A Picture Changed My Life Forever
Permission
After Mrs. Iero, Frankie and Gee showed me around the house and my room----which I have to share with Gee; the Ieros were one room short----we settled in the living room with the rest of the band, Jamia and Alicia.
It was around 8 when Jamia said, "We have to go. I promise my mom we'd be back by 8...."
"'We'?" asked Mikey.
"I'm sleeping over at Jamia's tonight, honey," replied Alicia.
"Ah, Jamia. Playing by the rules..." Frank teased. Jamia threw a pillow at him.
"But.... Why can't you sleep with me, babe?" Mikey whined.
Mrs. Iero gave Mikey a warning look, as if to say 'No sex in my house, mister.'
He seemed to get her message because he grinned nervously and muttered, "Kidding, kidding."
When the the couples said good-bye to each other.... dramatically.... that's when I noticed something poking out of the open closet by the door.
When the girls stepped outside and Mikey stopped complaining on how much he missed his wife, I brought the subject up.
"FRANKIE! YOU HAVE A SKATEBOARD!" I screamed, reffering to the object I saw poking out of the closet door.
Frank looked at the closet and smiled. "Hm? Uh, yeah. A fan sent it to me last Christmas. I don't use it though. Usually on tour with these guys. Wait. Sammy.... our Sammy... skateboards?"
Gee and Ray pretended to gasp with complete and utter surprise. They giggled after gasping.
"Yes, I do skateboard," I said. I looked at the skateboard again. "Could I touch it?"
What? I just wanted to be polite! Maybe I don't have the smartest choice of words, but... I wanted to touch it....
"Touch it? You could use it! There's a skate park around the corner," he said, walking over to the closet, grabbing the skateboard and his coat. "Be careful though. It's pretty cold outside."
The rest of My Chem got their coats too when Mrs. Iero came out of the kitchen with oven mittens and an apron on. "Where do you think you're going, Frankie?" she asked with her hands on her hips.
"We're just bringing Sam to the skate park, Mrs. Iero," replied Ray.
"She can skateboard?" she asked incredously.
Yeah, that was always the reaction I get from adults. It's so annoying.
"But, nonetheless," she continued. "You are not taking her out at 8 PM, young men. I'm sure her father trusted you to take care of her!"
"But... Mom.... Gee just turned thirty! He can handle a bunch of five young people!" Frank exclaimed with a serious face.
Gee slammed a pillow on Frankie's side and they both burst out laughing. "Yes, Mrs. Iero. I'm a grown man now.... and, uh, we brought several pillows and tape. For protection. Sam doesn't have knee pads, elbow pads or a helmet... So we're using pillows," he lied. Then he looked at me and winked very quickly so Mrs. Iero wouldn't see. Actually, the part about not having knee pads, elbow pads or a helmet was true... The part about pillows and tape---obviously----wasn't.
"Why not in the morning then, Frankie?" his mom asked.
Ray spoke up this time. "Because we wanted to do it at night. So nobody but us could watch her, so she doesn't get nervous, trip and fall. And there's a higher---much higher---possibilty that she won't get kidnapped at night because there's no one there. But us. And, uh... hm... We would be able to keep track of her if the park's empty not when it's full of drunk seventeen-year-old skaters. So we wouldn't misplace her."
Ah, good excuse, Ray, I thought. Note: thank Ray and tell him how smart he is one day.
Actually, he both lied and said it with sincerity. I could really be misplaced in a crowd filled with drunk seventeen-year-olds skateboarding at the same place.
Mrs. Iero gave in. "Alright, boys. And Sam, alright. You can go. Just make sure she's safe, and make sure you're safe, too, boys."
Frank walked to his mom and kissed her on the cheek. "Thanks, Mom," he said.
He lead the pack out the door. In an instant, the night chill of Jersey revealed itself to me, and so did the fact that I forgot to get my jacket and change into my Vans, which is a skateboarding tradtition for me.
