“How much more do you know and where does the information
come from?” I asked.
“ It’s deep in me. I know
that the world will someday be a better place, but I’m going to
have to pay a price for that.”
My stomach dropped. Did
Lena already explain it to him? I realize she hadn’t because Lena
was giving me a look that said, Have you told him this
already?
“ How do you know, son?” I
asked. “Who told you?”
“ No one told me. I know it
is what needs to be done. I don’t know how, but someday I will be
chosen to do an act so unselfish that it will save all
mankind.”
What the hell was he
saying? Who the hell had been talking to him! Mankind? The kid was
six. “Son, you seem to know a lot.” I said. “What exactly is your
question?”
“ I don’t have one, I just
wanted you two to know that I know.”
“ And you’re okay with
that?” I asked.
“ Do I have a choice?” my
six year old said.
“ We hope you might,” I
said, trying to console my son. But instead of that happening, my
son consoled me.
“ It’s going to be okay,
Dad. I will always watch over you.”
What the hell did my son
just say to me? Then Jason hopped off my bed, took off, and went to
his bed. No kiss, no hug. Just creepy insight.
That was the first of many weird talks
with both our sons that seemed to get us to talk in circles while
resisting telling them what we were told about their
destiny.
Chapter Ten
I decided to walk to the kitchen. Some
Nestlé’s Quik chocolate milk sounded good about right now, unless
my boys had gotten to it first. They had been known to devour a
whole container with a gallon of milk between them in one
sitting.
I went to the cabinet and was pleased
to see that there was still half a container left. I poured myself
a glass of milk from the refrigerator and mixed in the necessary
ingredients and before I knew it, I had chocolaty goodness. My boys
weighed heavy on me, this night. The funny part about it, my boys
had weighed heavy on me since the day I knew they were to come into
the world.
The older they got, the more they were
becoming like their dad, especially Joshua. It seemed that he had
inherited his dad’s kick-ass gene. He was ready to go at a moment’s
notice, just like his dad, no matter how stupid the odds were. I
first discovered this a few years back.
I remember they were
eight. They were at a birthday party in Pasadena, California,
thrown by one of Tommy’s second cousins. Tommy always invited the
boys out to any function that dealt with kids their own age, or in
this case, close to it. Apparently, Tommy’s cousin was turning
twelve. My boys were big, but they sure didn’t look
twelve.
All the kids were in the
back yard, playing party games. My boys were young but had little
trouble blending in, mostly because Joshua was such a people
person. He’s a funny kid. His sense of humor was crass and
borderline inappropriate, even for an eight year old. So, of
course, he was Tommy’s favorite.
Tommy and I were inside,
sitting in the living room having a beer. I wasn’t a big beer
person, but what’s a dad to do, waiting for his kids at a birthday
party?
Tommy stared at me and
gave me one of his classic smart aleck looks. “You still want to
live out in the middle of the boondocks?” Tommy teased me. Tommy
hated that I lived on my island.
“ It’s the way it worked
out,” I said. “Not all of us were given a nice house in the OC by
Hector.”
“ No, you just got yourself
a damn island and castle to go with it.”
“ Trump! I always lose this
argument.”
“ Can we both admit that we
have both been blessed?” Tommy asked.
“ Cheers, my brother.”
Tommy and I bumped beer cans like a couple of dorks.
“ How’s Lena?”
“ You know us. One week,
everything is perfect. The other, we are at each other’s
throats.”
“ She’s a tough
cookie.”
“ Tell me about
it.”
“ How’s
Yomaida?”
“ Trust me when I tell you
it’s
come from?” I asked.
“ It’s deep in me. I know
that the world will someday be a better place, but I’m going to
have to pay a price for that.”
My stomach dropped. Did
Lena already explain it to him? I realize she hadn’t because Lena
was giving me a look that said, Have you told him this
already?
“ How do you know, son?” I
asked. “Who told you?”
“ No one told me. I know it
is what needs to be done. I don’t know how, but someday I will be
chosen to do an act so unselfish that it will save all
mankind.”
What the hell was he
saying? Who the hell had been talking to him! Mankind? The kid was
six. “Son, you seem to know a lot.” I said. “What exactly is your
question?”
“ I don’t have one, I just
wanted you two to know that I know.”
“ And you’re okay with
that?” I asked.
“ Do I have a choice?” my
six year old said.
“ We hope you might,” I
said, trying to console my son. But instead of that happening, my
son consoled me.
“ It’s going to be okay,
Dad. I will always watch over you.”
What the hell did my son
just say to me? Then Jason hopped off my bed, took off, and went to
his bed. No kiss, no hug. Just creepy insight.
That was the first of many weird talks
with both our sons that seemed to get us to talk in circles while
resisting telling them what we were told about their
destiny.
Chapter Ten
I decided to walk to the kitchen. Some
Nestlé’s Quik chocolate milk sounded good about right now, unless
my boys had gotten to it first. They had been known to devour a
whole container with a gallon of milk between them in one
sitting.
I went to the cabinet and was pleased
to see that there was still half a container left. I poured myself
a glass of milk from the refrigerator and mixed in the necessary
ingredients and before I knew it, I had chocolaty goodness. My boys
weighed heavy on me, this night. The funny part about it, my boys
had weighed heavy on me since the day I knew they were to come into
the world.
The older they got, the more they were
becoming like their dad, especially Joshua. It seemed that he had
inherited his dad’s kick-ass gene. He was ready to go at a moment’s
notice, just like his dad, no matter how stupid the odds were. I
first discovered this a few years back.
I remember they were
eight. They were at a birthday party in Pasadena, California,
thrown by one of Tommy’s second cousins. Tommy always invited the
boys out to any function that dealt with kids their own age, or in
this case, close to it. Apparently, Tommy’s cousin was turning
twelve. My boys were big, but they sure didn’t look
twelve.
All the kids were in the
back yard, playing party games. My boys were young but had little
trouble blending in, mostly because Joshua was such a people
person. He’s a funny kid. His sense of humor was crass and
borderline inappropriate, even for an eight year old. So, of
course, he was Tommy’s favorite.
Tommy and I were inside,
sitting in the living room having a beer. I wasn’t a big beer
person, but what’s a dad to do, waiting for his kids at a birthday
party?
Tommy stared at me and
gave me one of his classic smart aleck looks. “You still want to
live out in the middle of the boondocks?” Tommy teased me. Tommy
hated that I lived on my island.
“ It’s the way it worked
out,” I said. “Not all of us were given a nice house in the OC by
Hector.”
“ No, you just got yourself
a damn island and castle to go with it.”
“ Trump! I always lose this
argument.”
“ Can we both admit that we
have both been blessed?” Tommy asked.
“ Cheers, my brother.”
Tommy and I bumped beer cans like a couple of dorks.
“ How’s Lena?”
“ You know us. One week,
everything is perfect. The other, we are at each other’s
throats.”
“ She’s a tough
cookie.”
“ Tell me about
it.”
“ How’s
Yomaida?”
“ Trust me when I tell you
it’s
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