Part 417: Morning at The Largos
September 8th, 2009
'
The guest room at Tony and Marita’s house was pretty much Eddie’s room. While his mother Barbara was away on business, she always insisted he spend the weekends at their loft. Inside the guest room was a five disc CD-player with ocean sounds ready for the young man at a moment’s notice. He had gotten in late and went directly to bed, since his godparents trusted him with the key to their place.
Eddie then twitched as he felt something on his nose. He reached up, scratching it. Then the twitch happened again. He then slapped his nose, afraid that a bug had gotten onto it. The twitched continued to happen. Eddie then leaned up, rubbing his face vigorously and slapping his chest to make sure the bug didn’t fall onto it. Then he looked toward his right and saw the mischievous kid standing near him with a big grin on his face. It wasn’t a bug after all.
It was Aaron with a feather.
“AARON!” Eddie laughed, “COME HERE, RUNT!”
The kid squeaked as the older teenager jumped out of bed and chased him briefly toward the stairs. He stopped and smiled, seeing the boy descend the stairs as fast as his little legs would take him. Eddie turned around, picked up his pants and placed them on. Then he put on a t-shirt and walked down the carpeted stairs in his bare feet. When he reached the bottom and turned to the kitchen, he saw that Marita and Tony were already up, along with their morning guests. “Charlie,” Eddie smiled, “Claire.”
“There he is,” the musician laughed.
“Morning, stud,” Claire giggled, “Sleep well?”
“Always,” he said, turning toward the kitchen counter.
Marita smiled at her godson as he helped himself to a glass and poured some orange juice into. The Latina has been making pancakes for her husband and their guests. Eddie held out a plate and she calmly placed three onto. Eddie took a fork and was about to go sit down at the table with the others, until Marita stopped him. He looked at her and then saw her casually pointing toward her cheek. The young man laughed and kiss her in the location. “Thanks, mom.” He smirked.
“That’s better.” She said, as she continued cooking.
Eddie walked over and sat at the kitchen table next to Tony. Within even asking, the blind man reached over toward the maple syrup and slid it his way. The young man smiled as he poured the syrup on his pancakes. “How’s school, Eddie?” Charlie asked.
“Educational.” He winked as he placed some pancakes in his mouth.
“I hope my little rug-rat didn’t wake you up abruptly.” Claire said as Aaron rested in her lap.
“Oh, no, he just tilted a feather in my face, making me think I was being bothered by a fly,” the young man then crunched up a napkin and threw it at him, “ I’ll get you, Aaron.”
“Nah, nah, nah,” the little boy laughed.
“Seems to me I remember a little rug rat back on the Island, who was making sure Jack was in his place.” Charlie laughed.
Eddie laughed too, remembering when he kicked Jack in the shin to force him to listen to Raven. The young man then sipped on his orange juiced as Marita finally sat down with them. “Charlie, Claire and Aaron were on their way toward downtown Los Angeles and we invited them to breakfast.” The Latina said.
“What’s going on in down town LA, Charlie?” Eddie asked.
“Turboshaft interview with Becca in the Morning Show.”
“Oh, wow,” Eddie chuckled, holding his mouth, “I don’t like her. She always rips into the celebrities she interviews.”
“Don’t worry, I have a standing bet with Seth,” the musician leaned over, “If she gets out of hand and I can’t handle it, then he’ll make sure she interview him next.”
“Seth versus Becca In The Morning?” Tony grinned, “That I wish I could see!”
The group got a good laugh from Tony’s joke. Eddie poured himself some orange juice and gulped it down. The blind man then smiled, tilting his head toward his godson. “So how did your date go last night?” he asked.
“It went great,” the young man laughed, “Better than great. I had a wonderful time.”
“Who is this girl?” asked Claire.
“Her name is Bonnie Mayer.” Eddie smiled, “I met her by chance at the bus-stop. She was real flirty but I went with it, and it’s grown from there.”
“Grown how, Eddie?” Tony asked.
Eddie looked at him and tapped his fork on his plate. “She’s great, Tony,” he whispered, “She finds me exciting. I find her fascinating. It’s as if . . .I’ve known her for a long time, even though I’ve only really known her a week.”
