"... and smile for me"

September 17, 2009

I said in my eulogy that David and I would call each other to talk about fairly obscure things from our past. As I was driving to work this morning, I thought of how we would be on the phone today, talking about Mary Travers. But as was typical with these calls, it wasn't for
the obvious reasons.

Back in Old Bethpage Grade School, located just down Round Swamp Road from the Fischers, there was a kid named Evan Mirabel. He was in our grade. Evan fancied himself as a great singer, even as a third-grader, and all the teachers at school thought he was destined for some kind of singing stardom. (I think he's a DJ now.) Every once in a while, Mr. Fessel, the principal, would get on the P.A. system and say, "Children, today we have a special treat. Evan Mirabel is going to sing "The Bluest Skies You've Ever Seen in Seattle" for us. (It was a Bobby Sherman song for some TV show called 'Here come the Brides.") And Evan would sing away.

But his favorite song du jour was definitely "Leaving on a Jet Plane." He loved singing that song. If Star Search existed in 1969, Evan Mirabel would have been on it, singing, "Well my bags are packed and I'm ready to go/I'm standing here outside your door/I hate to wake you
up to say goodbye...."

And exactly 40 years later, David and I would be on the phone remembering it.

Hope you're all well.

Matt Mendelsohn