"Yuri, come here you fucking Communist. How do you spell your last name?" I belt out after slugging an espresso.
Yuri pops his head into my room, "Is very diffeecul, maybe i had written on a piece of note paper for you"
"No need, dont trouble yourself. How did you get in here anyways?" and following under my breath "I need better locks"
We were going to lunch in honor of Luca at his favorite shit hole of a place to devour el burrito de muerte. Luca named it this after successfully elimiating three of them and then driving himself directly to the hospital. He couldnt stand up straight and was hallucinating like he had eaten three peyote buttons instead of three burritos. They popped him with some hybrid of morphine and hung him upside in a broom closet in the maternity ward and janitors and other nurses coming off of break were allowed to enter the room and kick him in the face. of course they were ordered to stop administering this treatment just as soon as he stopped hallucinating. Of course to Luca, this was all very real. Even if it didnt happen. "Fucking tarantulas man!! they came out of my palms, i felt them chewing there way out....it sounded like the ripping of an old cotton shirt into household rags...oh it was slow.....it still echoes in my head, that sound." and whenever he revisited the memory he would glance down at his palms, just for a split second. I always wondered if it was real.
Most of what I remember of Luca is blurred. One thing that sticks out is the childhood picture he had framed at his house and a duplicate was also on his mothers mantle. She thought it was adorable but most people thought it was creepy. I appreciated it because I understood.
The picture was of Luca at around 4 years of age smiling carelessly in his pajamas with built in feet. His hair is sticking up in all directions and even though the smile pushed the limits of his small face and looked like it might just crack his entire head in half horizontally there was a touch of serenity beaming out of his eyes. He was holding a Big Bird doll, the body was in his right hand and the head was in the left. He had woken up that morning and decided to decapitate it. This is waht people find creepy about the picture. But I understand Luca. He feared Big Bird from the TV and then somehow ended up with that doll. As afraid as he was he wouldnt let the fear of this thing control him. He attacked and assasinated this one symbol that created uneasy feelings. And that was Luca's personality to a tee. With other children the doll wouldve been thrown into an attic and sold at atag sale. He wouldnt let the fucking bird getaway that easy. And as long as ive known him he never had a problem admitting fear, because when he did, you can be sure taht whatever had created that feeling would soon cease to exist.
Upon our arrival Yuri slams his car door and catches the seatbelt in the door. It lays open and I notice it as we make our way into this dive restaurant. I mention this to which he replies"Fucked it! i leave the keys inside too. I wish someone could just decide to take, then i can get a new car"
As we sat in at the table closest to the kitchen I asked "Do you know anything about what happened?"
"All i have been told is that he is presumed death" pursing his lips tightly and then nervous fidgetting and grabbing a napkin to tear into a million tiny shreds.
"He probably is" i said an looked up and hailed the waitress.
I shared with Yuri one of the funniest memories of Luca; Late afternoon one spring day when we were all completely comforatble with our boredom Luca reaches into his pocket and pulls out the "rising sun" headband. Almost identical to the one worn by Ralph Machio in "The Karate Kid" He put it on and I could tell taht he instantly felt like a master of martial arts. A moment later he flicked a pill off of his thumb nail and while it was airborn directly above his head whipped out his pocket knife and opened it. Just as the blade clicked open his left hand snagged the pill out of the air and he slammed it on the table. Using the flat side of the blade he crushed it in one shot withthe aid of his left hand fist slamming down on the blade almost breaking the table. Then scooping up the contents and going directly to his right nostril. Minutes later he stood up and caught himself in the mirror andwas shocked to see this headband on his head. He said, "I must start my training" and ran directly out the front door onto the beach and ran straight for one of the wooden columns that stood out of the water at low tide. I followed outside because there was no way I was going to miss this. Bythe time i got out there he was on the wooden column/post. and yes, in the crane kick position, arms up and curved like a seagull catching a wicked updraft and one leg up creating a perfect 90 degree angle. He was excited to show me what he had learned in this 40-60 seconds of training he had before i came out. As he executed the crane kick his left foot came down, losts its grip which sent him sharply sideways and causing his left arm to take all of his body weight ont this pillar. and flopped into the water like a sedated downs syndrome boy. He floated on his back and I said "Look at you, you dumb fuck...Im not saving you, you better hope the coast guard rolls by." without missing a beat he says "my wrist is cracked in a few places...leave me, the tide will wash me ashore eventually! give me a cigarette, thats all i ask!" and belted it out like a falsely imprisoned man demanding justice through an appeal taht never really had any confidence in his attorney.....
Luca did eventually wash ashore some time later. We watched from the beach as the tide pushed him back and forth in a steady rythym. As he rolled over on the sand he used his good wrist to lift himself erect. He trotted up to myself and Yuri and said "that took forever, I thought i was.....Holy shit!!! I hate pitbulls!! get them away!!!" and he moved behind me, it was safe to say the mescaline had kciked in. I told him we need to go the hospital to get his arm set in a cast and asked him if he wanted to take off the headband to which he replied "No, I need the staff to truly understand what happened."
Waiting on on orders of the Burritoes of Death Yuri chimed in-"And you remember what he did to me on the way home?"
Of course i did. Even though the scar was small it still was the most prevalent feature on Yuri's face. He was very fortunate for that, it gave him character.
The food came and we laughed. Avery's name was mentioned because we didnt know where he was either. We specualted that they must be together living out there one common belief that they must always risk personal safety in order to make a life a little more interesting to all of us zombies.
After the first antic of Luca that I witnessed I was shocked and said "What teh fuck are you doing?"
In which he replied with a long silent grin "salt and pepper, just adding a little salt and pepper, you know...adding a touch of flavor to life."
