Summertime

In the midst of one party, Mom hears music coming from inside the house, goes in to see where it’s coming from, and there’s a complete stranger sitting there playing the piano in our living room.

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Barbara Buckles
NOIR

The air is damp, my forehead pressed against the cold window. A car sits in the driveway next to the house...

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Barbara Buckles
MY NAME IS BARBARA

…not Barbra a la Streisand. They’re pronounced pretty much the same in English, but in Spanish, my name is pronounced Bar-bar-a, with a slight roll of the ‘r’s.

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Barbara Buckles
A MYTH AND A SECRET

The myth: “Your brother was a genius.” I can still hear my mom’s voice. I guess they’d had his IQ tested somewhere along the line, and from then on he was a genius. Then inevitably and invariably came, “But he didn’t have the sense to come in out of the rain.”

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Barbara Buckles
BLUE ON BLUE

Once an art teacher had given our class a homework assignment to collect photos for a collage, including a baby picture. When I’d asked my mom for one, she’d told me my baby pictures had been lost in a flood; yet, here they are.

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Barbara Buckles
ALMOST FAMOUS

I grew up in Hollywood and just knew I’d end up famous. My mom was a top talent agent, my brothers co-starred in a TV series, and we regularly rubbed shoulders with celebrities.

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Barbara Buckles
DON'T PANIC

I was afraid I might be dying, or have brain damage from the recreational drugs I’d taken, or that maybe I was going crazy. Because people do go crazy, right?

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Barbara Buckles
LAUREL CANYON

Since David went behind bars, I’ve been couch surfing, Erin and Bosco in tow. I put most of my furniture and stuff in a small storage unit and spread the word that I’m available for house sitting, pet sitting, plant sitting, sitting of any kind.

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Barbara Buckles