Friendship and Promises Triggers

             As I have gone through my box of poems I am finding more triggered memories.  One of my poems tells about a friendship that I had encountered with an elderly woman who lived five doors down from my maternal grandparents.  They all lived in the same apartment building in San Francisco.  I guess she was lonely and my grandpa asked if I would write to her.  I still remember her first and last name – although I have no idea or remember how to spell her last name but do remember how to pronounce it.

There was one simple poem about promises and under the poem I’d written a note about different promises I had made and kept.  One promise was to a friend who I called “Annie”;  I told her that I would take her to the musical “Annie” if it was ever playing downtown or at the University. 

I don’t recall the exact year.  I was thinking it was in the late 70’s.  Annie won Tony awards in 1977 so it would have had to been several years later.  There was a national tour in 1981 and so perhaps that was the year my mom and I had gone downtown to purchase five tickets for the Broadway musical.  (I know it was before the release of the pathetic 1981 film production) We paid cash. I remember having counted the tickets at least twice while we were downtown.  Five.  We counted five both times.  After we returned home my mom took them out her purse and there were six!  I think we called Capitol Theatre to let them know of the error but because we had paid cash we were told there wasn’t a way for the extra ticket to be verified.  Okay.  Cool.  We invited my grandma to use the remaining ticket.  We watched from the balcony and I remember being fascinated by how the scenery got pulled onto the stage and pulled off again. All of us loved the play.  It was worth the amount I had spent.