And that was his purpose
Yuri pops his head into my room, "Is very diffeecul, maybe i had written on a piece of note paper for you"
"No need, dont trouble yourself. How did you get in here anyways?" and following under my breath "I need better locks"
We were going to lunch in honor of Luca at his favorite shit hole of a place to devour el burrito de muerte. Luca named it this after successfully elimiating three of them and then driving himself directly to the hospital. He couldnt stand up straight and was hallucinating like he had eaten three peyote buttons instead of three burritos. They popped him with some hybrid of morphine and hung him upside in a broom closet in the maternity ward and janitors and other nurses coming off of break were allowed to enter the room and kick him in the face. of course they were ordered to stop administering this treatment just as soon as he stopped hallucinating. Of course to Luca, this was all very real. Even if it didnt happen. "Fucking tarantulas man!! they came out of my palms, i felt them chewing there way out....it sounded like the ripping of an old cotton shirt into household rags...oh it was slow.....it still echoes in my head, that sound." and whenever he revisited the memory he would glance down at his palms, just for a split second. I always wondered if it was real.
Most of what I remember of Luca is blurred. One thing that sticks out is the childhood picture he had framed at his house and a duplicate was also on his mothers mantle. She thought it was adorable but most people thought it was creepy. I appreciated it because I understood.
The picture was of Luca at around 4 years of age smiling carelessly in his pajamas with built in feet. His hair is sticking up in all directions and even though the smile pushed the limits of his small face and looked like it might just crack his entire head in half horizontally there was a touch of serenity beaming out of his eyes. He was holding a Big Bird doll, the body was in his right hand and the head was in the left. He had woken up that morning and decided to decapitate it. This is waht people find creepy about the picture. But I understand Luca. He feared Big Bird from the TV and then somehow ended up with that doll. As afraid as he was he wouldnt let the fear of this thing control him. He attacked and assasinated this one symbol that created uneasy feelings. And that was Luca's personality to a tee. With other children the doll wouldve been thrown into an attic and sold at atag sale. He wouldnt let the fucking bird getaway that easy. And as long as ive known him he never had a problem admitting fear, because when he did, you can be sure taht whatever had created that feeling would soon cease to exist.
Upon our arrival Yuri slams his car door and catches the seatbelt in the door. It lays open and I notice it as we make our way into this dive restaurant. I mention this to which he replies"Fucked it! i leave the keys inside too. I wish someone could just decide to take, then i can get a new car"
As we sat in at the table closest to the kitchen I asked "Do you know anything about what happened?"
"All i have been told is that he is presumed death" pursing his lips tightly and then nervous fidgetting and grabbing a napkin to tear into a million tiny shreds.
"He probably is" i said an looked up and hailed the waitress.
I shared with Yuri one of the funniest memories of Luca; Late afternoon one spring day when we were all completely comforatble with our boredom Luca reaches into his pocket and pulls out the "rising sun" headband. Almost identical to the one worn by Ralph Machio in "The Karate Kid" He put it on and I could tell taht he instantly felt like a master of martial arts. A moment later he flicked a pill off of his thumb nail and while it was airborn directly above his head whipped out his pocket knife and opened it. Just as the blade clicked open his left hand snagged the pill out of the air and he slammed it on the table. Using the flat side of the blade he crushed it in one shot withthe aid of his left hand fist slamming down on the blade almost breaking the table. Then scooping up the contents and going directly to his right nostril. Minutes later he stood up and caught himself in the mirror andwas shocked to see this headband on his head. He said, "I must start my training" and ran directly out the front door onto the beach and ran straight for one of the wooden columns that stood out of the water at low tide. I followed outside because there was no way I was going to miss this. Bythe time i got out there he was on the wooden column/post. and yes, in the crane kick position, arms up and curved like a seagull catching a wicked updraft and one leg up creating a perfect 90 degree angle. He was excited to show me what he had learned in this 40-60 seconds of training he had before i came out. As he executed the crane kick his left foot came down, losts its grip which sent him sharply sideways and causing his left arm to take all of his body weight ont this pillar. and flopped into the water like a sedated downs syndrome boy. He floated on his back and I said "Look at you, you dumb fuck...Im not saving you, you better hope the coast guard rolls by." without missing a beat he says "my wrist is cracked in a few places...leave me, the tide will wash me ashore eventually! give me a cigarette, thats all i ask!" and belted it out like a falsely imprisoned man demanding justice through an appeal taht never really had any confidence in his attorney.....
Luca did eventually wash ashore some time later. We watched from the beach as the tide pushed him back and forth in a steady rythym. As he rolled over on the sand he used his good wrist to lift himself erect. He trotted up to myself and Yuri and said "that took forever, I thought i was.....Holy shit!!! I hate pitbulls!! get them away!!!" and he moved behind me, it was safe to say the mescaline had kciked in. I told him we need to go the hospital to get his arm set in a cast and asked him if he wanted to take off the headband to which he replied "No, I need the staff to truly understand what happened."
Waiting on on orders of the Burritoes of Death Yuri chimed in-"And you remember what he did to me on the way home?"
Of course i did. Even though the scar was small it still was the most prevalent feature on Yuri's face. He was very fortunate for that, it gave him character.
The food came and we laughed. Avery's name was mentioned because we didnt know where he was either. We specualted that they must be together living out there one common belief that they must always risk personal safety in order to make a life a little more interesting to all of us zombies.
After the first antic of Luca that I witnessed I was shocked and said "What teh fuck are you doing?"
In which he replied with a long silent grin "salt and pepper, just adding a little salt and pepper, you know...adding a touch of flavor to life."
And that was his purpose
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