DAVE & HEDY

"DAVID and HEDY"

Dave Bennett had been in treatment for alcoholism for the past nine months when he decided one day to leave the center and his sobriety behind. He showed up at my studio early that same night, already wasted, with a bottle of cheap alcoholic wine.

Hedy showed up a few hours later, around midnight, wearing nothing but a silk nightgown and carrying a portable cassette player. She had once again managed to escape from the mental hospital her mother maintained an on-going account with.

In the early `80s my studio/home functioned as a sort of halfway house for the chemically maimed. I'd catch them both coming in and going out. And at times I had to include myself in the cycle. This particular night David and I drank and smoked everything in sight. Hedy abstained, not even bothering with her own medication. Instead, she chose to empty the studio of all its religious paraphernalia, tossing bibles and crucifixes at random out the window and watching with glee as they landed haphazardly at the feet of passersby beneath her.

The next morning, without sleep, we wrapped Hedy in a blanket to cover her frailty and walked around the corner for coffee. Sitting there in the middle of everybody else heading off to work, Hedy broke down and began to cry, knowing that she had only a short time before her mother would find her and force her back into the hospital. Her mother never took her back home. David, understanding her futility, reached out to her, holding her close with comfort for as long as she would allow him. Naturally I performed my duty and "captured the moment" with my camera.

So did I really "take" this picture? Or did they give it to me? Is this just another pretentious pose, or have they indeed exposed their combined soul and suffering to you and me? One thing is for sure: within a few seconds of the exposure, Hedy slapped David right in the face, shouting at him "Get away from me you fucking derelict!"

And true to form, before the day was exhausted, Hedy was captured and returned to custody as Dave and I watched helplessly. With great sadness we waited reverently the required moment before heading back out into the street and down to the liquor store for consolation.

Appointment: 1228 N. Noble St. (coach house) Chicago, 60622  (773 348-8536)


	Return to BURKHART STORIES "DAVID and HEDY" Dave Bennett had been in treatment for alcoholism for the past nine months when he decided one day to leave the center and his sobriety behind. He showed up at my studio early that same night, already wasted, with a bottle of cheap alcoholic wine. Hedy showed up a few hours later, around midnight, wearing nothing but a silk nightgown and carrying a portable cassette player. She had once again managed to escape from the mental hospital her mother maintained an on-going account with. In the early `80s my studio/home functioned as a sort of halfway house for the chemically maimed. I'd catch them both coming in and going out. And at times I had to include myself in the cycle. This particular night David and I drank and smoked everything in sight. Hedy abstained, not even bothering with her own medication. Instead, she chose to empty the studio of all its religious paraphernalia, tossing bibles and crucifixes at random out the window and watching with glee as they landed haphazardly at the feet of passersby beneath her. The next morning, without sleep, we wrapped Hedy in a blanket to cover her frailty and walked around the corner for coffee. Sitting there in the middle of everybody else heading off to work, Hedy broke down and began to cry, knowing that she had only a short time before her mother would find her and force her back into the hospital. Her mother never took her back home. David, understanding her futility, reached out to her, holding her close with comfort for as long as she would allow him. Naturally I performed my duty and "captured the moment" with my camera. So did I really "take" this picture? Or did they give it to me? Is this just another pretentious pose, or have they indeed exposed their combined soul and suffering to you and me? One thing is for sure: within a few seconds of the exposure, Hedy slapped David right in the face, shouting at him "Get away from me you fucking derelict!" And true to form, before the day was exhausted, Hedy was captured and returned to custody as Dave and I watched helplessly. With great sadness we waited reverently the required moment before heading back out into the street and down to the liquor store for consolation. Text & Image Copyright 2004 by Fred Burkhart Appointment: 1228 N. Noble St. (coach house) Chicago, 60622 (773 348-8536)