Encino Epilogue

They opened the Jackson's street to normal traffic Thursday. There are still a few gawkers, but the news trucks have all gone, and the flowers are withering. Things are getting back to normal in Encino. Now the full impact to the neighborhood is being assessed; it is hard to go to a store or to the post office in the area without hearing people talk about the events of the last two weeks.

There is a Gelson's grocery store just a block from the Jackson house. Some fans considered it a parking lot for their cars to join the fan parade down the street. The market tried to keep the parking lot open for actual customers, so they started marking tires and towing cars that stayed more than an hour. Even that cause congestion but seemed to be a nice thing to do for those who just had to leave flowers.

The day before the memorial service there was a very angry young girl inside Gelson's ripping the manager a new one in a very loud voice. I was trying just to shop but it was impossible not to hear her screaming. Gelsons towed her car claiming she had left it there for 8 hours, she insisted that it was there no more than an hour and demanded the market pay the towing charges.

The manager was trying to explain that they were chalking the tires and kept a record of the length of time each car was there and her car had been there all day long. She was unstoppable in her over the top demands. As I rounded the dog food aisle I finally caught a glimpse of the person yelling so loudly.

She had purple and orange hair tied in a severe pony tail on top of her head, pierced cheeks, very heavy eye shadow and pale makeup. She had a low cut black leather bustier vest laced tightly, and a neck full of gold chains. On her legs were red and white stripped stockings that looked like the ones worn by the wicked witch of the west from Oz. Flowing from her waist was a gypsy dress over a petticoat and she had on what appeared to be Elf shoes.

As I passed by she was still demanding they pay her cash for the towing charges. She claimed that the security guard (are you ready?) had mistaken her for SOMEONE ELSE. I stifled a guffaw and rounded the next aisle quickly. The only person who might have possibly mistaken her for anyone else would be Stevie Wonder. I guess to a specific segment of his fan base, Michael Jackson's odd appearance was not seen as radical.

As if to prove that life will sometimes express organic irony, the Circus opened at the Staples Center the day after Michael's memorial. This circus, however, has a definite closing date.

As you were,
Jay