A Song for Ezra (ONC 2021)(manxman)✅

When You Wish Upon a Star

As I mentioned before, my entire family was musical, including my parents, Aunt Ruth and Uncle David. After reading a bedtime story, my parents took turns singing to me. Certain songs stuck with me into adulthood, songs I could never do without, songs that tons of people would consider outdated and old-fashioned.

But I didn't care. Every night, before going to bed, I listened to the same song. Sometimes I'd stay in my room, sometimes in bed, other times I'd go for a walk around the block. After ten at night, the neighborhood was quiet, and I'd enjoy the dark night sky, except when it was below twenty degrees out. During those nights, I'd stay in my room and gaze out my bedroom window, wishing I was somewhere else, maybe behind the stars.

Tonight was a particularly bright night with lots of stars in the sky. In my pajamas, I wandered outside into the crisp March night.

What a beautiful night, I thought, staring up into the sky.

The lights from the new tenant's apartment distracted me from the sky. Before Levi, that apartment had been dark for a long time. As I listened to my goodnight song, I peeked in the window, expecting to see cats on the window sill. My mind briefly wandered, wondering what happened to Cheryl and her dozens of cats. Amid stacks of vinyl records inside the cat-free apartment, Levi Blum sat on the floor.

Since when did I become such a peeping Tom?

Bored and curious, I tapped on the window to get his attention. At first he startled, frowning as he looked up at the window. Standing up, he half-smiled, pointing at his door. I walked down the five steps to his basement apartment.

He opened the door but didn't say anything. If I was him, I doubted I would have opened the door for a freak like me.

"Beautiful night, huh?" I said.

"Uh... yeah... I guess," he said, glancing up at the sky. "It's one of those nights when you could just dissolve into the sky. Nice jammies, by the way."

I was wearing my favorite flannel jammies with multi-colored donuts all over.

"Would you like to come in?" he asked.

Usually I wouldn't go in a tenant's apartment, but this wasn't just any tenant. I'd already been inside earlier when I helped him lug in his couch, followed by a dance.

"I was just going for a walk," I said, stepping into his disorganized apartment. Boxes were stacked against the wall besides two electric guitars and one acoustic. A drum kit sat crammed against the back wall. No wonder he needed a moving van.

"At ten o'clock at night in your pajamas?"

"Yeah. I do it all the time. I listen to my goodnight song a couple of times if I'm not tired."

"What's your goodnight song?"

If anyone were to look at my playlist, particularly the songs at the end of the night, they'd think I was five years old. I barely knew this guy, so I didn't feel comfortable revealing my goodnight song.

"Is it a secret?" he asked.

"It's private," I said. "Do you collect vinyl?" I asked, referring to the records on the floor.

"Sort of. Some are hand-me-downs from my grandfather."

I sat on the floor to get a better look at his collection.

"This is only half of it," he said.

"Edith Piaf," I said, picking up one of the records. "Is this an original?"

"I believe so. My parents wanted to get rid of them, but I couldn't let them do that."

"My friend, Jeanette, loves Edith Piaf. She makes me sing La vie en rose all the time." With the record, I stood up and walked over to the record player on the floor a few feet away. "But I certainly don't do her justice."