I told Frank this before he shut the door. He nodded and I ran up teh stairs and changed shoes as quickly as I could and grabbed my jacket from my bag.
Skateboard park, here we come!
It was around 8 when Jamia said, "We have to go. I promise my mom we'd be back by 8...."
"'We'?" asked Mikey.
"I'm sleeping over at Jamia's tonight, honey," replied Alicia.
"Ah, Jamia. Playing by the rules..." Frank teased. Jamia threw a pillow at him.
"But.... Why can't you sleep with me, babe?" Mikey whined.
Mrs. Iero gave Mikey a warning look, as if to say 'No sex in my house, mister.'
He seemed to get her message because he grinned nervously and muttered, "Kidding, kidding."
When the the couples said good-bye to each other.... dramatically.... that's when I noticed something poking out of the open closet by the door.
When the girls stepped outside and Mikey stopped complaining on how much he missed his wife, I brought the subject up.
"FRANKIE! YOU HAVE A SKATEBOARD!" I screamed, reffering to the object I saw poking out of the closet door.
Frank looked at the closet and smiled. "Hm? Uh, yeah. A fan sent it to me last Christmas. I don't use it though. Usually on tour with these guys. Wait. Sammy.... our Sammy... skateboards?"
Gee and Ray pretended to gasp with complete and utter surprise. They giggled after gasping.
"Yes, I do skateboard," I said. I looked at the skateboard again. "Could I touch it?"
What? I just wanted to be polite! Maybe I don't have the smartest choice of words, but... I wanted to touch it....
"Touch it? You could use it! There's a skate park around the corner," he said, walking over to the closet, grabbing the skateboard and his coat. "Be careful though. It's pretty cold outside."
The rest of My Chem got their coats too when Mrs. Iero came out of the kitchen with oven mittens and an apron on. "Where do you think you're going, Frankie?" she asked with her hands on her hips.
"We're just bringing Sam to the skate park, Mrs. Iero," replied Ray.
"She can skateboard?" she asked incredously.
Yeah, that was always the reaction I get from adults. It's so annoying.
"But, nonetheless," she continued. "You are not taking her out at 8 PM, young men. I'm sure her father trusted you to take care of her!"
"But... Mom.... Gee just turned thirty! He can handle a bunch of five young people!" Frank exclaimed with a serious face.
Gee slammed a pillow on Frankie's side and they both burst out laughing. "Yes, Mrs. Iero. I'm a grown man now.... and, uh, we brought several pillows and tape. For protection. Sam doesn't have knee pads, elbow pads or a helmet... So we're using pillows," he lied. Then he looked at me and winked very quickly so Mrs. Iero wouldn't see. Actually, the part about not having knee pads, elbow pads or a helmet was true... The part about pillows and tape---obviously----wasn't.
"Why not in the morning then, Frankie?" his mom asked.
Ray spoke up this time. "Because we wanted to do it at night. So nobody but us could watch her, so she doesn't get nervous, trip and fall. And there's a higher---much higher---possibilty that she won't get kidnapped at night because there's no one there. But us. And, uh... hm... We would be able to keep track of her if the park's empty not when it's full of drunk seventeen-year-old skaters. So we wouldn't misplace her."
Ah, good excuse, Ray, I thought. Note: thank Ray and tell him how smart he is one day.
Actually, he both lied and said it with sincerity. I could really be misplaced in a crowd filled with drunk seventeen-year-olds skateboarding at the same place.
Mrs. Iero gave in. "Alright, boys. And Sam, alright. You can go. Just make sure she's safe, and make sure you're safe, too, boys."
Frank walked to his mom and kissed her on the cheek. "Thanks, Mom," he said.
He lead the pack out the door. In an instant, the night chill of Jersey revealed itself to me, and so did the fact that I forgot to get my jacket and change into my Vans, which is a skateboarding tradtition for me.
I told Frank this before he shut the door. He nodded and I ran up teh stairs and changed shoes as quickly as I could and grabbed my jacket from my bag.
Skateboard park, here we come!