“Sounds like Eddie has fallen pretty hard for this girl.” Marita teased him as she sipped her coffee.
“Do you love her?” the blind doctor asked.
Eddie looked at the whole table of people staring at him. He smiled and rubbed his cheeks, then took a deep breath. “Yeah,” he smiled with pride, “I think I do.”
“You ol’smoothie.” Aaron grinned.
Eddie smirked at the little boy sitting across from him. He then dapped his fingers in his juice and flicked it at the little boy, making him squeak again. “You like that, runt?” he joked, “You think I am just going to let you quote Star Wars without reprisals, huh? Huh? Huh?”
“Eddie, stop!” Marita laughed.
Eddie smiled as he wiped his fingers with his napkin. Charlie sipped on his coffee and then looked to his younger friend. “Eddie, are you sure you love her?” he asked, “ I mean, I hate to remind you but it’s only been a week.”
Tony then gently rubbed his wife’s shoulder and smiled in her direction. “C’mon now, Charlie,” the blind man smiled, “You of all people should know that love doesn’t require an explanation . . .just two people.”
“Here, here,” Claire giggled.
Charlie smirked at her, making her blush. He sipped his coffee and then looked at the ceiling. “Love doesn’t require an explanation. Hmmmm.” He chuckled, “Hey, Tone. Can I turn that into a song?”
“Sure, just pay me twenty bucks every time it’s downloaded.”
The group continued to laugh at their mutual jokes. Eddie smiled as he finished off his pancakes. It was mornings like this that reminded him why they came together. They all made the perfect family.
Later in the morning, Marita had promised that she and Sun would go shopping. This allowed Eddie to take Tony for a ride in The Turk. Since he was blind, it allowed him to enjoy the rides with the feel of the wind on his face and the sound of music from Eddie’s CD player. The two men would often enjoy rides like this, as it allowed them to continued their “paternal” bond. “You think I am being stupid, Tony?” Eddie asked.
“Yes,” he said without hesitation.
Eddie laughed as he turned a corner and continued down a street. Tony chuckled briefly, then tilted his head toward his godson. “Stupid about what?” he finally asked.
“My love for Bonnie.” The young man admitted.
“I already told you, love doesn’t require an explanation,” the blind man rested back into his seat, “If you feel you love her, then you probably do. In fact, I think this is good for you.”
“Thanks,” Eddie said, as he pulled up to a stop light, “I just wish . . .I just wished I remember where I met her before.”
“Did you meet her before?”
“I’m so certain I have. It’s her eyes. I know I’ve seen her eyes before.”
“Eddie, let me clue you in on something,” Tony patted his arm, “You haven’t seen her eyes before. You haven’t met her till a week ago. What you are feeling is a typical chemical response in your brain to the endorphins flooding your blood stream. Does your heart pound a little faster when you get near her?”
“Yes.” He smiled.
“Does your stomach turn in knots?”
“Yes.”
“Do you feel a slight tingling sensation in your spine?”
“Yes,” Eddie laughed.
“The you’re in love,” the blind man smiled, “don’t fight it. Just go for it.”
Tony rested on the hood of the Chevy Nova after they arrived at the beach. He calmly listened to the sound of the waves crashing against the shore. He almost felt like it had a calming effect on him, similar to Eddie. The young man then came back with their two drinks from the nearby Taco Stand. He calmly took his mentor’s hand and placed the drink into it. “Thanks, boy,” the blind man said, sipping his cola.
Eddie shifted around and sat down on the hood with him. Eddie sipped on his drink and stared at the waves. For a brief moment, the young man stared at the water; imaging himself as a little kid, peeing in the water; then later finding Mr. Kangaroo. “Tony, you ever thought about going back to the Island?” he asked.
“Even if you could, would you really want to?” Tony whispered.
“I don’t know,” Eddie looked at the ground, “Things were simple over there. No homework. No taxes. No city noise. But I guess it’s better than dodging bullets from the Liberation.”
“Yes, it is,” Tony sipped on his drink, “You miss the Island, Eddie, because it was adventurous. It was exciting and it was a break from our mundane life. After what we went through, the quiet life couldn’t even compare.”
