[original] the third degree - pg13 - july 02
story number two? Same universe as yesterday. We'll see if we can keep going all month.
Um, content-wise this is fine, but one of Eddie's brothers and his cousin do a little swearing.
***
original - the third degree - in which eddie says goodbye.
***
"But when are you coming home?" Isabella asked. Eddie wasn't surprised. He'd put it in the top three of questions he'd been asked that day.
*
"But when are you coming home?" his mother said. Eddie sighed and rubbed at his eyes with his fist. His father had barely looked up from his newspaper.
"I told you, I'm not sure. Maybe six months. Maybe longer. It all depends on how everything goes out there." His mother made a disapproving clucking sound with her tongue. His father rustled the newspaper and turned a page. The silence stretched onward.
*
"I don't know, Izzy," Eddie said. He picked up a green crayon and started shading in Jasmine's outfit in the coloring book in front of him. "It might be awhile. But I'll come back to visit you, and I'll send you letters and postcards and packages all the time. I'll send Mommy e-mails, too."
Isabella frowned at him and then grabbed the red crayon, her eyes cast down again. "But who will take care of me while Mommy is at work?"
*
"Who am I gonna get to watch Izzy if you're gone, huh?" Sofia asked him, running her hands through her hair and flicking her cigarette off the edge of the balcony. Sofie didn't smoke much, had technically quit when Izzy was born, but stress still made her light up and Eddie should have known when she reached for the pack that her reaction to his news wasn't going to be pretty.
"I don't know, Sofie," Eddie said with a sigh. "Ma was watching her when I was working, I'm sure she'd be able to do it again. If not, there are a couple good day cares in town. You can use that woman that Eva used to use when Roselyn was a baby."
"Excuses," Sofie muttered. "I don't like this idea, Eddie. I don't like it at all."
*
"I'm sure Mommy will find someone, babe," Eddie said. Orange, now, to fill in Jasmine's pet tiger. He couldn't remember the tiger's name, which was funny considering how many times Roselyn and Izzy had collectively made him watch Aladdin. He thought it started with an 'R,' maybe. "Maybe you'll go to school with other kids during the day."
Izzy sighed and crossed her little arms, glaring up at him. "I like you better," she said. "Do you like Uncle Asher better than you like us?"
*
"Ash, man?" Marcos asked, kicking his feet up onto his patio table. "Really? I thought you were going to try and work things out with Carole?"
"It's useless," Eddie muttered, because Carole was a dead end that he didn't want to talk about. It still hurt, being cheated on, being cast aside, and nothing was ever going to take away the stabbing pain he felt whenever someone mentioned Carole's name. "Carole, I mean. Asher's my best friend. He knows me better than I know myself and it'll be nice to spend some time with someone who knows what to expect with me. To not have to worry about a girlfriend and kids and a future for a few months." Marcos raised an eyebrow and tipped his beer back. There was silence as he swallowed and stared out into the trees thoughtfully.
"I dated Ash, man. Not my smartest move, but it was for a few months."
Eddie rolled his eyes. "I know, Marcos. I was there."
"I'm just saying," Marcos said, shrugging, eyes still on the treeline, "Asher's a handful. He's got his own issues."
"I know that," Eddie said. "I know that better than anyone. I'm maybe the only person on the planet qualified to deal with it."
*
"No, babe," Eddie said, reaching across the table to sweep her hair over her shoulder. "I don't love Uncle Asher more than I love you guys. I just want to try something different and Uncle Asher wants to try it with me." Izzy was staring up at him dubiously. It was a hilarious look for an almost-four-year-old. "It's hard to explain, Izzy. It's grown-up stuff. I hope you never have to go through it yourself, but maybe when you're a grown-up you'll understand."
Izzy pouted at him and then went back to her coloring. "Are you going to have a new job when you leave?"
*
"You don't even have a job lined up, do you?" Eva asked him. He had been putting off talking to Eva. Fighting with his twin was harder than fighting with anyone else Eddie had ever encountered. He would have thought that their nearly identical genetic make-up would make it easier for them to get along, but out of all of his siblings, he fought with Eva the most.
"Not yet," he said. "That's the point, Eva. To start fresh."
"You're going to be mopping up the floors at Wal-Mart, Eddie. I'm sure that's what Mom and Dad sent you to college for."
*
"I might," Eddie said. He was out of characters to color. He could have started on the background, but he was too tired to concentrate, to put his heart into it. A week of explanations and good-byes was too much for him, and crayon-ing in Jasmine's garden was going to send him over the top. "I won't know until I get there."
"If you don't have a job, how are you going to have a house and money?"
*
"Don't freak out, bro, but how much money do you have saved up?" Raúl asked. "Because gas is fucking insane these days and if you're driving all the way out to East Bumblefuck, Nevada--"
"We're not going to Nevada," Eddie said. "At least, I don't think so. It was just an example."
