18 Weeks of Twoey - 53. Week Eight Thursday, October 23, 2014: Surprises

If you do not expect the unexpected, you will not find it

- Heraclitus

***

Twoey

This morning Mom brought in a big paper bag full of cards. Apparently she didn't bring them to me earlier, just in case someone mentioned I was shot or that Danny was dead. She said she didn't want to open them and check, because it was my mail and she respected my privacy. She's really good like that ...but I always delete my computer history anyway ...hehe

So I started opening them and found some from aunts and cousins and even a few from school friends and then there was one with no return address, but a Syracuse postmark. I tore it open and it was a get-well card from MIKE! But the shock came from a folded up note inside.

Twoey,

Your dad called me Sunday to tell me you had been shot and were probably going to die. He doesn't seem to know anything about our problems. I didn't even know your folks were divorced and he wasn't living with you anymore. Then a few days later he called to tell me you were going to live.

In the days between those two phone calls, I did a lot of thinking. It started with remembering a million good times we had growing up. I'm going to be honest. I cried a lot. I looked at the picture of us when we were about 10, and had rolled around in poison ivy. My mother took our picture sitting in your bathtub all covered in red rashes and pink lotion. The picture is still on my desk. It never left. We were brothers from the day we were born.

I have to tell you I really broke down, thinking you were going to die with the last memory of me being I hurt you. I ignored you and I even returned our friendship dollar. What kind of a person am I? I threw away our friendship because you trusted me, because you were honest with me, because I was worried about what people would think about me.

I thought, “What would have happened if the situation was reversed and I had told you the same thing?” And you know what? I know what would have happened. You would have had my back. If anyone tried to give me shit, they would have had to go through you.

What does that make me?

It makes me a huge disappointment to myself. It makes me question my very character. It makes me question my loyalty. It makes me question everything I thought I was. It makes me depressed. I can’t stop thinking about it. Every minute of every day, it’s all I think about anymore.

When your dad told me you were going to live, I was so relieved, so happy, so determined I would try to make it up to you somehow. I know you've probably ripped this up and thrown it out already and never even gotten this far. But if you're still reading, all I can say is how much I regret what I did. I know it's too late for any friendship from you. You hate me now. Hell, I even hate me now! But please, hate me a little less ...will ya?

Mike

My feelings passed from anger through nostalgia, then compassion and ultimately love while I read his heartbreaking note. And ...then I read it again, and again. While I was sitting here on my bed, with tears streaming down my face, Mom came back into the room. Seeing me crying, she came over to see what had happened. I gave her the note to read.

When she finished she asked, “Any idea what you're going to do?”

“Yes. As soon as I get my emotions under control I'm going to call him tonight.”

“And?”

“Forgive him of course. He's my brother.”

That made my Mom smile.

David

On the way to school I told everybody Kathy and I were now officially broken up, and it was no big deal ...although Gary was seething. I had informed him on our run, but he already knew from Mel, of course. For once, he didn't say anything. Yes, Gary actually didn't say anything.

In third period I waved at Kathy as I sat down to talk with Terri a little, who was also seething.

“Cool it, Terri.”

She whispered, “I can't believe she's back with Cal Jacobs!”

At lunch I was able to steer the conversation on to other stuff. Matty was all smiles and even more touchy-feely. I know he’s trying to help lift my spirits, thinking I'm hurting. If poor Matty only knew. He's really such a thoughtful guy.

Biggy seriously put me through the paces today in the weight room. He knows the last race is tomorrow and he killed me!

Gym. Goddam fucking parallel bars! I can't wait for a new piece of equipment.

XCountry Practice. The last race is tomorrow. Basuba killed us today!!! It's the second time I got killed in two hours ...hehe.

After practice, during my meditation, Putin said everything revolves around Pastor Johnson. I have to develop a plan to deal with him, defeat him, or I can't get this mother problem solved. Putin promised to develop a proper strategy for my victory. Enos Johnson ...hmmmm.

OK, I’ve been holding back this little shocker:

I was looking around in my dresser for some sweats to wear for tonight's run when I noticed. At first I thought I must have been careless while putting away my laundry. Ever since I turned 13, I do my own laundry. I don't trust her with it. She'll fuck up my clothes for sure. So anyway, there was this pair of boxers in my athletic clothes drawer. Not even thinking, I grabbed them and opened my underwear drawer to put them back. It’s when I noticed my stuff was not the way I stacked it. I have a very special order to put my boxers away. It's all about color so I can coordinate with my pants and top.

Somebody was in here!

