Close to home

I wake to a crisp September morning, sun streaming through the trees, leaves beginning to fade as acorns fall. I pad downstairs to the kitchen, put the kettle on the stove and turn on the electric burner. I unwrap a tea bag and place it in my mug. When I open the refrigerator, the light pops on and the motor engages in a busy hum. I take out a carton of soy milk. I pour organic cereal into my favorite bowl. I grab a peach from the bowl, head for the dining room and set my place with a paper napkin and utensils.

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Kim Novak, birthdays and diplomas

I was back in the city this past weekend to scan an old letter written by Kim Novak to Candy Darling. Actually the letter was written before she was Candy, and is addressed to Jimmy Slattery.

It is, as close as I can tell, one of the main examples of why Jimmy decided to become Candy. For a little boy growing up in Long Island in the 1950s, Kim Novak was the ultimate glamorous movie star, and Jimmy wanted nothing more than to follow in her footsteps.

The letter thanks Jimmy personally for his support and is signed “Kim” in large purple letters, a heart above the “i”.

I carefully place it in the scanner and wait as the inner workings hum forward and back, the image finally appearing on my screen.

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