1563 words (6 minute read)

Excerpt from Letter by Ruby Cardini to Sarah Beth Andrews, dated August 10, 1974

…Tammy has returned.  She’s subdued (she’s even wearing full mourning), but she’s back and seems happy to be here. Nor does she want to take it easy.  Wanda offered her a reduced workload but Tammy told her, “No thanks.  I want to get back to business as usual.  The work will help take my mind off my troubles.” I admire that attitude.  Heaven knows I would be a wreck for days if anything happened to someone in my family. 

There was a slight hiccup with Smithy.  When Eric brought him downstairs to greet Tammy, Smithy pulled away from her when she tried to give him a hug.  Tammy made a joke about it, saying, “I’ve been gone so long, he doesn’t remember me.”  Still, I could tell she was hurt, especially because Smithy had been so affectionate with her just before she left. 

I don’t know what his problem is.  Eric said he signed that they were going to see Tammy, and according to Eric, Smithy acted happy about their pending meeting.  It’s not that he doesn’t recognize Tammy anymore.  During lessons, he responded to instructions to “Give Tammy the ball/cat/crayon.”  But he’s skittish when he’s around her.  He watches her all the time and the hair stands up on the back of his neck, like he’s afraid she’ll turn and attack him.

Maybe it’s some kind of separation anxiety and he’s afraid she’s going to suddenly leave again.  It’s weird, because Smithy’s never behaved that way toward Piers and he’s always leaving for days at a time to go back to the university for an interview or a lecture tour.

Then again, Smithy’s behavior has been getting pretty wild lately.  Today, he managed to break out of Trevor Hall and go on a short spree!

Wanda had put him down for his nap and locked the door so he wouldn’t get up too early and decide to wander around. The windows are also locked when he’s in the room by himself.  Then she came downstairs and met with us to discuss research issues.  Gail got up to use the bathroom and came running back into the dining room shouting that Smithy was loose in the backyard. 

At first no one believed her; we’d been sitting in view of the stairs and no one had seen Smithy come down. Still, Tammy and I went to the solarium to look and Jeff checked Smithy’s room.  We girls didn’t see him in the yard, but Jeff called out that one window was open.  Somehow that little sneak figured out how to get all the way to the top row of unobstructed windows (without a ladder or a tall enough shelf) and open the lock.  Then he climbed down the side of the building and ran away!

We rushed outside to look for him.  We tried calling his name. I shook the trees in case he’d decided to climb one.  We were in a panic.  He could have gone anywhere! Nightmare scenarios flashed through our minds.  He might have been hit by a car, or gotten scared and bitten somebody that he saw on the street, or been kidnapped for the exotic pet trade... 

Instead, he went next door to play.  All right, Herbert Terrace isn’t exactly the house next door. It’s probably a quarter to a half-mile down Bellevue Avenue, but it’s the closest property to ours.  It’s close enough that we could hear screaming coming from the property while we were in our back yard.  So we ran in search of the commotion.

At first we were stymied because the gate to the mansion was closed.  Jeff climbed up the wall to get onto the property; Eric and Tammy followed, but Tammy stopped to unfasten the gate and let the rest of us through.  We ran around to the back of the house to where the Belancourts, the owners, have a beautiful garden.  It’s landscaped and terraced (maybe that’s where the house gets its name) and so unlike our own untamed lawn with rampant roses.  They have a bench that swings on the veranda, and some picnic tables with a canopy were set up on the patio.  A party had been in progress, which Smithy crashed.

Poor Smithy was being held hostage up in a tree.  The Belancourts have an enormous dog—it’s some kind of mastiff, I think—and it had cornered Smithy.  Our boy was high in the branches, screaming and shaking.  The dog was going crazy, barking, snarling and jumping. I’m sure if he could have climbed, he would have gone up after our chimp.  One of the child guests was crying because she was afraid the dog and Smithy were going to hurt each other. Mr. Belancourt was trying to pull the dog away and oh, was he furious! 

What emerged is that the family was having a reunion. They had set up the tables for lunch but then had gone around to another part of the house to take a group photo.  When the family returned to the back yard, they found Smithy rocking on their bench and chowing down on their appetizers.  The out-of-towners knew nothing about a chimp in the neighborhood and they panicked.  The Belancourts know about our experiment, but of course they never expected to find it in their own backyard.  Someone had already called the police to catch and remove Smithy when we came running up.

Mr. Belancourt finally dragged his dog back inside the house.  We called out to Smithy that it was safe to come down, but he clung to his branch.  Jeff ultimately had to climb up the tree and carry him down. I was afraid he was going to come crashing down and break his neck.  Those branches looked so flimsy! 

I kept apologizing to all the Belancourts, and reassuring them Smithy wasn’t dangerous.  I said he was only playful and had broken out in search of some adventure.  I don’t think any of them really listened. Some yelled at me and weren’t very polite in their choice of words. 

At last, Jeff came down, cradling Smithy, both in one piece. We left Eric and Wanda to talk down the police (he has such a friendly, reassuring way with people and she’s so organized and forceful we knew she could explain) and took our boy home.  This time, Jeff stayed in Smithy’s room with him, trying to calm him down.  He complained about the dog all the while, questioning his audacity in trying to get Smithy.  As if he’d completely forgotten Smithy had trespassed on the dog’s home territory!  He even tried to give Smithy a pep talk, telling him, “You could have taken him, buddy!  You could ride that dog like a pony!”

Wanda came back to tell us the police were not going to fine or arrest us, but we were under orders to keep Smithy secure.  Eric went to the hardware store to get some new, stronger locks.  The alternative would be to board up the windows.  None of us can figure out what Smithy did to the original lock.  My own hope is this excursion will have shaken him sufficiently that he doesn’t try to tinker with the new locks or attempt a future break-out.

Mrs. Belancourt shares those hopes.  She came to Trevor Hall later in the afternoon to give us a piece of her mind.  She’s a stylish lady, petite, blonde and proper, but she’s also got a fierce temper and isn’t afraid to show it.  We apologized over and over and swore we’d keep a closer eye on Smithy and it wouldn’t happen again.  I told her how much I liked seeing her beautiful house every time I entered or left Bellevue Avenue.  She smiled, but remained firm.  For my part, I will do whatever I can to keep Smithy away from her home and her great big dog too because I don’t want to incur her wrath again.

At least we’re going to be getting some help soon in looking after Smithy.  Believe me, we’re due for a break.  Even when he isn’t going AWOL, he keeps us on our toes. Piers just confirmed to us that he’s arranged for us to bring Smithy to a school for the Deaf in Providence for a couple of days each week so he can get more focused instruction in signing.  I’m not sure what Piers told the teachers to convince them to take Smithy, but I hope they don’t regret it.  He was sweet when our team started working with him, but by now, he’s in his full-blown Terrible Twos!

In any case, having professionals to teach him instead of a bunch of college students, most of whom don’t even sign fluently, will advance his progress and give us a little time to ourselves on the days when Smithy is in school.  This means we can more easily keep up with chores, notes and records, and perhaps even have more opportunities to pursue our individual interests.  Given the chance, I’d like to see more of Newport.

I will let you know how things work out.  Best wishes, and big hugs to you,

Ruby  

Next Chapter: Diary entry of Tammy Cohen, dated September 21, 1974