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I’ve put this off for a while now, but it’s something I need to do.
Her favorite color was purple.
Her favorite holiday was Halloween.
In college, she was the dresser to Sir Michael Redgrave when he toured a show at her university. Her duties consisted of having a glass of scotch and a lit cigarette waiting for him when he came off stage.
I first met her in 7th grade. She was my English teacher and she was very cool. We read A Wrinkle in Time and she put make-up on the kids for Halloween and she’d spray Windex in the general direction of a misbehaving student.
She moved to the high school the next year and in addition to English taught theatre. She considered herself a techie and she was one of the best designers I know. She could also knock your socks off acting as well, but she didn’t do it that often.
During one of the drama club get-togethers/banquet/party/whatever, one of the girls was doing a hysterical, dead-on impersonation of her. It became even funnier when Sack stood directly behind her, listening. She thought it was funny too, but it took a while to convince Stephanie of that.
Everyone called her Sack at school. It used to make my mother mad, thinking we were being disrepectful somehow, but she ended up using it as well.
I personally think we went from being student/teacher to friends when I ran into her at the movies one Sunday afternoon. It was one of the first times I got to drive myself and I had to see Witness. She choose a seat on the same row and when I noticed her, I piped up, “Hi, Miss Sack.” She asked if I was sure I was supposed to be there and then invited me to sit with her.
My senior year, at UIL One-Act Play district competition, I leaned back once a rival school was finished with their show and whispered to her, “You do realize they just won State, right?” She agreed and we were quite the fans after that, watching them sweep all the levels, including State. The show was called Total Abandon and was an absolute heartbreaker. The weekend of State though, we did something I still consider to be one of the stupidest things I have ever done in my life – we left Austin at around 1am and drove straight through to Houston. Sack drove all the way and it’s strictly by the grace of God we made it home safely at 5am.
We continued our friendship while I was in college. She’d come up to see all the shows and she’d bring cookies. Our department head was rather fond of sending her onstage one summer, before I started there, when she was taking a class, to rifle through her bag and sneak cookies.
We went to the Texas Renaissance Festival as often as we could, together. One year, we went with some other friends and as we were waiting on Avery, his roommate came in the living room in running shorts. Not underwear shorts. Running shorts. He squeaked, retreated to his room and came out with a sleeveless shirt on over the running shorts. We were amused to say the least.
We went to a rehearsal once of Noel Coward’s Hay Fever, which I have done before as a stage manager. One of my favorite lines is from the mother of the bizarre clan, referring to her invited houseguest for the weekend – “He’s a strapping young thing in flannels.” Unfortunately, the costume designer wasn’t familiar with grey flannel suits and I spent the rehearsal cursing my inability to remember all the lyrics to The Lumberjack Song.
She helped keep me sane when I joined the Navy and found out it was a lot like high school, but without the saving grace of classes. My mama once “yelled” at me for a two hour phone conversation I had with Barbara Ann while at Great Lakes, IL. I pointed out that two hour phone call was saving her shrink bills and Mama told me to talk to Sack as much as I wanted.
She’d pick me up and drop me off at the airport when I’d come home for leave and for good.
When my dad passed away, we found the orange mama cat that Mama had been feeding had died too. Barbara Ann took the kittens and hand fed them.
When my little black kitty, Merlin, died suddenly, she asked if I needed another cat. I said yes, thinking there would be some time to mourn. The next night at 9pm she called and told me to meet her. She had a little white Manx kitty her sister Jeri called Ash Wednesday because she had what looked like a little black smudge on the top of her head. (She’s since outgrown it.) It was too perfect to change completely, though Ash became Ashley.
She told me about this really cool thing AMC movie theatres were doing this year. On February 24, they were showing all the movies nominated for the Best Picture Oscar. For $30.00, you got to see five excellent movies (or four, depending on how you feel about Babel), large drink and popcorn with free refills throughout the day and a little souvenir lanyard with a listing of the movies and such on it. We planned to go and I even went by the night before and bought my ticket. The next morning, I thought about calling her to see if she wanted to get breakfast, but decided against it because the cat unplugs her phone on a regular basis. I got there way early and made sure I was sitting near the theatre entrance so she couldn’t miss me. It was time to go in and she wasn’t there. I was a little worried because she is the definition of punctual, but not too much because there have been some illnesses in her family and that would take precedence. I didn’t call her house because of the cat and phone issues and the next week was busy at work, so the right time to call and check on her never came around.
Tuesday, February 27 I was driving to Bible study when I happened to look over and see a tiny black kitty on the side walk. I pulled over, walked back and scooped her up.
