Becoming A Son

by David Labrava

  “Where do you see yourself on this project?” Kurt asked me.

  “I want to be on it.”

  “You are the technical advisor.”

  “Exactly. Which means I will be around. When you are casting it I want a shot at a part just like anybody else.”

  “Do you act?”

  “Every day’s an act. I write. Which means I have an imagination. I have worked in film. I think I would help the show because of who I really am and what I look like.”

  Kurt thought about this for a moment then smiled.

  “You just might be right at that. You can have a shot. Don’t blow it. You only get one.”

  “You got it Boss.”

  He stood up and we shook hands and he left. We emailed a few times over the next few weeks. Not much, just fine tuning things he had questions on. Just by his questions I was starting to get an idea of what it would take to create a world and characters and back stories and what it takes to make a show. School was already in session and I knew it. The next time I saw Kurt was in the casting office. John was there with some producers. I was nervous. I didn’t ace the casting and I knew it. I didn’t get the part I read for. Didn’t matter though. The forces to be made it happen for me.

  81

  It takes some time to create a television show and life went back to normal while that happened. I didn’t hear about it much so I didn’t think about it much either. I was already living my dream and more, riding bikes with my brothers and owning a tattoo shop. Even if there was no business it was still mine. And my tattoo shop was the hangout, which was cool. There was always some action going on around the shop.

  “You love the drama.” I used to tell Will.

  “I do. I admit it. Better than no drama at all.” Will loved the drama but he had a way of staying out of it. He just observed everyone else’s drama with a smile on his face that said, ‘better you than me.’

  We sat in the barber chairs and watched the rain outside. It was pouring like Noah’s Ark. There was a couple of guys getting tattooed in the stations and some kids checking out the flash.

  “Check this out.” Will held out a big purple bud.

  “Nice. Twist it up.”

  “You got wraps?” I handed Will the papers and he grabbed a tattoo magazine and started rolling a few joints. This is what we did. Sat around and smoked weed and discussed the current affairs of the world. We always had some project going or some party to plan, go to, or recover from.

  “It’s really coming down.” Will said as we looked out the front doors. Winter was coming and the rain was coming with it. There was a guy across the street trying to tie a load of cardboard boxes on his truck. Way too many at one time. He was having a hell of a time going from side to side trying to keep them from falling. When he finally drove off they all fell and the next car ran them over. Then the next one then the next one. Until it was a big pile of paper mache’. Will passed back the joint.

  “You ever wonder why?”

  “Why what?”

  “Why people that dont have clue get out of bed in the morning.” I thought about that.

  “They do it for the hustle. Same as us. The hustle is real.”

  “Yeah but they aint getting no where.”

  “Yeah but they don’t know that. They’re on auto pilot. Like most folks. Getting nowhere fast”

  “But not us. We doing big things.” Will said. “BIG THINGS.”

  Just then a big BMW pulled into the parking lot.

  “Who’s this?”

  “It’s John that movie guy I told you about. The one who is doing the show.”

  “I thought the other guy was doing the show.”

  “They both are. It’s a long story. This guy thought of it and the other one you met creates it. Hollywood is something I haven’t really figured out yet.”

  “We will.” Will said with a smile and passed me back the joint.

  John hopped out of the car with a young man about thirty and walked into the shop.

  “Whoa.” John said as he waved away the clouds of smoke.

  “DL This is Charlie.”

  “Charlie this is DL.”

  “Wassup.” We shook hands.

  “Good to meet you. Charlie this is Will.”

  “Good to meet you Will.” Charlie and Will shook hands. I passed John the joint.

  “Check this out. OG Kush. LA Style.” John handed me a bud. Me and Will examined it.

  “Nice. May I?” Will asked.

  “Absolutely.” John said and handed over some king size papers. Will kept looking at Charlie and scratching his head. Charlie was looking around the shop just taking it all in. He had a totally relaxed calm vibration.

  “I know you from some where.” Will said. Charlie just smiled. He was as cool and as calm as any one man could be. Except for Will. He was just as cool. And game recognizes game.

