by Ines Vieira
“Isaac, mom. He’s Jess’s cousin. I’ve told you about him before.”
“No, you’ve just told me a little bit about him, not enough. Is he nice?”
“Hum, Isaac nice? No, that’s not the word that comes to mind when I think of Isaac.”
“Then what is? Tell me.”
“He’s a pain in the ass. He’s annoying and at times obnoxious and he thinks that just with planting that stupid crooked smile of his that he can get whatever he wants.” I stop, because, even though he is all those things, over the past two months or so that I’ve known him, he’s much more than that.
“But he’s also kind and sweet. He’s wonderful with the kids in the youth center and they all adore him. He’s also generous. He’s very good with his mom, and whenever he’s not at school or the youth center, he’s at his uncle’s store helping her out. He’s also funny and smart. He can make you laugh so hard one minute and then have heated discussions the next.” I guess, without realizing it, Isaac has become one of my best friends even though at times I want to ring his neck. My mother is silent for a second, but she doesn’t stop playing with my hair.
“Isaac sounds like a boy I would like to meet. Even though the way you’ve described him, feels as if I have already met him in the past myself.”
“Really? You had a friend that annoying?” I say mockingly.
“Oh yes! I know exactly how you feel. My friend drove me insane sometimes. I would get so mad at him one minute and then the next we would be rolling on the floor, laughing so hard that my stomach hurt.”
“That’s it! It’s the same with me and Isaac!” I laugh. “So whatever happened to him? To your friend? Have I ever met him?”
“Well of course you have. I married him!”I get up immediately from her lap.
“Dad?! That’s who drove you insane all the time?”
“To this very day, he still does. He’s my best friend.” She smiles at me and a little bit of sadness creeps back into her eyes. I lie back down again on the couch and place my head back in her lap.
“Well, I guarantee you that what you and dad have has no possible similarity to me and Isaac. Trust me! Isaac is so not my type!” I grumble.
“Okay, then why don’t we play a game?” I lift my head to look at her and I see a sparkle of mischief has replaced the previous touch of sadness. I bite my lip thinking that whatever this game of hers is will bite me in the ass somehow. I’m a bit hesitant but I want to keep talking with her. Something we haven’t done in so long.
“Okay, what’s the game?” Her face lights up with joy and my heart can't help but reflect her excitement.
“Close your eyes.”
“This isn’t some hocus pocus thingamajig that you’re gonna pull on me is it, mom? Remember you’re a scientist, you don’t believe in that stuff.” I tease her.
“Oh come on Cass, do it for your dear old mom. Close your eyes.” Her voice sings with such elation that she could ask me to knock off a liquor store and I would.
“Okay, okay,” I laugh “I’ll close my eyes. Now what?”
“Now I want you to think real hard about the type of guy that you like.”
“But mom, I don’t like anybody.”
“Oh Cass, just humor me.” She laughs.
“Okay, I’m thinking of a guy.”
“And no one famous. No Charlie Hunnam’s or Channing Tatum’s allowed!”
“Jeez mom, then what’s the point?!” I can’t help but laugh.
“Come on Cass; think of a normal boy, but with one catch. When you're thinking about this boy, you can’t see his face. You got it? No face!” I nod, even though I’m really not getting the point of any of it. “Good. Now with your eyes closed, describe him to me.”
“You want me to describe the faceless figment of my imagination?” I open one eye to look at her, exasperated while she nods. “Okay, I’m game. Humm… So let’s see... So let’s get the physical part out of the way first.”
“Speaking like a true romantic as always.” She teases.
“What can I say, I’m practical.” I laugh as I feel her lips on my forehead. “Okay, so let me think. Well, he must be taller than me and strong. You know the kind of strong that you know that when he hugs you, it blocks out the rest of the world. Those types of hugs are a must otherwise no deal.”
“Hum hum, what else?”
