"So It Goes"

On April, 11, the nation lost a great author – Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

"So it goes"

I remember back in 2000, when Vonnegut’s Manhattan brownstone burned. I had returned to work after a weekend of visiting my father, where the news of the fire prompted him to recall his friendship with Vonnegut’s nephew, Kurt “Tiger” Adams. As I walked by the temporary receptionist's desk, she put down the newspaper and said aloud, “I used to be Kurt Vonnegut’s assistant”.

Small world. Weird coincidence.

Now, back to my father. In his youth, he had the occasion of meeting the author several times, even staying at his home in Barnstable, Massachusetts. Vonnegut had taken custody of his sister’s three children, who had become parentless through a set of tragedies. Tiger was one of those children whom my father was friends with. He also recounted the time when he was visiting their home, and the police arrived at the house for Vonnegut’s son Mark, who was evading the draft. My father also got to know Vonnegut’s daughter Edie, who later married Geraldo Rivera.

One of my favorite Vonnegut stories is "Harrison Bergeron", although Slaughterhouse-Five will always remain a classic favorite.