Something I Cannot Forget
One of Two
"Wake up, Ronnie."
"Leave me alone," my best friend mumbled, pulling the blankets over his head.
"C'mon, man. Get up. Omar, Ronnie won't get his fat, lazy ass out of bed!"
"None of us will, Toni. It's only six in the morning."
"No, it's not. It's six-oh-one."
Omar glared at me, rolled over, and resumed sleeping. After five minutes of lying on the living room floor, I decided to play Candyland. Max finally got up as I finished my twentymillionth-first round.
"How long have you been playing that?"
"For twenty-two games now."
"Who won?"
"Me. Oh, Jorge won once."
"Jorge?"
"Yesh. My fuzzy piece of barbed wire that's my bee-eff-eff."
"Ronnie, she's scaring me."
"Bite me, Maxwell."
"Tell me where, Britonia."
"Oh, no, you didn't!"
"Oh, yeah. I went there."
I hugged Robert as soon as he climbed to his feet. Omar and Bryan stared at each other; suddenly, they ran toward the bathroom, but I beat them to it.
"Sorry, boys, but I gotta take a shower."
"Why couldn't you have taken one earlier?" Omar shouted through the door.
"Because that would've woken you guys up."
"Toni! Get out!"
I smiled at the guys' protests and turned on the radio. As soon as the bathroom filled up with steam, I stepped into the tub and sang along with Def Leppard. Two hours passed before I finally got out of the shower, and all the hot water was gone. Metallica was finishing up Master of Puppets. Bryan pushed me out of the way and slammed the door.
"No, I'm finished in there," I hollered, drying my hair, standing in the hall with just my undergarments on. "Ronnie, you're basically a chick. Got a mirror?"
"Mind getting dressed?" Robert grumbled.
"Oh, hush."
I dropped my dirty towels and clothes into the basket---I hated to leave clothes lying around---and pulled on my black shorts and tight wifebeater. Ronnie avoided my gaze as I brushed my hair straight. A scream sounded from the bathroom, and Bryan ran out with a towel around his waist.
"You took all the hot fucking water, you...you...bitch."
"I love you, too, Bry."
He was still muttering profanities in Spanish while I applied my face. I poured a cup of coffee and danced along to a tune in my head.
"What do you guys want for breakfast?" I called.
Everyone answered with some sort of food item except for one: "You." I sighed and proceeded to cook their orders, throwing a raw egg at Ronnie once I passed everyone's plates to them.
"What the fuck?"
"Hey. Eggs are good for the hair."
"Toni, what is your problem?"
"No problem."
Once every plate was clean, we all went outside---Ronnie's hair now washed out---and walked around on the strip. Max jumped on my back, begging for a piggy-back ride, and I carried him until we reached the caf we spent most of our time in.
"Excuse me; may I borrow your pen?"
The waitress pulled an extra pencil from her apron, handed it to me, and walked away. I grabbed a napkin and began scribbling down words.
"What's that?" Ronnie whispered.
"Just an idea. Don't worry about it."
"Mrs. Martinez?"
"Yes, Mr. Ortiz?"
"Would you like to buy me something?"
"No."
He pouted. "Meanie."
"I love you though."
"Of course you do."
I smiled and shoved the napkin into my pocket. Ronnie gazed at me intensely, but his lips curved upward when he caught my eye. We finished our conversations and left.
"Max, it's your turn to give me a piggy-back ride." I buried my face into his neck and breathed in. "You smell good. Did you finally take your annual shower?"
"Yeah. This morning."
"Let me have her."
Ronnie pulled me into his arms, and I shifted to rest against him. He stopped walking and sat down on a bench.
"Toni, what's wrong?"
"Nothing. I'm just thinking."
"Guys, go. We'll be there in a little bit."
I got off Ronnie's lap and leaned on him. "I'm tired of this."
"What?"
"Waking up every morning to you guys not going anywhere. You should already be touring."
"If we left, how would we be able to enjoy this?"
"The wait makes it all worth it."
"Maybe."
I kissed everyone's cheeks once they had all fallen asleep. I pushed Max's hair off his face and stared down at him. With my heart aching, I turned and opened the front door. The lights engulfed me as I headed down the sidewalk.