I started really looking around. This was unlike the usual Wednesday unease. This was blatant. Books weren't all in the same order on my shelves. The frame with the dollar and poem was actually upside down! My laptop wasn't perfectly aligned with the side of the desk, as I always leave it. Somebody was looking at my computer! I know it's her, but I can't prove it. It conceivably could have been my father or Liz or, most unlikely, Tommy. But I knew who it was.

I needed to talk to Sam. He knows everything about computers. I hoped he could help me out with this. I decided to call him after my run. I'd skip Ginny’s tonight and go over to Sam's. I texted him to ask if I could come over tonight. He said he'd be done with supper at about 7, so that's when I'd go.

I called Twoey, knowing Ginny would still be at the hospital.

“Please tell your mom I can't make it tonight. I’ll call you later to fill you in on some surprising events here.”

“Hey, I’ve got a surprising event too! We'll talk tonight!”

Twoey has a surprising event sitting in the hospital?

I did a lot of thinking during my evening run. I think I'm being too passive. I'm letting them run all over me. I've got to get more hardnosed. Crap, Vladimir Putin is my advisor! You can't get more fucking hardnosed than that. He actually said I needed to defeat them. No more kid gloves! No more Mr. Nice Guy! I’m in a battle, a battle for my very life, as I know it!

When I got to Sam's, the first thing he said was, “What did you have for supper?”

“I didn't have time tonight.”

So I headed for his room but he said he had to pee and would be right up. When he came in, I described what I found in my room.

“Can we do anything about my computer? I don’t like she can snoop around in my computer.” It was then his mom came in with a plate piled with sandwiches. I turned to Sam and said, “I thought you ate already.”

Mrs. Stozer said they did, these were for ME! OMG!! I thanked her and started devouring the sandwiches, made with that fantastic rye bread again, and drinking the milk she brought, while Sam chuckled and started talking.

Sam was very helpful. First, he showed me how to encrypt my entire computer!

“Now anybody has to have a password to get in. Let me show you this website where you can download an app which automatically turns on your camera as soon as the laptop lid is lifted. It will take pictures even if you aren't logged in! In fact, it will take a picture as often as you want, and saves each image to a special file!”

We decided one minute intervals would get the job done. As soon as I got home, I did it all. Wasn't Putin in the KGB??? I knew I got the right advisor! He’s already at work. I can feel it!

I was totally wired by the time I called Twoey. We got into a cute little tug of war.

“Twoey, tell me your big news!”

“No, you go first, I can tell from your voice that you're all jacked up!”

So after a little back and forth, he won. I gave him the whole story, even about the meditation!

“Putin, huh? Wait a minute! My advisor was ...Derek Jeter?”

I chuckled. “Yeah ...he was. But I have no control over the advisor! They just walk out of the mental elevator, and there they are. Twoey, please don't tell your mom about this, she'll have me locked up! I think ...I think it's just my subconscious mind's way of coping with a problem.”

“Yeah, you're probably right, except ...now remember you told me you'd never lie to me?”

“. . . OK?”

“Still not gonna?”

“No, I mean yes, I mean I’m not gonna lie!” I was beginning to worry about his next question.

“Did Derek Jeter have you tell Mom to tell the doctors what to do about my head pains?”

“Sorta. I only told her they might have missed something.”

There was a long pause while I'm sure he was trying to phrase the next sentence.

“Angel, did you ever wonder if you just might be tapping into something outside your body?”

Whoah! I wasn't expecting that question and, in fact, I didn't even want to think about it!

“Twoey I don't wanna go there. OK ...now ...your turn. Tell me your big news.”

And he did. Crap! It really was shocking! He read me the note from Mike while sobbing a few times ...so did I. Reading between the lines, although Mike never said the word, I knew. Twoey came out to his best friend, and it tore their friendship apart. His mom told me he came out to them and it's what tore their marriage apart.

“You are going to forgive Mike. Twoey ...you have to!”

He chuckled, “Yeah, I already did. I called him a few hours ago.”

“Whew! All I ever thought about was me and Gary when your mom told me about him returning the dollar. It was a real downer for me because I kept thinking how I would have felt if Gary had done it to me. So, what did he say?”

“He asked if I would mail him the dollar so we could be best friends again.”

“Sure! I'll bring it with me when I come over Sunday.”

“Angel ...don't you (sob) want to be my best friend anymore?”

“Of course, but ...Mike ...you grew up with him ...since the day you were born!”

“I told Mike I'd be his friend but I had a new best friend who is also my Angel.”

“No no no Twoey, you can't do the same thing to him he did to you! You've gotta take him back completely.”

Then I heard him sob a few times and he just said, “G'night” and disconnected. Am I wrong? No, I'm right dammit! ...Let me think about this ...I know I can come up with a solution.

I need a plan.

After all, I'm smart!