I Hated to Do It: Stories of a Life Read Online Free Page A

into showbiz. Steve had been invited and intended to stay with Kurt at his four-story white-painted brownstone on 48th Street in Manhattan, but when he arrived, Kurt was embarrassed to tell Steve that he was not welcome, so Steve moved in with us and lived on a sofa in our living room. We even found room for his bike in our living room, as Kurt’s place could not accommodate the bike either.
    My wife, Annie, has made it a point to telephone Steve every year on his birthday and on his half birthday. Annie does not consult the computer, she just has this uncanny memory for birth dates and always said since he was an orphan it was the nice thing to do to call him. As Steve grew older, Annie called his house just to speak with Steve one day when it wasn’t a birthday or half birthday. When Jeannie, Steve’s wife, answered, she panicked and said, “Oh my God, did I forget Steve’s birthday?”
    We were also friendly with Kurt Adams, whom everyone knew as Tiger, and although we were friendly with Jim Adams, we almost never saw him. Tiger we would see on special occasions with his wife, Lindsay. Tiger was an airline pilot for Continental Airlines and only recently retired. It was always fun being with the Adams boys. Jim was an incredible furniture maker. He designed and built furniture that was startlingly complicated and beautiful. Peter, who also was called Peter Boo by the boys, was raised down South and recently moved up near Steve and Tiger. He actually looks like his brothers, who were raised in the North, and talks like his brothers raised in the North, but it’s a surprise to us, because he does it with a Southern accent.
    Kurt and Jane, in addition to raising the Adams’ children, had three of their own to care for, Mark, Edith, and Nanny.
    Mark was named after Mark Twain. He grew up to become a successful pediatrician practicing in the Boston area. He says he likes saving lives. Mark has also written some important books,
Eden Express
and
Someone With Mental Illness, Only More So
. Kurt’s daughter Edith (Edie), an artist, was named after Kurt Vonnegut’s mother, Edith Lieber. Kurt’s youngest daughter, Nanette (Nanny), is married to realist painter Scott Prior. Both Edie and Nanny are very accomplished fine artists. Kurt, after his divorce from Jane, later adopted Lily as an infant in 1982.
    My wife, Annie, has always had a very close relationship with Kurt’s daughter Nanny. Nanny calls Annie often, and Annie is always ready to counsel Nanny if she should have a question about raising kids, which is what most mothers deal with. If there was anything that was not personal relating to his relationship with his children, Kurt would not be bashful about asking my advice, which he may or may not have agreed with.
    Kurt and the Rest of the World
    Most of the time, Kurt liked talking to people. He was equally at home with a stranger he might sit down next to on a bench near the river as he was with a famous person. He listened but he also expressed his opinions. We invited Kurt to our house on many occasions, and he would talk with the others present; almost always it was on a one-to-one basis. Kurt never dominated the discussion in the room. Had he started talking loudly enough for all to hear, everyone would have shut up and listened, because even among the sophisticates at the parties we had, most people wanted to know what Kurt Vonnegut had to say on any subject.
    On one occasion when Kurt was at a party at our place with a group of smart contemporaries of ours and of Kurt’s, Kurt settled in on the sofa talking with our son Seth, who was then a way-out-left progressive teenager. They were very busy talking and exchanging ideas, ignoring all the grown-ups. He respected Seth’s ideas and was challenged by Seth. He later gave Seth a self-portrait on which he had written, “For Seth, no matter what he is for or against.”
    One night we were meeting Kurt for dinner at a restaurant, and Annie and I were sitting