Betty said, “So you two have been married now for how long? I’ve lost track.”
Walt said, “Let’s see: we got married in March 1989, so it’s a little over a year and a half now.”
“Wow. And you both already owned houses, right? Which one did you pick?”
Janet took this one. “Walt’s house was much better than mine, so that was a no-brainer.”
Betty said, “And I think you’re in construction, aren’t you, Walt?”
“I’m a general contractor, yes. I’ve had my own business for almost ten years now. Two full-time employees and a lot of contractors.”
Janet thought she detected some condescension in Betty’s voice. Walt ignored it, if he even noticed.
“And that’s how we met!” said Janet, putting her hand on his arm. “Walt started working on my house, way back when.”
“Isn’t that sweet!” said Betty. “No kids, though?” They both shook their heads.
“So you're still working, Janet?”
“Like a married woman doesn’t have to work? Is that what you think?” thought Janet. Instead, she said,
“Yeah, I’ve been at 3Com for over five years now.”
“Three Com, is that what you said?” asked Betty, pronouncing it slowly. “What do they do?”
“3Com does computer networking, Mom,” said Janet.
“Oh, you always wanted to do that computer stuff, didn’t you? I remember when you were in high school and the boys had it and the girls didn’t. You were so upset!”
Janet just smiled. “What are you doing now, Mom?”
“Oh, I’m just a secretary at GM Labs in Warren. I know your father would call that being a traitor to Chrysler! But the money’s good.”
Walt said, looking around, “This is a very nice house you have here, Betty!”
“Oh, thanks. I inherited it when my parents passed away. It’s getting pretty old now.”
Janet remembered going to their funerals, and realizing that this was the house that Betty wanted her to live in. “Yuck!” was her reaction then.
Betty made them some herb tea, and they chatted a little more about her side of the family, most of whom Janet remembered. Betty suggested, half-heartedly, that they could go visit them while they were here, but Janet didn’t respond one way or the other. She asked what her first husband, Ken, was doing now, and Janet told him what she knew, and that he had two kids with his second wife. Somehow, she just knew Betty was thinking, “That should have been you, sweetie!”
Finally, Walt glanced at his watch and said, “We should probably get going, hon. Dad’s going to wonder what happened to us!”
Janet looked relieved, “Well, it was great seeing you, Mom! You’ll have to come and visit us next time you’re in California!”
Betty had no plans to go to California any time soon.
“For sure! It was great seeing you, too, and especially meeting you, Walt!”
In the car, Janet imitated her nasal voice. “I think you’re in construction, aren’t you, Walt? Like you’re out there swinging a hammer or something. Snooty bitch!”
Walt was placid. “Oh, I’m used to it. Hey, at least that’s over!”
Len was only mildly curious about Betty’s new life after the divorce. He finally said to Janet, “Can I tell you what the proudest moment of my life is, so far?”
“Sure, Dad!”
“It was when you told the judge you wanted to live with me instead of her!”
There were tears on both their faces as they hugged. Eventually, Walt said, “Hey, can I get in on that?” They made it a three-way hug.
Later on that evening, Janet had a flurry of phone calls and stayed in the kitchen for a long time. Finally she came back and said, “OK, I’m seeing my friends from high school tomorrow night! Can you boys entertain each other?”
Walt didn’t particularly want to be the one guy in a group of women where he didn’t know anyone, so skipping that was fine with him.
=====================
There! That wasn’t so bad, was it? There’s a companion “Notes” doc on the Paid section of this site, where I detail what really happened back then, who helped me with it, and answer any other questions you might have.
Yes, there’s no free lunch: you can read this for free, but going deeper into the history will cost you a modest $5 a month. The Paid section will also include all the chapters, whereas they age out of the Free section after a few months. If you like what you read, buy the book.
There will usually be a Notes post on each chapter, paid-only, where you read the real story if there is one.