"Still," Raúl said. He flicked the ash off the end of his cigarette. Unlike Sofia, his kids hadn't convinced him to kick his habit. "You're not made of money. You were at that card company for a few years, but you weren't bringing home a massive salary, you know? I'm just trying to look out for you, man. I can get you a job at the school if you want. Administrative shit or whatever. I think they have a thing where you can get a teaching certificate while you teach. You don't have to skip town to start over."
"I kind of do," Eddie said.
*
"I have some money now," Eddie explained, closing the coloring book and finally leaning back against the couch and watching Isabella full on. "And Uncle Asher and I will work something out once we figure out where we're going. We're thinking ahead, babe. Don't worry."
Isabella nodded to herself and then went back to coloring. She was quiet for a long time and Eddie thought (hoped) that the questioning was done for the moment. Her mother would be home from work soon and he needed to go over his lists of things to bring, things to leave, things to buy. He had a little over a week until the date that he and Asher had set to take off and he felt like he had a million other things to do.
"Uncle Eddie?" Izzy put her crayon down and then got to her feet, climbing up onto the couch and onto Eddie's lap. "Why?"
*
"I just... don't understand why, Eddie," Julian said, hands covering his eyes. "The whole thing sounds insane, you know that, right?"
"I know," Eddie said. "I said the same thing to Asher when he came up with it. The truth is, I have no idea. About anything. You're a genius, Julian. You're going to do amazing things. Raúl doesn't care about his job as long as it brings home enough to support Maria and the kids. He's happy. Marcos is thrilled to chase guys around town at night and run his coffeeshop during the day. Sofia lives for Izzy. Eva's got her job and Tony and the kids. Everyone else has people and aspirations to keep them going. I have you guys and Asher and I love you guys, but I need more than that. Asher thinks we should do this and... I can't come up with a single solid reason to say no." He shrugged and laughed humorlessly. "Who knows? Maybe I'll find the career I've been looking for and the woman of my dreams."
"Maybe you'll have your heart broken," Julian said.
"Maybe that's already happened," Eddie said.
*
"I don't know, Izzy," Eddie said. "But it won't be forever, okay? Promise. I'll be back to visit and play and color and you'll hardly know I'm gone."
"I think you're silly," Isabella said, burying her face in his chest.
"You may not be wrong," Eddie replied, stroking her hair and trying to convince himself that everything he said was true.
Um, content-wise this is fine, but one of Eddie's brothers and his cousin do a little swearing.
***
original - the third degree - in which eddie says goodbye.
***
"But when are you coming home?" Isabella asked. Eddie wasn't surprised. He'd put it in the top three of questions he'd been asked that day.
*
"But when are you coming home?" his mother said. Eddie sighed and rubbed at his eyes with his fist. His father had barely looked up from his newspaper.
"I told you, I'm not sure. Maybe six months. Maybe longer. It all depends on how everything goes out there." His mother made a disapproving clucking sound with her tongue. His father rustled the newspaper and turned a page. The silence stretched onward.
*
"I don't know, Izzy," Eddie said. He picked up a green crayon and started shading in Jasmine's outfit in the coloring book in front of him. "It might be awhile. But I'll come back to visit you, and I'll send you letters and postcards and packages all the time. I'll send Mommy e-mails, too."
Isabella frowned at him and then grabbed the red crayon, her eyes cast down again. "But who will take care of me while Mommy is at work?"
*
"Who am I gonna get to watch Izzy if you're gone, huh?" Sofia asked him, running her hands through her hair and flicking her cigarette off the edge of the balcony. Sofie didn't smoke much, had technically quit when Izzy was born, but stress still made her light up and Eddie should have known when she reached for the pack that her reaction to his news wasn't going to be pretty.
"I don't know, Sofie," Eddie said with a sigh. "Ma was watching her when I was working, I'm sure she'd be able to do it again. If not, there are a couple good day cares in town. You can use that woman that Eva used to use when Roselyn was a baby."
"Excuses," Sofie muttered. "I don't like this idea, Eddie. I don't like it at all."
*
"I'm sure Mommy will find someone, babe," Eddie said. Orange, now, to fill in Jasmine's pet tiger. He couldn't remember the tiger's name, which was funny considering how many times Roselyn and Izzy had collectively made him watch Aladdin. He thought it started with an 'R,' maybe. "Maybe you'll go to school with other kids during the day."
Izzy sighed and crossed her little arms, glaring up at him. "I like you better," she said. "Do you like Uncle Asher better than you like us?"
*
"Ash, man?" Marcos asked, kicking his feet up onto his patio table. "Really? I thought you were going to try and work things out with Carole?"