“Yes, that’s what I am feeling, Tony.” Eddie agreed.
“You’re feeling that because your 16, soon to be 17. This feeling will pass and you’ll soon accept your place in this world. Trust me, we’ve all been there.”
The young man smiled and gently patted Tony’s upper arm. “I do trust you, sir.” He whispered.
The blind man took a deep breath. He paused for a second, as he heard a woman walking her dog go by and a tamale salesman with the bell on his cart. “Eddie, I’m glad we’ve gotten the chance to be alone,” he whispered, “There is something I need to talk to you about.”
“Sure, Tony, what is it?” the young man looked at him.
“I’ve finally found a doctor . . .who may be able to fix my eye.”
Eddie studied the facial features of his mentor. He’d grown to know him well over the last five years to the point where he understood what emotions he was showing. Right then, he wasn’t showing anything that should follow that statement. “Where’s this doctor, Tony?” he asked.
“Toronto.” He replied.
“Canada?”
“Yeah.”
“You should be excited about this, Tony . . . .why aren’t you?”
“Because he’s the first doctor that’s given me good odds that he can heal my eye,” Tony sipped on his drink, “However, he also said that if the procedure doesn’t work, I’ll be permanently blind.”
“Not . . .even blurry vision like what you have now?”
“No. It’s an either all or nothing situation . . .and I wanted to tell you that I am going for it.”
Eddie shook his head in agreement. “Some chance is better than no chance.” He whispered.
Tony placed his hand on the young man’s shoulder. “I just wanted to tell you this because there may be a chance I’d never be able to really look at you,” he whispered, “But you’ve made me proud regardless. I know you’ll grow up to be a good person, and even though I might be blind, I’ll be there for you always.”
Eddie smiled, placing his hand on the hand of his godfather. “I know you will, Tony,” he smiled, “You always have been.”
The two men who were more father and son than best friends, sat in comfortable silence on the hood of the Chevy Nova. The waves crashed up against the beach, as the sand stretched for miles.
'
The guest room at Tony and Marita’s house was pretty much Eddie’s room. While his mother Barbara was away on business, she always insisted he spend the weekends at their loft. Inside the guest room was a five disc CD-player with ocean sounds ready for the young man at a moment’s notice. He had gotten in late and went directly to bed, since his godparents trusted him with the key to their place.
Eddie then twitched as he felt something on his nose. He reached up, scratching it. Then the twitch happened again. He then slapped his nose, afraid that a bug had gotten onto it. The twitched continued to happen. Eddie then leaned up, rubbing his face vigorously and slapping his chest to make sure the bug didn’t fall onto it. Then he looked toward his right and saw the mischievous kid standing near him with a big grin on his face. It wasn’t a bug after all.
It was Aaron with a feather.
“AARON!” Eddie laughed, “COME HERE, RUNT!”
The kid squeaked as the older teenager jumped out of bed and chased him briefly toward the stairs. He stopped and smiled, seeing the boy descend the stairs as fast as his little legs would take him. Eddie turned around, picked up his pants and placed them on. Then he put on a t-shirt and walked down the carpeted stairs in his bare feet. When he reached the bottom and turned to the kitchen, he saw that Marita and Tony were already up, along with their morning guests. “Charlie,” Eddie smiled, “Claire.”
“There he is,” the musician laughed.
“Morning, stud,” Claire giggled, “Sleep well?”
“Always,” he said, turning toward the kitchen counter.
Marita smiled at her godson as he helped himself to a glass and poured some orange juice into. The Latina has been making pancakes for her husband and their guests. Eddie held out a plate and she calmly placed three onto. Eddie took a fork and was about to go sit down at the table with the others, until Marita stopped him. He looked at her and then saw her casually pointing toward her cheek. The young man laughed and kiss her in the location. “Thanks, mom.” He smirked.
“That’s better.” She said, as she continued cooking.
Eddie walked over and sat at the kitchen table next to Tony. Within even asking, the blind man reached over toward the maple syrup and slid it his way. The young man smiled as he poured the syrup on his pancakes. “How’s school, Eddie?” Charlie asked.
