NAILBA 32: The valet and JFK

At the conference, grief expert Amy Florian said, “thanatology is the study of death and grief. Thanatos is the Greek word for death. It sounds like it would be a depressing subject, but it’s not. It’s comforting to know I can offer people advice on how to talk to those who are left behind, what they need to say, what they need to do to help people through the toughest times in their lives.”

While it’s true that people struggle for the right words to discuss the death of loved ones and others they know on a personal level, it seems the opposite in the case of President John F. Kennedy. Every news show and book publisher puts their stamp on the subject of his death. And, as Nov. 22 looms, the 50^th anniversary of his assassination, few people are talking about their beloved Cowboys. Kennedy’s death weighs heavy on the Dallas natives. They take it personally. They feel a certain responsibility — a scab they can’t remove. 

Valet redux

On Friday at roughly 12:30 pm, the moment Kennedy was shot, I hand the valet the ticket to pick up the rental car.

“Denver,” he shouts. That big voice booms in the covered parking area. A windy rain blows through us.

“It got cold on us,” he says.

“It’s colder in Denver,” I say.

“I bet. I bet.”

“You going to write anything about Kennedy?” he asks.

“I might,” I say. “Everyone else is.”

“Ain’t that the truth. I saw where his daughter left for Japan so she didn’t have to be around for all of this.”

“I don’t blame her. I’d leave if I was her.”

“Yeah. You got that right. Did you pick up one of the Kennedy memorial newspapers? They have a reprint of the original Dallas paper. You can pick it up at newsstands around town.”

“No. But that’s a good idea. I’ll be on the lookout.”

He shuts the car door and I roll down the window to say goodbye.

“I don’t think there’s any way Oswald was the lone gunman,” the valet says. “Kennedy’s head jumped forward and then jumped back like he was shot from the back and then the front. You can’t convince me that was one gunman.”

“That’s an interesting theory. Can I quote you on that?”

“Yeah. You can quote me on that. You can quote me on this, too: Don’t judge us based on Kennedy. Him being killed here put a stain on Dallas. It put a stain on all of Texas. But don’t judge us on just that.”

“How about I judge you on the Cowboys.”

“Ha,” he says and I drive off with his laugh ringing in the air.