“He’s honest. He’s the kind of guy that will be straight with you. Trustworthy, you know?” I feel her nod and continue. “He needs to be intelligent and independent. A guy that’s not afraid to stand on his own two feet. Not afraid of the future or to fight for what he wants.”
“Good, tell me more.” Her voice is soft now and she’s gone back to stroking my hair.
“He needs to be kind, and altruistic. Someone that prefers to put the people that he loves first.” “He also has to be able to laugh at himself. Not overly ludicrous, but just silly enough. He should be passionate about the important things, but laid back about everything else.”
“Anything else?”
“He needs to have a good heart. If he has a good heart, then to me he’s perfect.”
“Okay Cass, I want you to think about all the things that you’ve just told me. Describe him to yourself again just for a minute.” And I do as I’m told. I think about my faceless boy that would think of others before himself; that can laugh with me and cry with me. The boy that could hold me so tight that everything else would just fall into the background. The boy that would never lie to me, but always be at my side pushing me forward. I think of this faceless boy, this boy that has such an amazing heart that it’s impossible not to give him yours.
“Okay honey, now I want you to do one more thing for me? Okay?” I nod with my head still on her lap. “I want you to open your eyes and tell me whose face comes to mind right this second? I do as she says and immediately wish that I hadn’t played this game with her.
Isaac.
The first person that I thought of was Isaac.
“So? Who was he? Did it work?”
“I changed my mind, I’m famished after all. I’m going to heat up Nicky’s macaroni and cheese. Do you want some?” I get up from the couch and make my way to the kitchen, but my mom grabs my hand before I can leave the room.
“You know there is even a simpler version of this game. When you wake up each morning, who comes to your mind first? Who can’t you wait to see that day? Or who do you miss not seeing? Try it. That is if you don’t know the answer already.” She still has that sparkle in her eyes and I feel like I am as transparent as water. I don’t need to try it. I already know who it is. It’s extremely irritating that my mom has been almost completely M.I.A recently, completely out of touch with both me and Nicky, and on the few nights that she is herself she has to put a spotlight on something that I’ve been trying to ignore since the first day I met him.
My faceless boy is not faceless at all.
CHAPTER 9
CASS
Another Friday night and Isaac and I have been able to close up the gym a little after eight. Brandon’s mom, as usual, was able to pick him up earlier, so it's only we two locking up. I know that I should go home, but as usual, I don’t want to acknowledge the almost empty silent house. My mom had texted saying that she would turn in early and that she had left some leftovers in the fridge for me. Nicky would also be out and Jess was on a double date with Ronnie and Decker with one of the football players Ronnie had been dying to set her up with. That left me on a Friday night without any plans and nowhere to go but home, the last place I wanted to be. I stall before getting into Isaac’s car, trying to figure out what to do.
“Hey, you okay?” Isaac asks looking at me inquisitively.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I was just wondering how Jess’s date is going.” I lie.
“Huh hum. Sure. Don’t want to go home yet do ya?” He says with that knowing all grin he has that at times, I find endearing but other times just pisses me off. Tonight I find it annoying
that he’s starting to read me so well.
“Want to grab something to eat? My treat this time?” He says but he’s already getting into the car as if he knows my answer will be yes. And of course, he’s right. Where else am I going to go?
“Sure, why not. But how about pizza this time?” I say settling myself on the passenger seat. I miss my car. I miss driving. Sitting on the opposite side of the steering wheel doesn’t seem natural to me anymore. I wish my mom would just let me take the car to the mechanic once and for all. It's not like dad is going to rush home just so he can fix my car for me. It’s going to be a long wait if she’s really considering leaving it until my dad comes home.
“Pizza sounds great. I know exactly where to take you for the best pizza in town, Sammartino’s.” He grins turning on the ignition.
“Sammartino’s? But isn't that more of a restaurant that you go on dates to?” I asked a little bit shocked at the suggestion.
“You said pizza. So we’re gonna eat the best pizza Plymouth has to offer. If it makes you feel better, then consider this a date.” He laughs, even though I know he’s just winding me up.