“Educational.” He winked as he placed some pancakes in his mouth.
“I hope my little rug-rat didn’t wake you up abruptly.” Claire said as Aaron rested in her lap.
“Oh, no, he just tilted a feather in my face, making me think I was being bothered by a fly,” the young man then crunched up a napkin and threw it at him, “ I’ll get you, Aaron.”
“Nah, nah, nah,” the little boy laughed.
“Seems to me I remember a little rug rat back on the Island, who was making sure Jack was in his place.” Charlie laughed.
Eddie laughed too, remembering when he kicked Jack in the shin to force him to listen to Raven. The young man then sipped on his orange juiced as Marita finally sat down with them. “Charlie, Claire and Aaron were on their way toward downtown Los Angeles and we invited them to breakfast.” The Latina said.
“What’s going on in down town LA, Charlie?” Eddie asked.
“Turboshaft interview with Becca in the Morning Show.”
“Oh, wow,” Eddie chuckled, holding his mouth, “I don’t like her. She always rips into the celebrities she interviews.”
“Don’t worry, I have a standing bet with Seth,” the musician leaned over, “If she gets out of hand and I can’t handle it, then he’ll make sure she interview him next.”
“Seth versus Becca In The Morning?” Tony grinned, “That I wish I could see!”
The group got a good laugh from Tony’s joke. Eddie poured himself some orange juice and gulped it down. The blind man then smiled, tilting his head toward his godson. “So how did your date go last night?” he asked.
“It went great,” the young man laughed, “Better than great. I had a wonderful time.”
“Who is this girl?” asked Claire.
“Her name is Bonnie Mayer.” Eddie smiled, “I met her by chance at the bus-stop. She was real flirty but I went with it, and it’s grown from there.”
“Grown how, Eddie?” Tony asked.
Eddie looked at him and tapped his fork on his plate. “She’s great, Tony,” he whispered, “She finds me exciting. I find her fascinating. It’s as if . . .I’ve known her for a long time, even though I’ve only really known her a week.”
“Sounds like Eddie has fallen pretty hard for this girl.” Marita teased him as she sipped her coffee.
“Do you love her?” the blind doctor asked.
Eddie looked at the whole table of people staring at him. He smiled and rubbed his cheeks, then took a deep breath. “Yeah,” he smiled with pride, “I think I do.”
“You ol’smoothie.” Aaron grinned.
Eddie smirked at the little boy sitting across from him. He then dapped his fingers in his juice and flicked it at the little boy, making him squeak again. “You like that, runt?” he joked, “You think I am just going to let you quote Star Wars without reprisals, huh? Huh? Huh?”
“Eddie, stop!” Marita laughed.
Eddie smiled as he wiped his fingers with his napkin. Charlie sipped on his coffee and then looked to his younger friend. “Eddie, are you sure you love her?” he asked, “ I mean, I hate to remind you but it’s only been a week.”
Tony then gently rubbed his wife’s shoulder and smiled in her direction. “C’mon now, Charlie,” the blind man smiled, “You of all people should know that love doesn’t require an explanation . . .just two people.”
“Here, here,” Claire giggled.
Charlie smirked at her, making her blush. He sipped his coffee and then looked at the ceiling. “Love doesn’t require an explanation. Hmmmm.” He chuckled, “Hey, Tone. Can I turn that into a song?”
“Sure, just pay me twenty bucks every time it’s downloaded.”
The group continued to laugh at their mutual jokes. Eddie smiled as he finished off his pancakes. It was mornings like this that reminded him why they came together. They all made the perfect family.
Later in the morning, Marita had promised that she and Sun would go shopping. This allowed Eddie to take Tony for a ride in The Turk. Since he was blind, it allowed him to enjoy the rides with the feel of the wind on his face and the sound of music from Eddie’s CD player. The two men would often enjoy rides like this, as it allowed them to continued their “paternal” bond. “You think I am being stupid, Tony?” Eddie asked.
“Yes,” he said without hesitation.
Eddie laughed as he turned a corner and continued down a street. Tony chuckled briefly, then tilted his head toward his godson. “Stupid about what?” he finally asked.
