A Year Around the Sun

t w e n t y-n i n e - i hate that he left

maybe i'm in the black,
maybe i'm on my knees,
maybe i'm in the gap
between the two t r a p e z e s . . .

🌊🌊🌊

"My parents fell in love when they were sixteen. My dad lived down the street from my mom in this little town in Brooklyn, and they pretty much grew up together. I remember my mom telling me stories of how all the kids on their block used to tease her and my dad because everyone knew they were meant to be." Brody started his story easily, and I stayed quiet as a mouse.

"Anyway, my mom got surprised when she was twenty because she found out she was pregnant with me. My dad's family didn't like that because he wasn't married yet, and my mom's parents were pissed about it too. So my parents decided they didn't want to raise a child in the city, and they wanted to move out. But obviously, it was hard because they were so young and had no money. We didn't move out of the city until I was three, and my parents knew about Shellmark because of my mom's brother Donnie, the one who owns the auto body shop that I work at. He moved here a couple years before we did and said it was the perfect town for a new family, so my parents were all for it.

"A year later, I started pre-school and... life was really good. It was just the three of us, trying to get by and make ends meet," he shrugged a little, taking a moment to pause and gather his thoughts, I supposed. "When I was six, my dad taught me how to surf. He used to do it and I mean, he was alright. He wasn't like, pro-level or anything like Owen, but he knew what he was doing. He taught me everything, before Owen came along. He bought me my first board and we would go out almost every day, surfing until my mom came to get us for dinner. He was like my role model, the greatest guy in the world, and I couldn't spend enough time with him.

"He brought out this passion for surfing in me that I didn't know was there. Then he introduced me to Owen when I was eight, and they both knew that I'd make it far in the surfing world. The three of us bonded right away, and it was really cool. Owen's always been like the older brother I never had, and I just loved hanging out with my dad. It's as simple as that. So I guess I have him to thank for teaching me how to surf in the first place."

Again, Brody's story stopped for a moment. A lopsided smile that didn't meet his eyes appeared, a sad chuckle leaving his lips. I couldn't imagine what he was about to say next, but from the way his hazy gaze dropped from mine, I could tell it wasn't going to be pretty.

"Like I said, my parents were totally in love. They were like a couple of teenagers. They were just destined to be together. My dad had permanent hearts around his head whenever he looked at my mom. I remember... I remember my dad coming home from work, turning on the stereo and playing their song. Something by Frank Sinatra, of course. He was a favorite in our family. But anyway, it would fill the whole house and my dad would take my mom away from whatever she was doing, then they would dance around the living room like they were sixteen again at some lame school dance. And I'd watch them with a smile on my face like it was the greatest thing I'd ever seen. And it was. I've never seen a love like my parents, and I don't think I ever will again."

I felt myself smiling a little at this distinct memory that Brody has of his parents. Something so simple, but yet unforgettable to him. A memory that probably feels like it was a lifetime ago. Though I could tell my heart was about to break in a matter of seconds, it briefly swooned at this sweet, little tale he told me. Everything pre-ruination.

"I just thought everything was great, you know? I thought everything was perfect. And a week after my thirteenth birthday, my dad left."

And there's the beginning of the demolition. The part I was afraid the most to hear. The sentence that had my heart sinking into the pit of my stomach.