“Funny, very funny! Haha! You’re hilarious!” I mock. “Sammartino’s it is then and you bet your ass you’re buying! That place is too expensive.”
“Ah Cass, live a little. Money isn't everything.”
“Maybe for you, Mr. ‘I’m-Not-Going-To-College’. Me on the other hand, I am saving everything that I can for Berkeley. Can't afford to blow it on fancy restaurants.”
“Well, then I guess, me not going to College will benefit both of us this evening, won't it, Miss Mackenzie?”
“Fine whatever!” I smirk at him, but in reality, I’m kind of excited to go to Sammartino’s. I had only gone there a couple of times with my family and the last time we were there must have been over two years ago. Issac is right about one thing, though, Sammartino’s is the best Italian restaurant in Plymouth, if not the whole state. I saw Isaac take a quick look at me and grin and I knew that my excitement wasn’t as contained as I wanted it to be. When we got there, it looked packed. Of course. Friday night was one of the busiest nights in town and Sammartino’s was the perfect place to have dinner. My heart fell a little as I began to suspect that we weren't going to be able to get a table. When we got in, the hostess, in her perfectly fitted black cocktail dress took one look at us and went immediately back to the reservation log book.
“Do you have a reservation for this evening?” she said irritated. She may have looked classy with her trimmed short hair and flawlessly manicured nails, but her accent was all born and bred from Massachusetts.
“We sure do, we booked weeks ago,” Isaac says and winks over at me. What the hell is he doing?
“See right here? Mr. and Mrs. Smith at 9 pm.” Isaac says while pulling my hand to him and pointing at the middle of the book. I tightened up. We are not going to get away with this.
“Mr. Smith I see that there is a reservation, but it was for 8 pm, not 9 pm.” She looks at Isaac up and down and sizes him up as she didn’t expect to see such a reservation in the first place.
“Well we booked it for 9, not 8, so whoever took the reservation didn’t do their job correctly, did they?” He stares her down. “But I’m sure that there will be a table available anyway, won't there? I don’t see why a paying customer should be penalized for someone else’s mistake, do you?” He sounds so obnoxious that I feel like punching him in the gut, but since I can't do that without making a scene, I just squeeze his hand tighter.
The hostess gives an annoyed look to both of us and with a flick of the hand while rolling her eyes to the back of her head, requests us to follow her. She puts us in a small corner of the restaurant probably thinking that this is the worst seat in the house but to me it's perfection. It's quiet and still have the view of the marina. Absolute perfection. Sammartino’s has two large rooms linked together with two Romanesque white stone columns. It had a warm atmosphere with its low red chandeliers and vanilla scented candles on each table with red roses around the bottom of each vase as centerpieces. The room’s walls are charming golden yellow and orange tones that fit perfectly with the blue of the marina. It almost looked like the colors of the sun, setting on the huge cold sea. I can't help to recall that one sunset that Isaac and I had shared a couple of weeks ago. Once we sit down, I can't keep the overjoyed smile off my face.
“Really, Mr. and Mrs. Smith?” I say giving Isaac a smirk accompanied by a raised eyebrow.
“I know, right? When I saw the name, I almost lost it right there and then, but I pulled through it.” He laughs already looking at the menu.
“How did you know that there would be a reservation?” I ask curiously.
“I didn’t. It's just a trick that Tony picked up one day and the rest of us have been using it ever since.” He said as he gave that lopsided grin that gave me butterflies in my stomach. “You see where the hostess is standing? Well, see right behind her?” He asks but leaning in closer to the middle of the table so that I can see what he’s seeing. I try very hard to focus on what he is trying to show me and avoid at all cost to breathe him in.
“See the glass window on the main doors, well if you angle yourself right you can see the names in the log book. Every time a person from the book shows up, she crosses the name out. So all you have to do is look to see if there was a no-show before then and just say that you booked it for now and not before.” He says pleased with himself. I’m more in awe of Tony for thinking that quick on his feet the first time he came up with it.