  We hung out in the shop for a few hours smoking and talking, just getting to know each other. There was always action in the shop and people were coming in and out all day long.

  I usually waited till all the tattoos were done before I left. The shop wasn’t in the best neighborhood, and I liked to make sure things got locked up tight. Will and Charlie talked for hours.

  “I Got it.” Will said all of a sudden and turned to Charlie. “You were in that soccer movie right?. It’s about soccer fans right?”

  “Football. Not soccer.” Charlie said with a smile.

  “I knew I knew you from somewhere. That movie was great.”

  “Thank you.”

  “So now you doing a TV show?”

  “Time will tell.” Charlie said. He was way relaxed. Just like Will. They were very alike and it was obvious.

  “Gonna have to put me on it.” Will said with a smile.

  “I would have to vote yes on that.” Charlie said.

  We spent the next few days in and around Oakland. Will came over every day in the morning and the day was on just like usual. Charlie and Will bonded tight. It’s no wonder they are two of the coolest people I ever met.

  Every night my girl would cook us dinner. She is a straight up knockout. Gorgeous and a sweetheart at the same time. We had an understanding. I can be a little scattered and she put up with me. Or she was just my Angel. Charlie saw that. I would be getting ready and lose things and be screaming for her to help me find whatever it was lost.

  “BABY BAAAAAABY! HAVE YOU SEEN MY KEYS? “ Or whatever it was I had lost. And she would come in calm and quiet with whatever it was.

  On Charlie’s last night we decided to go out to eat instead of cooking at home. The rain was really coming down.

  “You ready?”

  “Ready.” She said as she went outside. Charlie followed her.

  “We’re meeting John at the restaurant?” Charlie asked me.

  “Yeah.” I said. Then I remembered I wanted to bring John a script.

  “I forgot something. I’ll be right back.” I said as I ran back inside. The rain was really coming down. I went into my office and dug through a pile of scripts until I found the one I wanted. I ran back outside and Charlie was still standing by the front door trying to keep out of the rain. My girl was waiting in the car.

  “What are you doing out here? Why aint you in the car?” I asked him. He just looked at me with a smile, and I understood. It was out of respect. He wouldn’t get in my car with my girl in it without me.

  “Well then. We have established that you are kind of smart. Aren’t you?” I said. Charlie just smiled.

  “You ever worked a television show before?” Charlie asked.

  “Nope.”

  “Well I did. And we are about to have a hell of a lot of fun. It’s a lot of work. But It’ll be a lot fun. Let’s go.”

  We ran through the rain to the car and jumped inside and took off like we were supposed to. Like we owned the town.

  EPILOGUE

  The next seven years for me can only be described as some of the happiest times of m
y life. I made some of the greatest friends I ever had. I worked for one of the greatest and best companies in the world. I learned a ton about film production and about writing and about life. I launched a new career that I did not see coming. I lived an adventure of epic proportion.

  Will got shot and killed on the way home from a funeral shortly after Charlie’s visit to Oakland. Will’s passing changed my life as it did so many other people,

  Everyone you meet leaves something with you. Some people only leave a bad impression. Will always has something to offer, some insight, some valuable input, someway to look at things calmy and see the real in it.

  I was sitting in my tattoo shop just about to tattoo a brother from Holland who was visiting me when my phone rang. It was one of my Oakland brothers.

  “Will got shot.” He said. “He’s is San Rafael hospital.” I hung up the phone and look at my Dutch brother.

  “We gotta go.”

  We jumped in my car and raced to the hospital where Will lay. When we arrived a crowd of brothers had already gathered.

  Will left this life before we arrived at the hospital. Wills passing was like being hit by a brick that I don’t believe I will ever recover from. He took a little piece of my heart away. But knowing Will like I did, even for a short time, enriched my life and for that I am truly grateful.

  I could go on and on but I have to keep some stories close to my heart. Will died too young. We were robbed. Will was good and just like they say ‘Only the good die young’.

  D.L. Late December 2015