“My love for Bonnie.” The young man admitted.
“I already told you, love doesn’t require an explanation,” the blind man rested back into his seat, “If you feel you love her, then you probably do. In fact, I think this is good for you.”
“Thanks,” Eddie said, as he pulled up to a stop light, “I just wish . . .I just wished I remember where I met her before.”
“Did you meet her before?”
“I’m so certain I have. It’s her eyes. I know I’ve seen her eyes before.”
“Eddie, let me clue you in on something,” Tony patted his arm, “You haven’t seen her eyes before. You haven’t met her till a week ago. What you are feeling is a typical chemical response in your brain to the endorphins flooding your blood stream. Does your heart pound a little faster when you get near her?”
“Yes.” He smiled.
“Does your stomach turn in knots?”
“Yes.”
“Do you feel a slight tingling sensation in your spine?”
“Yes,” Eddie laughed.
“The you’re in love,” the blind man smiled, “don’t fight it. Just go for it.”
Tony rested on the hood of the Chevy Nova after they arrived at the beach. He calmly listened to the sound of the waves crashing against the shore. He almost felt like it had a calming effect on him, similar to Eddie. The young man then came back with their two drinks from the nearby Taco Stand. He calmly took his mentor’s hand and placed the drink into it. “Thanks, boy,” the blind man said, sipping his cola.
Eddie shifted around and sat down on the hood with him. Eddie sipped on his drink and stared at the waves. For a brief moment, the young man stared at the water; imaging himself as a little kid, peeing in the water; then later finding Mr. Kangaroo. “Tony, you ever thought about going back to the Island?” he asked.
“Even if you could, would you really want to?” Tony whispered.
“I don’t know,” Eddie looked at the ground, “Things were simple over there. No homework. No taxes. No city noise. But I guess it’s better than dodging bullets from the Liberation.”
“Yes, it is,” Tony sipped on his drink, “You miss the Island, Eddie, because it was adventurous. It was exciting and it was a break from our mundane life. After what we went through, the quiet life couldn’t even compare.”
“Yes, that’s what I am feeling, Tony.” Eddie agreed.
“You’re feeling that because your 16, soon to be 17. This feeling will pass and you’ll soon accept your place in this world. Trust me, we’ve all been there.”
The young man smiled and gently patted Tony’s upper arm. “I do trust you, sir.” He whispered.
The blind man took a deep breath. He paused for a second, as he heard a woman walking her dog go by and a tamale salesman with the bell on his cart. “Eddie, I’m glad we’ve gotten the chance to be alone,” he whispered, “There is something I need to talk to you about.”
“Sure, Tony, what is it?” the young man looked at him.
“I’ve finally found a doctor . . .who may be able to fix my eye.”
Eddie studied the facial features of his mentor. He’d grown to know him well over the last five years to the point where he understood what emotions he was showing. Right then, he wasn’t showing anything that should follow that statement. “Where’s this doctor, Tony?” he asked.
“Toronto.” He replied.
“Canada?”
“Yeah.”
“You should be excited about this, Tony . . . .why aren’t you?”
“Because he’s the first doctor that’s given me good odds that he can heal my eye,” Tony sipped on his drink, “However, he also said that if the procedure doesn’t work, I’ll be permanently blind.”
“Not . . .even blurry vision like what you have now?”
“No. It’s an either all or nothing situation . . .and I wanted to tell you that I am going for it.”
Eddie shook his head in agreement. “Some chance is better than no chance.” He whispered.
Tony placed his hand on the young man’s shoulder. “I just wanted to tell you this because there may be a chance I’d never be able to really look at you,” he whispered, “But you’ve made me proud regardless. I know you’ll grow up to be a good person, and even though I might be blind, I’ll be there for you always.”
Eddie smiled, placing his hand on the hand of his godfather. “I know you will, Tony,” he smiled, “You always have been.”
The two men who were more father and son than best friends, sat in comfortable silence on the hood of the Chevy Nova. The waves crashed up against the beach, as the sand stretched for miles.
posted by Jason | 11:32 AM
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