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32 Good Enough for Jesus W e wanted to feel safe in Texas, the way we had in Udo, to be deeply rooted in each other and the place. The trick, we decided, was to learn to balance stability with freedom, at the same time accepting the risks you had to take to walk an artist’s high-wire life. I thought there had to be some way to make a home for us in Austin. Since our present accommodations were shorter on beauty, I decided that what we needed was comfort. No sooner had I landed under the garage than my JAB genes began to reinstate themselves. I fell into the trap of civilization : I wanted things—not a lot, just a few, to feather the nest—a toaster, for instance. In my mind there grew this notion that we needed to own a toaster and from that rose the logical certainty that now might be the perfect moment for us to get married. “I know it sounds cuckoo,” I allowed. “But when you tie the knot, people give you things. That’s sort of the point, I think. Check it out. In a single day we could amass an enormous number of items to pawn.” Depty threw back his head, laughing. “And they give you money too, right? That could be helpful. Hang on, honey, I’m starting to get a feel for this.” I giggled. “And somebody’s bound to throw in a toaster.” He took me in his arms. “I like the way you think, baby doll. So sensybil .” The idea of getting married was not new. We’d talked about it often, especially since the abortion. We wanted to be together, for always we said. Now it was just a matter of time and a toaster before we took care of it. In June I wrote to my parents about our decision. A week later, we received two handwritten, special-delivery letters from Daddy—one to me and one to Deputy. 129 130 | Living in the Woods in a Tree: Remembering Blaze Foley The letter to me is reprinted here, word for word. June 14, 1976 Sybil Dear: Your letter was a startling surprise to Mom & me. In our mind we felt you were very serious about Deputy and we thought you might want to marry him someday. I had hoped your interest in Judaism some months ago was intended to possibly influence him to convert, if you decided to marry. While we like Deputy as a person, we are a Jewish family in a Jewish home. To us that means we want our children to marry in the Jewish faith and a marriage here in Roanoke, by you to Deputy , as a non-Jew, would not be proper or acceptable to us. In as much as Deputy has no religious affiliation, how difficult would it be for him to convert to Judaism, even by a reform Rabbi, not Conservative, if he knew how strongly we feel about this? Sybil dear, we too want to share your happiness, and while we know you and Deputy may have a struggle, our feelings about Judaism and our children are too deeply rooted to put aside without a serious traumatic effect on us. Ever since you were a child, we dreamed of the happy day when you would marry a fine young man who loved you, and we could share this happiness sanctified with a religious ceremony. You have found the man and now you want to rush into this very important event of your life. In the eyes and mind of this Jewish family, your marriage to a non-Jew would not be valid according to the Jewish tradition, which we have been taught to believe is the basis of an ethical, good and happy life. If Deputy should decide to convert to Judaism , Mom wants you to know that we would have a small wedding with just our closest relatives & friends when the time came. We have always loved you and tried to do whatever we could to make you happy. We hope that we will always share the deep love and camaraderie we have had in the past. All our love, Mom & Dad I had expected something like this. A certifiable late bloomer, my adolescence was occurring now. Introducing Depty Dawg to my mother had been Good Enough for Jesus | 131 my most rebellious act; marrying him would be a supreme declaration of independence. There was no mistaking...

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