space.
Mom had shipped my juggling equipment and unicycle from Philadelphia, and I was content to hang out in the former schoolyard practicing by myself, until one day when I heard Kyle get spanked by Sarah. It must have connected to something primal in me, because after I found the door locked, I started slamming my body against it as hard as I could to break it down. When that didnât work, I screamed about the merciless retribution that Mom was going to bring upon them when I told her they hit Kyle. The threats didnât work either, so I ran down the hall and reluctantly took off my shoes to put what little change I had into a pay phone.
Mom was furious. She had a million conditions when it came to leaving us with other people, but the only absolute rule, the one that she could 100 percent never excuse, was the condition that Kyle and I never be physically hit. She told me to pack our stuff and she would be there as soon as possible. After calling Bob at the Holography Museum and threatening him with cops, lawsuits, and prison, she drove straight to the airport and got on the first flight to San Francisco. I was still on thephone when Kyle ran past me straight to the bathroom and locked himself in.
I didnât know what Kyle had done, or how bad he had been hit. He refused to speak to me through the bathroom door, but I was relieved to see the plate of food that Bob left out for him was gone. Kyle didnât come out of the bathroom until the next morning, when he heard Momâs voice in the hall raising hell. I got him and our bags to the car, while Mom and Sarah went nuts on each other. It looked as though it was going to get physical a few times, but Bob did a good job of keeping them apart.
We spent that night back in the same shitty hotel in Corte Madera. The next day we got in the car to ârun some errandsâ and ended up at the San Francisco airport to drop off Mom and pick up Grandma Ada.
âWhy, hello, boys. How was New Mexico?â she asked while pinching both of my cheeks and shaking my face around. Thirty seconds later, she finally let go and moved on to Kyle. âNow come on and give your grandma Ada a big kiss. Look how much youâve grown. Such big boys.â
Grandma Ada rarely said anything that warranted a response, or even made one possible. When she did ask a question, it always led directly into some other train of thought.
âWould you just take a look at that,â she said as we were crossing the Golden Gate Bridge. Overtaken by the majesty of it all, she wasnât paying any attention to the road. âThe light is magnificent. Have you ever seen anything like the light reflecting off those hills? You never answered me about New Mexico, boys. You know thatâs where Georgia OâKeeffe did some of her best work. The sky is so much bigger in the desert, and the light is so different that it creates an alternate perspective for the artist. Isnât it amazing how the differences in regional climate and light can affect the art in that area? Oh, the colors Gauguin started using when he went to Tahitââ
âWhenâs Mom coming back?â I cut her off, or she would have gone on forever.
âYou should be excited to see your grandmother. Mom didnât tell you I was coming, did she?â This time she paused after her question. Mom hadnât told us anything about it. She probably thought we would have temper tantrums and refuse to get in the car.
âNo. Why did she leave again?â I asked.
âBoys, your mother is going through some stuff right now, and I offered to come and take care of you until she gets it worked out. Isnât that exciting? Just us three getting toâ¦â
âWhen is she coming back?â This time it was Kyle who cut her off.
âWell, right now weâre going to the hotel, andâ¦oh dear, you children must be starving. Iâm going to make some ratatouille for dinner. Your
Mom had shipped my juggling equipment and unicycle from Philadelphia, and I was content to hang out in the former schoolyard practicing by myself, until one day when I heard Kyle get spanked by Sarah. It must have connected to something primal in me, because after I found the door locked, I started slamming my body against it as hard as I could to break it down. When that didnât work, I screamed about the merciless retribution that Mom was going to bring upon them when I told her they hit Kyle. The threats didnât work either, so I ran down the hall and reluctantly took off my shoes to put what little change I had into a pay phone.
Mom was furious. She had a million conditions when it came to leaving us with other people, but the only absolute rule, the one that she could 100 percent never excuse, was the condition that Kyle and I never be physically hit. She told me to pack our stuff and she would be there as soon as possible. After calling Bob at the Holography Museum and threatening him with cops, lawsuits, and prison, she drove straight to the airport and got on the first flight to San Francisco. I was still on thephone when Kyle ran past me straight to the bathroom and locked himself in.
I didnât know what Kyle had done, or how bad he had been hit. He refused to speak to me through the bathroom door, but I was relieved to see the plate of food that Bob left out for him was gone. Kyle didnât come out of the bathroom until the next morning, when he heard Momâs voice in the hall raising hell. I got him and our bags to the car, while Mom and Sarah went nuts on each other. It looked as though it was going to get physical a few times, but Bob did a good job of keeping them apart.
We spent that night back in the same shitty hotel in Corte Madera. The next day we got in the car to ârun some errandsâ and ended up at the San Francisco airport to drop off Mom and pick up Grandma Ada.
âWhy, hello, boys. How was New Mexico?â she asked while pinching both of my cheeks and shaking my face around. Thirty seconds later, she finally let go and moved on to Kyle. âNow come on and give your grandma Ada a big kiss. Look how much youâve grown. Such big boys.â
Grandma Ada rarely said anything that warranted a response, or even made one possible. When she did ask a question, it always led directly into some other train of thought.
âWould you just take a look at that,â she said as we were crossing the Golden Gate Bridge. Overtaken by the majesty of it all, she wasnât paying any attention to the road. âThe light is magnificent. Have you ever seen anything like the light reflecting off those hills? You never answered me about New Mexico, boys. You know thatâs where Georgia OâKeeffe did some of her best work. The sky is so much bigger in the desert, and the light is so different that it creates an alternate perspective for the artist. Isnât it amazing how the differences in regional climate and light can affect the art in that area? Oh, the colors Gauguin started using when he went to Tahitââ
âWhenâs Mom coming back?â I cut her off, or she would have gone on forever.
âYou should be excited to see your grandmother. Mom didnât tell you I was coming, did she?â This time she paused after her question. Mom hadnât told us anything about it. She probably thought we would have temper tantrums and refuse to get in the car.
âNo. Why did she leave again?â I asked.
âBoys, your mother is going through some stuff right now, and I offered to come and take care of you until she gets it worked out. Isnât that exciting? Just us three getting toâ¦â
âWhen is she coming back?â This time it was Kyle who cut her off.
âWell, right now weâre going to the hotel, andâ¦oh dear, you children must be starving. Iâm going to make some ratatouille for dinner. Your
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