Luca's Story Ch. 7
I want to thank everyone so much for all the support. I'm very happy that this series has become a favorite of so many already, and it only began days ago. So here I post something new. This chapter ties in to the next story I am about to upload immediately after, Ronnie's Story. The story of Luca WILL be continuing, this is not a turnoff, but rather a spinoff. I will be writing two series now.
Also, as I've said from the first chapter, these events were based loosely in true events of someone close to me in my life. However, that is no longer the case. The two stories branching from this point are basically me going out on a limb on my own artistic expression. Sadly, in reality, the person that I based Ronnie off of did not fail in his suicide attempt. The story series with him is partly a tribute to his struggles that led to his eventual suicide, as well as a storyline that is not without its dark points, but I hope will evenutally turn out well for him. I make no promises, as I do reserve rights to tell a good story, not necessarily a happy one.
And now I give you,
Chapter VII--Moving On
_He's been sitting by the phone since she left
But it's time for work and he just can't be late
So he grabs his old guitar
And he plays a couple bars on the machine
And then he softly sings_
_Chorus
It doesn't matter what you've done, I still love you
It doesn't matter where you've been, you can still come home
And honey if it's you, we've got a lot of making up to do
And I can't hug you on the phone, so hurry home_
-Jason Michael Carroll, "Hurry Home"
Days passed, and the search kept going. Luca had seen more of New York City than she imagined possible, taking the train to different destinations every time. Once Zee was added to the group on the second day of searching, her father finally gave in to allowing them to do more intensive city-wide searching, even going so far as to allow a visit to Coney Island to check there. Luca often giggled at the thought of what her father would do if he knew that Zee was actually born a girl. Even so, he kept asking her in private whether Zee knew about her "condition," to which she'd give an irritated yes every time. Whether or not it was revealed that Zee was transgendered as well was up to him.
Saturday was the only day they didn't search. By sundown Friday, Shabbat dinner was already winding down at the nearby synagogue, and Luca and Beccah's family were strolling back home, all the while with Beccah's family commenting how you could never walk home from anywhere back in Texas, and how they had not had a proper Shabbat since they were kids. Beccah's family had joined Luca's for the meal, and even agreed to allowing Rebeccah to stay the night with the Reingolds, saying it would be good for Beccah to participate in a more orthodox perspective of the faith. The pair of girls spent their more "orthodox" night pilfering a bottle of Manischewitz and watching corny movies from the thirties (making sure, of course, that they turned it down whenever they heard stirring in the house. Her parents may not be completely orthodox, but Luca knows they at least try to keep the evening as tech-free as possible). Once morning was well on its way towards noon, the girls woke up to Zee tapping on the window.
"You girls gonna just sleep all day?" He asked when Luca opened the window and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Luca's room faced the side of the house, below which the living room stretched out another seven or eight feet. The tilting roof over the living room dipped low enough for Zee to jump up to in order to climb up to Luca's window. Hers was the only window facing this direction. Between the door lock and the position of the room, sometimes Luca wondered if her parents wanted her to be mischievous.
"It's Shabbat, silly," Luca replied as Zee sat on her bed. "You know, Jewish day of rest?"
"That's no excuse to just lay in bed all day," Zee said. "Plus, shouldn't you be in services or something?"
"Maybe on the morning of your Sabbath. Ours starts at nightfall."
"Hey, don't call it my anything," Zee replied with a grin. "Stubborn agnostic here. Haven't been to church since my parents took me out of that private school. Seems the school didn't much like me refusing to act, dress, or play like a girl."
"Sounds familiar," Luca sighed, flopping on the bed so her head was in Zee's lap, Beccah laid down on the other side of the bed.
"So what do you do on Shabbat, anyways?" Beccah said, the whine in her voice making the whole statement sound like a child complaining about boredom.
"Usually? Wait until mom breaks down and turns on the air conditioning or the heater," Luca said, giggling. As if by some dark magic, the air conditioner whirred to life outside, and cool air began spilling from the ceiling vents. "Alright, now we can do whatever we want. Mom can never stand so much as a few degrees outside her comfort zone." she said.
