"It wasn't?" I turned the car radio
lower.
"Roeper was a poor school
because of the scholarships they
gave out. It wasn't as well endowed
as Cranbrook or Country Day. If
you graduated early, they'd lose two
years' tuition. After I paid, they let
you graduate,' he said.
"That was the meeting? They
didn't think I was immature?" I
asked, stunned. It was immature
to still care what they'd thought 24
years earlier, but I did.
`At 15, you were like 35," Dad said.
"You're more immature noe
I stuck out my tongue.
So my left-wing comrades lied
and hurt my feelings while my
right-wing father saved me by slip-
ping money under the table? "Why
didn't you tell me before?"
"I didn't want to wreck your
idealism;' he said. "Now you can
handle it."
It was true, I could. "Did Jack
know?"
"Just me and the headmaster
knew the deal," my father said.
When I was 15, Jack had filled the
paternal role. Now that my father
was older, slower and had more
time, did he want to reclaim his
place in my heart?
In my old room, I found a few
long, typed letters Jack had sent me,
suddenly wondering who had typed
them. I called Jack's widow, Helen
Zucker, who lived in Oak Park,
where I used to live. "Could Jack
type?" I asked her.
"Sure, he was a great typist:' she
said. "Really fast — typewriter and
computer."
"Did he type well at Roeper?"
"Always. At Roeper he had a sec-
retary who typed even better than
he did',' Helen recalled. "She'd type
all his work weekly and leave it in
his box. Why do you ask?"

Copyright 2007 by Susan Shapiro
from Only as Good as Your Word:
Writing Lessons from My Favorite
Literary Gurus. Reprinted by permis-
sion of SealPress (www.sealpress.
corn). All rights reserved.

Susan Shapiro is the nonfiction author

of Lighting Up, Secrets of a Fix-Up

Fanatic, Five Men Who Broke My Heart

and Only As Good As Your Word and

has written for the New York Times, the

Washington Post and the Los Angeles

Times, among other publications. She

lives in New York City, where she also

teaches about her craft.

Patricia Barber I Taylor Eigsti
1 LaSalle Bank Paradise Jazz Series

Thursday, Nov. 29 at 8pm

Patricia Barber has been in the vanguard of the new school of female jazz

vocalists, with a cool style of beat melodies and bop sensuality. According to
the LA times, Barber is "the most convincing jazz singer-songwriter since
Peggy Lee...her gripping interpretations and propulsive piano are
among the great wonders of contemporary music."

2-time Grammy Nominee, Taylor Eigsti, is one of the brightest new stars
ofjazz.While the 22-year old pianist/composer/bandleader has been on the
jazz scene since he was a pre-teen, his debut on Concord Records, Lucky To
Be Me, has begun to afford him the Full-Fledged exposure he deserves.

The Norrington Experience

Comerica Charitable Foundation Select Series

Fri., Nov. 30 at 10:45am & 8pm • Sat., Dec. 1 at 8:30pm
Sir Roger Norrington, conductor
Symphony No. 2
SCHUMANN

Sir Roger Norrington unlocks the secrets of Schumann's Symphony No. 2 as
members of the DSO perform musical clues from the music of Bach, Mozart,
Haydn and Mendelssohn on the first half of the concert. The evening culminates
in a complete performance of this Romantic-era masterpiece.

The Four Seasons

The Chrysler Foundation Signature Series

Thu., Dec. 6 at 8pm • Fri., Dec. 7 at 10:45am & 8pm
Sat., Dec. 8 at 8:30pm

Nicholas McGegan,

conductor •

Jennifer Koh,

violin

From the gloom of winter to the awakening of spring,Vivaldi's vivid
depiction of the seasons is one of the most beloved works of all time.

Live from Detroit, it .

ORCHESTRA HALL AT THE MAX
WWW. detroitsymphony.com • 3 13.576,5111

rGet Yourself Inut dr-1

mazel toy!

Announce
your simchah to
everyone!

Everyone needs to know that you
have very exciting news to share!
We can helpl Follow our simple
steps and send your announce-
men! around your world.
It's quick, i•s easy, it's cool!

mazeltov.detroitjewishnews.com

San Marino Club
November 16 through
December 20

Great interactive event for office groups and other
Book your group today!

Call 313-885-3032 for information and ticket s

an Marino Club • 248-689-4615 www.tonytinadetroit.com

November 22 • 2007 C11

