Hey Jeff, meet Jimmy Kawasaki - 1978

I know exactly how long I knew Jimmy Kawasaki for good reason. You see, I was living in San Diego with my first stepfather Sam when I first met him in 1978. My mother had moved from San Diego to Gardena, a suburb of Los Angeles – my thinking was her decision was influenced by at least three mitigating factors: #1 she didn’t want to live in the same country with her ex-husband Sam, let alone the same city; #2 there was a significant Japanese population living in Gardena; #3 there were poker-house casinos in Gardena (one of my mother’s vices).
So we've taken the time machine back to 1978 and I’m in San Diego with my stepfather, when I get this call from my mother inviting me to drive up to Los Angeles for my birthday. I was working as an inspector for a medical electronics company, Ivac, at the time. This was the “good old days,” a time when companies were still giving their employees their birthday as a paid holiday. My birthday came on a Tuesday, and I was turning 21. She said she had something special planned, a trip to Vegas. Sounded fantastic, so I took Wednesday off as well, driving north to LA right after work Monday in anticipation of a two-day adventure…I know what some of you are thinking…what, only two days? But you have to understand…by that time in my life, I’d probably already gone to Las Vegas a dozen or more times, and a trip or two to Laughlin to boot (a city closer to the CA/NV border for those who can’t wait to gamble). Shhhhh, don't tell anyone...I gambled a little, broke the law by drinking before I before I turned 21 as well...having an adult with you made it easy to gamble without the casino questioning you. I had in fact made many trips before with my mother; that was one vice we shared.
My only question for her was why we didn’t just take the weekend Greyhound Bus? The bus offered this great deal where you could leave on Friday around midnight, driving there in the dark and arriving around 6am; you spend 24 hours in Vegas, and the return bus leaves on Sunday morning; cost of your ticket? $5. The catch? There really wasn’t one; it was supplemented by the downtown LV casino association, that’s where the bus dropped passengers off. The downtown establishments wanted people’s business/money – at the time the LV strip was asserting itself as the “place to be.” The other thing I have always shared with my mother was that neither of us was that sentimental with respect to holidays (and their significance as it relates to religion…again, another blog for this topic...it loosely relates to religion).
That Monday in Gardena my mother said to me, “Hey Jeff, meet Jimmy Kawasaki. He’s going to drive us to Las Vegas…it’s all right, isn’t it?” I liked Jimmy from the moment we met – he was smart, he owned a nice Cadillac sedan, he was a snappy dresser, and he knew how to have a good time. I could see why my mother liked him. Somewhere along the drive to Vegas the conversation turned to the ancillary reason for trip. Yes, we were going for my birthday, but my mother was planning on the proverbial “killing (of) two birds with one stone.” My mother and Jimmy were planning on getting married on my birthday. I have very fond memories of that trip, staying at the Tropicana Hotel on the strip, and being allowed to choose which show to attend (part of my birthday present). I went with a double header – Ben Vereen and Susan Anton. I figured that I might be able to “double my pleasure,” knowing that I couldn’t lose – after I saw the picture of Susan in the brochure – a stunningly gorgeous blond, a California girl touted as a singer/actress who I had to see in person. Okay, I know, it sounds a little shallow, but I was only 20 years old at the time. Blame the PR person who put together the brochure! As it turns out, Ben Vereen stole the show with his singing and tap dancing. After the show my mother and Jimmy were married at small Christian chapel (no, Elvis didn’t marry them); I was the witness. As far as the gambling goes, I believe we all lost in that respect. As for why/how I knew my mother would never re-marry after Jimmy passed; he was her soul mate, they did everything together. She often told me he was the one, that they would live the rest of their lives together. She also told me she didn’t know what she would do without him; her worst fear was Jimmy dying before her…which happened in 1994 – and then there were two – me and my mother (sigh).