Part 11 (1/2)
”Well, there are other people I like more. Come on, let's catch a flick.”
Both of us liked going to a four o'clock show. Theaters are empty then and the whole place is yours.
Despite Lily's oftrepeated warning about ruining our appet.i.tes, I bought a superjumbo tub of popcorn with extra b.u.t.ter and we hunkered down to watch the latest HighTech/Robot/s.p.a.ce Opera extravaganza where the machines had all the best lines while the humans spent their time running down corridors or shooting at each other. Besides his monsters, Lincoln was also going through a phase where he loved robots. His walls were covered with photos of Robocops 1 & 2, R2D2, Robot Jox, etc. He practiced walking and eating like one, drew pictures of them, the works. When I was a boy I had my pa.s.sions too, which included comic books and autographs, among other things, so I fully understood how these obsessions worked. As a result, I was the one who usually went to these G.o.dawful films with Lincoln as well as anything else that had to do with them.
Walking out of the theater into a warm early evening, we discussed whether it was better to build a killer robot with Gatling guns for hands or only your regular crus.h.i.+ng pincers.
”Lincoln, I've got a question. It may sound a little funny, but answer it anyway.”
”Okay. Is it about robots?”
”No, about you. I want you to tell me your earliest memories. The things you remember from when you were a little, little kid. But don't make it up. Don't tell any stories, okay? Only truth.”
”I don't know. I don't think your memory is alive when you're that little.”
”Sure it is. Try.”
”Okay. I remember climbing out of my crib and walking into the TV room. Mom was watching TV and eating oatmeal. She took me on her lap and gave me some. She was really surprised I got out. That was funny. I remember the oatmeal.”
”Great. What else?” We walked slowly down the street. He took my hand and held it in his soft one.
”I'm thinking. How come you want to know?”
”Because I'm interested in you. Don't you think it's interesting to know a person's first memories?
Like the first thing they ever remember about the world?”
”I guess. What was yours ?”
”Riding in my father's taxicab and smelling his cigarettes. The ceiling of the car was a kind of gray upholstery. I remember the color very well.”
That appeared to satisfy him. ”I remember the oatmeal thing. Also when we got Cobb. I remember being very small and this big giant dog came into the house and scared me. Mom kept saying it was okay, he was nice, but I wouldn't go up to him. But you know what's funny is he was scareder than me.
You know how he doesn't like to be touched or anything. That's because the guy who had him before beat him up and made him scared. Mom said when we got him, he would go out a door but not come in.
He'd go down the stairs but not up them.
”Oh yeah, and I remember my dad once.”
”That's not possible, Linc. You never saw your father.”
”Did too! I know I saw him once when I was a baby. I remember his face and I remember he put his finger on my nose like this. Once.” He tapped his nose with his index finger. ”Really, Max, I swear.”
”I believe you. It's just different from the story your mother told. She said you never saw your father. And he died when you were only a year old.”
But what if he'd seen his real father? What if the man who'd touched his nose was Gregory Meier, not the all too mysterious Rick Aaron, who was turning more and more ectoplasmic as time went by? It made sense.”Tell me about it.”
”I remember Mom holding me in her arms and this big man's face like a balloon coming down on me. Then he touched my nose like I told you. That's all, but I knew it was my dad.”
”Did he say anything?”
”I don't know. I don't think so. Max, can I talk to you seriously now?” He stopped walking and turned to face me. I stopped too.
”Sure.”
”Elvis had this newspaper that said there was a woman in Europe who had s.e.x with two hundred men in one night. Is that possible? He said it was, but I think it's bull.”
”Where does he get these magazines? Was it The Truth again? Where does he buy that rag?
Who sells it to a tenyearold boy?”
”He says he steals it from the drugstore. I don't know where he gets the others. He's always showing me stuff with naked girls or things that say a guy cooked and ate his whole family. No, but really, is that one true? n.o.body can do it that much. Can you have s.e.x that much?”
”No! Come on, you know those newspapers are goofy and full of baloney. We talked about it already. Most people are happy to have s.e.x once or twice a week.”
His mouth tightened and I could see he was biting the inside of his lip. ”I never asked anyone questions like this, Max. Not Mom or anyone. You're the first, like, adult I know I can talk to who doesn't get ticked off or upset or something.”
”Your mom's a good egg. She'd answer you.”
”Unhunh! She gets really angry at me sometimes when I ask questions. You don't know, because you're not always there. You're different. You're like my friend and my father at the same time. I know I had a dad, but you take his place in every way.”
”Thank you very much, Lincoln. That makes me feel wonderful inside.”
He sounded indignant. ”It's true! Living with Mom was okay, but you know how we don't get along. She doesn't see things the way I do. Sometimes I don't ask her things or tell her what I feel in my heart 'cause she'll flip out or something. You're different. You and I talk about everything 'cause I know you won't dump on me or yell 'cause I asked something s.e.xy or maybe stupid... I don't know. Ohh, I've just got to have a hug from you!” Startling me, he grabbed me around the waist and hugged really hard. People walking by us on the street looked and smiled. A man and his boy and their love for each other filling every corner of the world.
On the ride home, we had a pinballing discussion about robots, s.e.x, Elvis, Lily, me. Lincoln continued his endless list of ”best/worst” questions in the usual rapidfire delivery: What was the name of my best friend when I was ten? What was the grossest car accident I ever saw? List my qualities for the greatestlooking woman in the world. Was Lily the best kisser I'd ever kissed? When he did this, and it was often, I imagined him compiling a neverending personality profile of me for his inner files. Once after a particularly long and grueling sessionwith Lily off in a corner of the room smilingI drew her a picture of the back of a small boy sitting at a giant desk with a giant quill pen in hand surrounded by ceilinghigh piles of folders and messy papers. I t.i.tled the drawing ”Reviewing Max Fischer.”
When we pulled into the driveway, he'd just finished asking if I thought G.o.d might be a plant.
Pulling up the hand brake, I stared ahead through the winds.h.i.+eld. ”A plant ? What makes you think that?”
”I don't know. It's possible, isn't it?”
”Yes, I guess so.”
”Max, remember the time you said if G.o.d was so powerful, could He make a rock even He couldn't pick up? That's the coolest idea!”
”It is, but I didn't think it up.”
”You didn't ? I told Elvis you did. Know what he said?”
”What?”
”That you're weird. Max, I gotta ask you one more thing. I haven't told Mom about this yet because I wanted us to talk about it first. Since you can't be my real father, you wanna be bloodbrothers?”
I was touched yet horrified. Sure, I'd become his blood brother; then as ”family” I could tell him not only is Lily not your mother but she's going to have to go to jail too. What would happen when he heard the truth about her? Understood what she had done to him? I wanted to be his father, wanted to marry his false mother and live happily ever after with both of them. But none of it was possible now. I had to do something about the predicament; I couldn't ignore the appalling truth any longer. If nothing else, I had to confront her and ask: What are we going to do? What are we going to do with our love and perfect life now that we're doomed no matter how we slice it? I'd smiled on realizing that if she weren't the cause of it, then logical, clever Mrs. Aaron would have been the perfect person to go to for help with this monstrous problem. Excuse me, Lily, could you step out of your body a moment and help me with this trouble I'm having with you?
”What do you think?”
”About being blood brothers? I think it's a great idea. When would you want to do it?”