Why, several e-mails want to know, did I (Jim) move out?
Huh?
A gossip site linked to C.I.'s "Mia and her brood drag whatever's left of the name through the mud" from February. In it, she writes:
Jim, for example, is going to read this and think, "We're best friends. Dona
and I lived with her for several years and I never knew this." And Jim
and I have been friends now for a decade and shared many stories of our
lives -- good and bad -- but there's never been a reason to bring this
up.
Suddenly, due to the gossip site, everyone wants to know about our breakup. Honest to God, four e-mails completely overlook Dona's mention and read the above as C.I. and I had a hot-and-heavy affair and then it ended and I left.
First off, those looking for Mia coverage, you can read Ava and C.I.'s "TV: Another idiot for the idiot box" and "The award for best self-created drama goes to Mia Farrow (Ava and C.I.)" and "Dylan whines to Maureen Orth who passes it on to Janet Malcolm."
Second, I believe it was the summer of 2006 -- end of summer -- when we moved in with C.I. Ty was already there and had been doing a summer internship with a film director friend of C.I.'s. He loved California and wasn't returning to New York. Ava had family in California (a lot of family) and a few in New York. She hated New York. She was ready to move back. Jess and Ava were (and are) a couple. They moved in with C.I.
Dona and I were looking at returning to campus in the fall with our friends gone.
So, at the last moment, we decided we'd go with the group.
Dona and I got married and had a child. Ava bought a home on the same street as C.I.
I don't see Ty (or his boyfriend) ever moving out. I think C.I.'s got permanent guests.
We did move out. Into Ava's place.
Why?
Jess was there by himself during the week (when Ava and C.I. are on the road speaking about the wars, the spying, etc.).
Ty and Betty and Wally stayed on at C.I.'s while Jess, Dona and me (and our child) moved over to Ava's house.
There was no fight or harsh words.
And C.I. was the greatest hostess.
We paid no bills, we didn't have to clean up or cook much because C.I. does have a household staff. We didn't have to buy groceries.
And we could play tennis or hop in her pool or do any number of things, lay out in the sun, that she could have been doing if she wasn't on the road trying to end the Iraq War.
I would have blown the e-mails off but I wanted to use our illustration and also wanted to plug those three articles that ran here as well as give Dona one of her beloved "short features! short features!"