I’ve posted about walking the 5K associated with the Houston Marathon. Barbara Ann and I went to the movies the first Saturday in February and I took my medal with me to show her. She hadn’t brought her glasses, though I’m not entirely sure why that should have made a difference, so when I handed it to her, she said thank you and put it in her pocket. It hadn’t been my intention to give it her, but since it was her, it was okay. I’ll get another one anyway. A few days later, she sent me the following e-mail:
Oh how stupid can a blind person be. Yes I am blind without my glasses. What we can't see, we don't rememeber. I did think of you on race day. I am so proud that you finished. So I just stole it from you without a word that is love. It is your prize for something I will never do. Yeah team. Sack
Monday, March 5 I get a phone call from a number I’m not familiar with and since I was working, I let it ring through to voice mail. Second call from the same number, do the same thing. I think about it as I’m driving home, so I call up voice mail. It’s Barbara Ann’s sister Jeri. She doesn’t say a whole lot, but does ask me to call her mom’s house in Livingston. I was sure I heard Barbara Ann’s voice in the background, so not too worried again. Maybe she was sick or something. I pull over and called her mom.
They’d been trying to find my number for a week almost. Seems Barbara Ann was found dead in her apartment on February 28th and the memorial service was March 6th.
It was a lovely service, though there should have been more Rodgers and Hammerstein or Lerner and Lowe music played. I drug Mamie along with me and we visited at the Sack house for a while afterwards. Some how the story about the medal came up and Jeri insisted I should have it back. I was refusing, because, well, I just was. Her mom told us all to shut up and she’d find it, which she did. It’s back at my house now, though I’d rather it wasn’t.
I included finding the kitty because I have since decided that since Barbara Ann was in heaven by that time, she had a hand in my finding her. I can just see her annoying, I’m sorry - explaining to God that I would need something in her absence. The kitten is named Tyra Grace Annie. Tyra because she has a ferocious little meow, Grace because that’s what she is and Annie ‘cuz it fits.
Barbara Ann was my best friend and my mom and my sister. She’s as much responisble for who I am as my parents.
I’m sure I’ve forgotten something, but if I don’t post now, I never will.
These were taken while I was at the memorial service.
Tyra
Her favorite color was purple.
Her favorite holiday was Halloween.
In college, she was the dresser to Sir Michael Redgrave when he toured a show at her university. Her duties consisted of having a glass of scotch and a lit cigarette waiting for him when he came off stage.
I first met her in 7th grade. She was my English teacher and she was very cool. We read A Wrinkle in Time and she put make-up on the kids for Halloween and she’d spray Windex in the general direction of a misbehaving student.
She moved to the high school the next year and in addition to English taught theatre. She considered herself a techie and she was one of the best designers I know. She could also knock your socks off acting as well, but she didn’t do it that often.
During one of the drama club get-togethers/banquet/party/whatever, one of the girls was doing a hysterical, dead-on impersonation of her. It became even funnier when Sack stood directly behind her, listening. She thought it was funny too, but it took a while to convince Stephanie of that.
Everyone called her Sack at school. It used to make my mother mad, thinking we were being disrepectful somehow, but she ended up using it as well.
I personally think we went from being student/teacher to friends when I ran into her at the movies one Sunday afternoon. It was one of the first times I got to drive myself and I had to see Witness. She choose a seat on the same row and when I noticed her, I piped up, “Hi, Miss Sack.” She asked if I was sure I was supposed to be there and then invited me to sit with her.
My senior year, at UIL One-Act Play district competition, I leaned back once a rival school was finished with their show and whispered to her, “You do realize they just won State, right?” She agreed and we were quite the fans after that, watching them sweep all the levels, including State. The show was called Total Abandon and was an absolute heartbreaker. The weekend of State though, we did something I still consider to be one of the stupidest things I have ever done in my life – we left Austin at around 1am and drove straight through to Houston. Sack drove all the way and it’s strictly by the grace of God we made it home safely at 5am.
We continued our friendship while I was in college. She’d come up to see all the shows and she’d bring cookies. Our department head was rather fond of sending her onstage one summer, before I started there, when she was taking a class, to rifle through her bag and sneak cookies.
We went to the Texas Renaissance Festival as often as we could, together. One year, we went with some other friends and as we were waiting on Avery, his roommate came in the living room in running shorts. Not underwear shorts. Running shorts. He squeaked, retreated to his room and came out with a sleeveless shirt on over the running shorts. We were amused to say the least.
We went to a rehearsal once of Noel Coward’s Hay Fever, which I have done before as a stage manager. One of my favorite lines is from the mother of the bizarre clan, referring to her invited houseguest for the weekend – “He’s a strapping young thing in flannels.” Unfortunately, the costume designer wasn’t familiar with grey flannel suits and I spent the rehearsal cursing my inability to remember all the lyrics to The Lumberjack Song.
