Carver, Massachusetts

hi,

so i met up with Kerri and we had a nice lunch and caught up on
things. we walked around and went to a museum, then went to a movie,
Hollywoodland. she told me how she was going back to Massachusetts the
next day for a week or so and invited me to come and stay with her. as
i am all about spontaneity i said I'd love too. so we made a plan to
meet at the bus at 8am the next morning. i went back up to Harlem and
got my bags ready. Steve and Sarah get home from a party at about 2am
and Sarah go's straight to bed and Steve (just a wee bit drunk) comes
and sits down in the living room. we ended having a really important
chat about alot of things till close to 6am in the morning which was
great. so i decided there was no point going to sleep and have to wake
up like 30 minutes later. i get to the bus literally 1 minute before
it left so the timing was perfect... and lucky. as we are driving out
of new york the view was changing from busy buildings and traffic to
trees and little towns; i was very happy to be getting out of the big
city for a while. i knew we were in Boston when we drove past fenway
park.

Kerri's mum or mom picks us up and we drive out to a really
aesthetically sweet little town called Carver. i took some photo's of
it and I'll show you them when i get back. i had a lovely little
moment when i first arrived, sitting on the back porch with a beer in
this comfortable swinging chair. the air was so clean and there was so
much trees and green grass and space. bbeeaauuttiiffuull!!! i played
some basketball with the little neighbourhood kids. we went out to
this little karaoke bar and had a drink and i met some of Kerri's
friends, we didn't have too late a night as i was sleep deprived. it
is so nice to be out of a big city. in the last 4 months i have been
in around 11 huge cities and i am just enjoying good company and fresh
air out in carver Massachusetts.
^^^^(above written two days into my stay there)^^^^

well i am back in NY now - after two weeks in carver. about one and a
half weeks longer than i expected i would stay. i had such a fantastic
time that i had to stay longer. Kerri has a wonderful family! who were
very welcoming to me. Kerri's mum, Dorothy "dot" doherty is a DJ and a
legend! a very kind hearted warm and genuine women who i will miss.
the poor thing broke her heal on around the 3rd day just as me and
Kerri were going to drive into Boston for a night. so we went to the
hospital and she will be on crutches for 4 months, i know what that is
like. so i helped her whenever i could. it was really nice to see how
the community pulled together as well, she had her daughter Christie
who is lovely come around almost every morning and walk/feed the dogs
etc.. before going to work. random neighbours would come around with
muffins and cupcakes, home made. me and Kerri were there throughout
the day to get her things she needed, and johnny, Kerri's champion
brother was there from the afternoons to help out, mainly by being
nice enough to donate his bedroom as it was downstairs. johnny is cool
and turned 17 while i was there and we all went out to dinner with
Vinny, Dot's boyfriend (fiancee?) Vinny is a very generous kind man
who was also a champion, and would visit most nights usually bringing
a stack of pizzas or subs for us to eat. the fridge was always full of
food so i was in heaven. when vinny wasn't bringing food, Kerri's
father and dot's ex-husband, Johnny Sr was coming around and spending
hours cooking up huge meals such as cohogs, clams, great pastas and
soups chowders and broths. Johnny Sr, Vinny and dot all get along very
well and they have stayed good friends which is a new concept and
which warrants huge respect. Johnny Sr kind of reminded me of my dad
in the respect that he is a machine in the kitchen, very skillful. he
is a Vietnam veteran who smokes three packs day and is always taking
his kids out for fishing trips and camping. he was very funny as well
and i have alot of respect for him.
Dot showed me their family photos and i got a real sense of what a
family is like in America. i saw pictures of a big Hawaiian themed
lunch they throw every year attended by at least 40 people, family
members and neighbours. it was fantastic. made me think about how i am
the oldest of this generation, (uncle Steve being the youngest of his)
and one day i may well be the patriarch and it will be my job to
organise and rally the troops for occasions such as Christmas, Easter
holidays and other events, some i may even just make up to get
everyone together, say the "It's a nice day, look at the sun lets have
a big BBQ" which will be held on the 18th of January annually etc...
a role that i believe is very important and i believe may fall into my
hands one day. and after seeing these pictures it is something that i
very much want, always have but this reaffirmed it. because at the end
of the day, i have come to realise, it's about family, and of course
friends.

umm anyway...
i spent most days playing basketball with the local kids in the
roundabout that is used by the little community, i have pictures so
you will know what i mean. driving around with Kerri looking around,
going to cape cod and relaxing on the beach. catching up on Arrested
Development, a very good show. and just generally hanging out with
Kerri. at sunset i would relax on the porch and have a beer and a
cigarette on the swinging chair and think about things, i like the
country alot more than i used too, i can see why my dad misses it -
definitely. sometimes Kerri's friends would come around or we would go
and hang out with them, rent a movie, or watch one at the mall. it was
a fantastic two weeks up in carver hanging out with Kerri and her
family.

i have known Kerri for a few months now as we worked together on ashes
and she is a "top sheila" ha ha. WHEN i come back to America one day i
will defiantly make the trip back up to carver to say hello to the
doherty's as they are a super cool family. i was unable to send emails
from Kerri's computer for some reason, something about a cache, so i
am sorry i have been out of touch for so long, anyway i am back
connected to the world in NY so send me and email if you like as i
will be able to respond to it quicker. i have the apartment to my self
for a little while up in Harlem which will be weird, being by my self
without lots of people around me, but it will give me a chance to
finish my books, oh i finished catcher in the rye, very very good
book, very Erie as well, left me feeling kind of sad and happy at the
same time.

hope everyone is well,

love,

Jake Heinemann.