"Leave me alone," my best friend mumbled, pulling the blankets over his head.
"C'mon, man. Get up. Omar, Ronnie won't get his fat, lazy ass out of bed!"
"None of us will, Toni. It's only six in the morning."
"No, it's not. It's six-oh-one."
Omar glared at me, rolled over, and resumed sleeping. After five minutes of lying on the living room floor, I decided to play Candyland. Max finally got up as I finished my twentymillionth-first round.
"How long have you been playing that?"
"For twenty-two games now."
"Who won?"
"Me. Oh, Jorge won once."
"Jorge?"
"Yesh. My fuzzy piece of barbed wire that's my bee-eff-eff."
"Ronnie, she's scaring me."
"Bite me, Maxwell."
"Tell me where, Britonia."
"Oh, no, you didn't!"
"Oh, yeah. I went there."
I hugged Robert as soon as he climbed to his feet. Omar and Bryan stared at each other; suddenly, they ran toward the bathroom, but I beat them to it.
"Sorry, boys, but I gotta take a shower."
"Why couldn't you have taken one earlier?" Omar shouted through the door.
"Because that would've woken you guys up."
"Toni! Get out!"
I smiled at the guys' protests and turned on the radio. As soon as the bathroom filled up with steam, I stepped into the tub and sang along with Def Leppard. Two hours passed before I finally got out of the shower, and all the hot water was gone. Metallica was finishing up Master of Puppets. Bryan pushed me out of the way and slammed the door.
"No, I'm finished in there," I hollered, drying my hair, standing in the hall with just my undergarments on. "Ronnie, you're basically a chick. Got a mirror?"
"Mind getting dressed?" Robert grumbled.
"Oh, hush."
I dropped my dirty towels and clothes into the basket---I hated to leave clothes lying around---and pulled on my black shorts and tight wifebeater. Ronnie avoided my gaze as I brushed my hair straight. A scream sounded from the bathroom, and Bryan ran out with a towel around his waist.
"You took all the hot fucking water, you...you...bitch."
"I love you, too, Bry."
He was still muttering profanities in Spanish while I applied my face. I poured a cup of coffee and danced along to a tune in my head.
"What do you guys want for breakfast?" I called.
Everyone answered with some sort of food item except for one: "You." I sighed and proceeded to cook their orders, throwing a raw egg at Ronnie once I passed everyone's plates to them.
"What the fuck?"
"Hey. Eggs are good for the hair."
"Toni, what is your problem?"
"No problem."
Once every plate was clean, we all went outside---Ronnie's hair now washed out---and walked around on the strip. Max jumped on my back, begging for a piggy-back ride, and I carried him until we reached the caf we spent most of our time in.
"Excuse me; may I borrow your pen?"
The waitress pulled an extra pencil from her apron, handed it to me, and walked away. I grabbed a napkin and began scribbling down words.
"What's that?" Ronnie whispered.
"Just an idea. Don't worry about it."
"Mrs. Martinez?"
"Yes, Mr. Ortiz?"
"Would you like to buy me something?"
"No."
He pouted. "Meanie."
"I love you though."
"Of course you do."
I smiled and shoved the napkin into my pocket. Ronnie gazed at me intensely, but his lips curved upward when he caught my eye. We finished our conversations and left.
"Max, it's your turn to give me a piggy-back ride." I buried my face into his neck and breathed in. "You smell good. Did you finally take your annual shower?"
"Yeah. This morning."
"Let me have her."
Ronnie pulled me into his arms, and I shifted to rest against him. He stopped walking and sat down on a bench.
"Toni, what's wrong?"
"Nothing. I'm just thinking."
"Guys, go. We'll be there in a little bit."
I got off Ronnie's lap and leaned on him. "I'm tired of this."
"What?"
"Waking up every morning to you guys not going anywhere. You should already be touring."
"If we left, how would we be able to enjoy this?"
"The wait makes it all worth it."
"Maybe."
I kissed everyone's cheeks once they had all fallen asleep. I pushed Max's hair off his face and stared down at him. With my heart aching, I turned and opened the front door. The lights engulfed me as I headed down the sidewalk.