Last year on Anna's birthday, she, Yummy and I went out to lunch at Niko's on 76th and Broadway. Anna and I split the two veggie plates of hummos, tabouli, etc and Anna ate all the olives. We realized that we had never been out together, just the three sisters, in our lives and said we would do it next year, which would have been today. Anna rarely talked about her death, but that afternoon she said that she thought 36 years was actually a long time to live and that she had done a lot in her life.
Last year, Anna had a big party at Bank St. to celebrate her birthday and to thank all the people who had been such an ENORMOUS help over the course of her illness. It was a great party and Anna was an energetic host. As Hannah said, she had been having good days and, I think, was looking very beautiful. Even with no hair and bloated from steroids, she was one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen.
A few days after her birthday, Jody's band, Team Dresch, came to New York to play a couple of shows; the show at the Knitting Factory was a benefit for Anna. Anna came and sat right backstage, singing along to every song, totally rocking out. She even got up on stage to give Marci, the drummer, something to wipe off her face; as she passed by the audience, limping and wearing a neckbrace, she pretended she was going to dive into the audience, then laughed as she came back to her seat. We were out later than she'd been in who knows how long, but the next night she insisted that we go to Brooklyn to see their other New York show. She was truly ecstatic those nights, her eyes shining with joy and love. Her energy was so vital and clear.
It is impossible that she died less than a month later. Anna, it is a very unhappy birthday for those who love you. There will always be a hole in the universe.