"It's useless," Eddie muttered, because Carole was a dead end that he didn't want to talk about. It still hurt, being cheated on, being cast aside, and nothing was ever going to take away the stabbing pain he felt whenever someone mentioned Carole's name. "Carole, I mean. Asher's my best friend. He knows me better than I know myself and it'll be nice to spend some time with someone who knows what to expect with me. To not have to worry about a girlfriend and kids and a future for a few months." Marcos raised an eyebrow and tipped his beer back. There was silence as he swallowed and stared out into the trees thoughtfully.
"I dated Ash, man. Not my smartest move, but it was for a few months."
Eddie rolled his eyes. "I know, Marcos. I was there."
"I'm just saying," Marcos said, shrugging, eyes still on the treeline, "Asher's a handful. He's got his own issues."
"I know that," Eddie said. "I know that better than anyone. I'm maybe the only person on the planet qualified to deal with it."
*
"No, babe," Eddie said, reaching across the table to sweep her hair over her shoulder. "I don't love Uncle Asher more than I love you guys. I just want to try something different and Uncle Asher wants to try it with me." Izzy was staring up at him dubiously. It was a hilarious look for an almost-four-year-old. "It's hard to explain, Izzy. It's grown-up stuff. I hope you never have to go through it yourself, but maybe when you're a grown-up you'll understand."
Izzy pouted at him and then went back to her coloring. "Are you going to have a new job when you leave?"
*
"You don't even have a job lined up, do you?" Eva asked him. He had been putting off talking to Eva. Fighting with his twin was harder than fighting with anyone else Eddie had ever encountered. He would have thought that their nearly identical genetic make-up would make it easier for them to get along, but out of all of his siblings, he fought with Eva the most.
"Not yet," he said. "That's the point, Eva. To start fresh."
"You're going to be mopping up the floors at Wal-Mart, Eddie. I'm sure that's what Mom and Dad sent you to college for."
*
"I might," Eddie said. He was out of characters to color. He could have started on the background, but he was too tired to concentrate, to put his heart into it. A week of explanations and good-byes was too much for him, and crayon-ing in Jasmine's garden was going to send him over the top. "I won't know until I get there."
"If you don't have a job, how are you going to have a house and money?"
*
"Don't freak out, bro, but how much money do you have saved up?" Raúl asked. "Because gas is fucking insane these days and if you're driving all the way out to East Bumblefuck, Nevada--"
"We're not going to Nevada," Eddie said. "At least, I don't think so. It was just an example."
"Still," Raúl said. He flicked the ash off the end of his cigarette. Unlike Sofia, his kids hadn't convinced him to kick his habit. "You're not made of money. You were at that card company for a few years, but you weren't bringing home a massive salary, you know? I'm just trying to look out for you, man. I can get you a job at the school if you want. Administrative shit or whatever. I think they have a thing where you can get a teaching certificate while you teach. You don't have to skip town to start over."
"I kind of do," Eddie said.
*
"I have some money now," Eddie explained, closing the coloring book and finally leaning back against the couch and watching Isabella full on. "And Uncle Asher and I will work something out once we figure out where we're going. We're thinking ahead, babe. Don't worry."
Isabella nodded to herself and then went back to coloring. She was quiet for a long time and Eddie thought (hoped) that the questioning was done for the moment. Her mother would be home from work soon and he needed to go over his lists of things to bring, things to leave, things to buy. He had a little over a week until the date that he and Asher had set to take off and he felt like he had a million other things to do.
"Uncle Eddie?" Izzy put her crayon down and then got to her feet, climbing up onto the couch and onto Eddie's lap. "Why?"
*
"I just... don't understand why, Eddie," Julian said, hands covering his eyes. "The whole thing sounds insane, you know that, right?"
"I know," Eddie said. "I said the same thing to Asher when he came up with it. The truth is, I have no idea. About anything. You're a genius, Julian. You're going to do amazing things. Raúl doesn't care about his job as long as it brings home enough to support Maria and the kids. He's happy. Marcos is thrilled to chase guys around town at night and run his coffeeshop during the day. Sofia lives for Izzy. Eva's got her job and Tony and the kids. Everyone else has people and aspirations to keep them going. I have you guys and Asher and I love you guys, but I need more than that. Asher thinks we should do this and... I can't come up with a single solid reason to say no." He shrugged and laughed humorlessly. "Who knows? Maybe I'll find the career I've been looking for and the woman of my dreams."
"Maybe you'll have your heart broken," Julian said.
"Maybe that's already happened," Eddie said.
*
"I don't know, Izzy," Eddie said. "But it won't be forever, okay? Promise. I'll be back to visit and play and color and you'll hardly know I'm gone."
"I think you're silly," Isabella said, burying her face in his chest.
"You may not be wrong," Eddie replied, stroking her hair and trying to convince himself that everything he said was true.