“The trick is that you have to act like a total douche. If you’re a dick, you get what you want. If you’re nice or a pushover, people will have the word ‘no’ on their lips before you even think to ask the question.”
“Well, that’s a harsh way to look at life, don’t you think? I don’t believe it for one minute that you have to be a dick to get what you want out of life? Haven’t you heard that you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar?”
«Honey! Shit, that’s what he smells like!»
“Sure I have. I also know the one about nice guys finishing last. Don’t believe every proverb you hear Cass. The world isn’t all rainbows and flowers”
“Humph! I know that! I’m just saying that if there were more people that didn’t act like such jerks then maybe a world with rainbows and flowers wouldn’t be such ludicrous idea.” I cross my arms and look out the window even though I am fuming at his mockery of me. I hate it when he acts like the way I see life is so unrealistic. Even if I know that the world is ugly and scary sometimes, it doesn’t mean that I should be hard and cold to face it.
“How do you do it?” his voice is softer now.
“Do what?” I mumble, without even looking at him.
“Put up with me? The biggest Jerk Plymouth has to offer.” I smile a little and turn to face him.
“I guess, you have your moments.” I feel his body relax in front of me.
“Nah, Cass. I’m a jerk 95% of the time. It’s you always seeing the good in people that makes it seem that I’m only a jerk 5% of the time.
“50%. I’m not totally blind!” I offer him a bigger smile and I relax a little in my chair as well. He grins at me and I see those stars in his eyes twinkle just a bit for me. The butterflies come back just as fast as they had disappeared before. “So what should we have?” I ask praying that my face doesn’t narc me out.
“Cara Ragazza, you pick whatever you want. However as we have gone through all this trouble in getting into Sammartino´s it would be a sin not to eat their house special. Don’t you think so, inamorata?”
“Stop showing off. I get it! You know Italian. Spanish not a lick but Italian you know.” I roll my eyes at him.
“I know enough.” He smirks again and places the menu in front of me. “And I’m not a total moron at Spanish. If you talk very slowly I can understand a word or two.” Everything in the menu looked mouthwatering but I had eaten the house special before
and that pizza was the whole reason why Sammartino was always so packed.
“The special it is then, Chico.” I laugh. The rest of the night was perfect. I could bet good hard cash that no one had ever had a bad night in Sammartino’s. It was as if the restaurant made you leave all your baggage outside before placing one foot into this place. Both of us laughed and talked about everything and anything as I’ve become accustomed to. It was as if we had known each other our whole lives. Isaac was never boring and I was always relaxed with him. I could tell me him the most absurd thing ever and he would just roll with it. I couldn’t deny that maybe I enjoyed his company a little too much.
We were already eating desert, me a delicious tiramisu and Isaac a semifreddo when I wondered if I would have had this much fun on a real date with someone else. Somehow I knew the answer to that question was no.
“What’s up?” Isaac asked licking his lips. He seemed like a kid on Christmas morning with his dessert.
“Um, nothing. I guess I was wondering if Jess is having this much fun on her real date as we are in our fake one.” I smile a little but immediately regret saying it when I see him squirm in his chair. I think I actually saw a bit of hurt in is eyes also, but if I did, it didn’t take long before the veil was put back up.
“Jess is probably having a lot of fun just not with the guy Ronnie set her up with. I don’t know what Ronnie was thinking setting Jess up with Linebacker Quaid of all people. I don’t think I ever heard him say two full sentences together in one go” Isaac laughs.
He was right. I didn’t think they would have much in common either. Jess was very outspoken and had an opinion about anything and everything. Quaid was very low key and I always thought that his shy personality was a total contradiction of his immense presence on the football field. I also knew that Jess was not the kind of girl that was into the big silent type. Even if he did look like a Greek god. She had ideas and passions and not being able to have discussions or full on debates for her would be a deal breaker.