Straight Life - Art Pepper [89]
During this time I was in Fort Worth, Patti had some lawyers from Reno send me a paper so they could represent me because she wanted to get a divorce. But she wrote that she was just divorcing me so that when I came out we could start courting, and if we still loved each other we would remarry. I believed this. I had to believe it.
When I got out, I went to my father's house in Long Beach. It was wonderful seeing Thelma. We talked, and I had a few drinks with my dad. And I remember shaving and bathing and getting all dressed up. At first everything was beautiful, but then, when I started getting cleaned up, I felt these strange vibes from my father and from Thelma a real sadness. I asked my dad if I could use his car. He said, "Yeah, if you take care of it. I don't want you shootin' none of that dope and drivin' it." He said, "Where're you goin'?" I said, "Oh, I want to go uptown." Thelma said, "Where are you going, junior?" And I said, "Well, I wanted to go see Patti." My dad walked out in the backyard. I looked around. I was all dressed up, and I looked marvelous. I'd put perfume on. I looked at Thelma and said, "Well, naturally, I ... " She said, "Well, junior, don't you think it's best that-why don't you start a new life? Why don't you start a new life and try to find happiness? Maybe it just wasn't right." I said, "I'd like to, but I love her. I've got to see her. I'm going to try to win her back." And Thelma said, "Oh, Junior!" I said, "What do you mean? What do you mean 'Oh, Junior!'? What's wrong?" She started getting tears in her eyes and I thought, "Oh, God!" I said, "What's wrong? What's wrong?" And she said, "Oh, you poor baby." She put her arms around me and I thought, "Oh, God, what's happening?" She put her arms around me and she said, she said, "Patti is married."
And I ... I just ... I can't ...If I could have died from heart break and shock I would have died right then. I thought I would come out and visit her and take her out and make love to her and win her back. And we would be married again. Ours was a love that was a lifetime, a mating in heaven. I just couldn't imagine ... Thelma said, "Junior she got married right after the divorce. That's why she got divorced in Nevada." She said, "Patti wants security. She married Remo Belli." I said, "Remo Belli!" He was a drummer, one of my "friends" from back east. He came to town traveling with a band, Tex Benecke I think it was, some stupid band, or Glenn Miller, or somebody. I had invited him out to the house. And as soon as I got busted he "just happened to stop by" Patti's house. She lived in Panorama City, which is way out in the valley. He lived in Hollywood. He couldn't "happen to stop by" there. No way in the world. He'd have to travel thirty miles. And he had invented a drumhead, and it developed into a factory; he's probably close to a millionaire by now. I guess he gave her the money to get the divorce.
Thelma cried. We cried together. I got in my dad's car. I was going to go out to Patti's house and kill her. Then I thought, "Oh, fuck her." I drove the car to East L.A. I found some people I knew, Rachel and Mondo. I went to see Henry. We got together and bought a gram of stuff, and so I fixed. And I thought, "Here I am. I'm finally with people that are cool, that are real, that are happy to see me." It was like a party. I thought, "These are my people. Fuck Patti. Fuck all those kinds of people like that." And that was my homecoming from Fort Worth to my dear, sweet, one and only, lifetime, true love. Women!
(Thelma) The first thing I noticed about Patti was how beautiful she was. She was such a beauty. A perfect shape. And the second thing I noticed was how determined she was. She was always determined to do what she wanted to do.
I don't think Junior should ever have been married. You see, he didn't