She helped keep me sane when I joined the Navy and found out it was a lot like high school, but without the saving grace of classes. My mama once “yelled” at me for a two hour phone conversation I had with Barbara Ann while at Great Lakes, IL. I pointed out that two hour phone call was saving her shrink bills and Mama told me to talk to Sack as much as I wanted.
She’d pick me up and drop me off at the airport when I’d come home for leave and for good.
When my dad passed away, we found the orange mama cat that Mama had been feeding had died too. Barbara Ann took the kittens and hand fed them.
When my little black kitty, Merlin, died suddenly, she asked if I needed another cat. I said yes, thinking there would be some time to mourn. The next night at 9pm she called and told me to meet her. She had a little white Manx kitty her sister Jeri called Ash Wednesday because she had what looked like a little black smudge on the top of her head. (She’s since outgrown it.) It was too perfect to change completely, though Ash became Ashley.
She told me about this really cool thing AMC movie theatres were doing this year. On February 24, they were showing all the movies nominated for the Best Picture Oscar. For $30.00, you got to see five excellent movies (or four, depending on how you feel about Babel), large drink and popcorn with free refills throughout the day and a little souvenir lanyard with a listing of the movies and such on it. We planned to go and I even went by the night before and bought my ticket. The next morning, I thought about calling her to see if she wanted to get breakfast, but decided against it because the cat unplugs her phone on a regular basis. I got there way early and made sure I was sitting near the theatre entrance so she couldn’t miss me. It was time to go in and she wasn’t there. I was a little worried because she is the definition of punctual, but not too much because there have been some illnesses in her family and that would take precedence. I didn’t call her house because of the cat and phone issues and the next week was busy at work, so the right time to call and check on her never came around.
Tuesday, February 27 I was driving to Bible study when I happened to look over and see a tiny black kitty on the side walk. I pulled over, walked back and scooped her up.
I’ve posted about walking the 5K associated with the Houston Marathon. Barbara Ann and I went to the movies the first Saturday in February and I took my medal with me to show her. She hadn’t brought her glasses, though I’m not entirely sure why that should have made a difference, so when I handed it to her, she said thank you and put it in her pocket. It hadn’t been my intention to give it her, but since it was her, it was okay. I’ll get another one anyway. A few days later, she sent me the following e-mail:
Oh how stupid can a blind person be. Yes I am blind without my glasses. What we can't see, we don't rememeber. I did think of you on race day. I am so proud that you finished. So I just stole it from you without a word that is love. It is your prize for something I will never do. Yeah team. Sack
Monday, March 5 I get a phone call from a number I’m not familiar with and since I was working, I let it ring through to voice mail. Second call from the same number, do the same thing. I think about it as I’m driving home, so I call up voice mail. It’s Barbara Ann’s sister Jeri. She doesn’t say a whole lot, but does ask me to call her mom’s house in Livingston. I was sure I heard Barbara Ann’s voice in the background, so not too worried again. Maybe she was sick or something. I pull over and called her mom.
They’d been trying to find my number for a week almost. Seems Barbara Ann was found dead in her apartment on February 28th and the memorial service was March 6th.
It was a lovely service, though there should have been more Rodgers and Hammerstein or Lerner and Lowe music played. I drug Mamie along with me and we visited at the Sack house for a while afterwards. Some how the story about the medal came up and Jeri insisted I should have it back. I was refusing, because, well, I just was. Her mom told us all to shut up and she’d find it, which she did. It’s back at my house now, though I’d rather it wasn’t.
I included finding the kitty because I have since decided that since Barbara Ann was in heaven by that time, she had a hand in my finding her. I can just see her annoying, I’m sorry - explaining to God that I would need something in her absence. The kitten is named Tyra Grace Annie. Tyra because she has a ferocious little meow, Grace because that’s what she is and Annie ‘cuz it fits.
Barbara Ann was my best friend and my mom and my sister. She’s as much responisble for who I am as my parents.
I’m sure I’ve forgotten something, but if I don’t post now, I never will.
These were taken while I was at the memorial service.
Tyra
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And what a sweety Tyra looks - a proper cat with personality.
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Tyra will come when I call her - sometimes - and when I snap my fingers, but all my kitties know that finger snaps equal pets, but she is quite the proper cat and she has personality coming out her ears. She stayed with my bosses overnight when I went to the memorial service and their daughter fell quite in love with her. When she came to visit the office after school one day, I handed Tyra off to her to say hello. Tyra promptly hissed at her twice and fluffed out her tail. I'm going to be very vain and say Tyra was declaring who's cat she really was. She's come by the office again since then and Tyra was just as sweet as could be to her. I'm just happy my bosses found the humour in it.
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