"Let's just hang out here," Zee said. "It's not going to be warm for much longer. We should take a dip in the pool while we have the chance."
Luca thought about the prospect, realizing she didn't even have a bikini. Not that it much mattered. Then she thought about Zee.
"Don't you think that might be a bit... awkward?" She asked Zee.
Zee seemed to think about it. "It's not like I've got anything to show."
"But that doesn't mean it won't be completely unnoticeable," Beccah pointed out.
"I guess I could wear a shirt," Zee said.
"I wonder if I can borrow my sister's bikini," Luca said aloud, wondering if she could even find the thing in her older sister's left-behind clothes.
"This would be so much less complicated if I hung out with normal people," Rebeccah complained. Luca pushed her off the bed, making her fall to the floor with a scream and a thud.
Ultimately, the trio went swimming. It was the first time Luca had used the pool at the house her parents bought. Luckily enough, her parents had one of their more lax Shabbat attitudes and went off to dinner at a nearby restaurant, taking Luca's three younger sisters. They left the trio of friends to themselves as they enjoyed the pool.
Sunday was the most eventful day. The group was up early, and had the entire day to explore Manhattan in their search for Ronnie. They showed furres pictures of him, hoping someone, somewhere, had spotted him.
A homeless jaguar said he'd seen the boy, but his memory was awful fuzzy without a couple drinks in him. The trio turned down his request for booze money.
They were in a McDonald's literally in the shadow of the Empire State Building when they found an elderly, bespectacled mouse who hunched over his meal cast a starry-eyed gaze on the picture.
"Sure I seen 'im."
"Where?" The three said, all at once.
"Oh, I seen 'im just down thirty-fourth street, in one of them new-fangled apartments. Up on the balcony of the fourteenth floor. Tol' me his name was Harry Nickers 'n spat on me when I asked 'im directions."
They didn't follow that particular lead. Somehow or another, senility seemed to radiate from the old mouse the same way the smell of his forty-odd house cats did.
It was early afternoon when they were strolling down Fashion Ave for the umpteenth time. After having passed the cross street where Rent was playing, Luca sighed. They'd already checked the area, none of the workers there had seen Ronnie. She knew it was his favorite show, and she had never had the chance to see it with him.
"You alright?" Zee asked, looking at Luca and seeing the longing expression on her face.
"Just fine," she said, managing a smile. It brightened suddenly when she turned towards Zee, however, and saw the poster on the window. There was a huge, life-size poster of a surly-looking dark gray rat in a leather jacket. Beneath it read:
ZACK BLACK
LIVE!!!!!
Sunday, September 19th
7:00 PM
Rebeccah and Zee followed Luca's gaze. Rebeccah's face lighted up, Zee's did not. He had no idea who this rat was, or why he should be excited about his show tonight. "Who's he?"
"Who's he?" Rebeccah asked, incredulous. "Only the funniest commentary comic of all time!" she said, practically bouncing with excitement. "God if only we could go."
"Well... maybe we can..." Zee said, seeing the excitement written in the girls' faces. Luca gave him a confused look.
"What do you mean?"
"Let me just check something," he said, disappearing into the ticket office where the poster was showing.
"The hell does he think he's doing?" Luca said to Beccah, her back to the other side of Fashion Ave. "It's not like any of us could afford those tickets. I doubt they'd even let us in."
After a few more moments, Zee emerged. In his right hand were three tickets. He was grinning ear to ear. Luca didn't even give him a chance to say anything before she leapt forward and into his arms, kissing him deeply. "You're awesome, baby," she said. "You didn't have to do that."
Zee shrugged. "I have some friends, they got me an ID not too long ago," he said, holding up a fake that said he was 21. "It helps when the show has a two-drink minimum."
"How can you afford that?" Beccah asked. Always the blunt one.
"That... is a secret," Zee replied with a sly smirk. "Better start making calls to your parents, we're going to a show tonight."
That night, the girls were laughing their asses off along with Zee, Ronnie was hiding in the darkness of the rafters at the eight o' clock showing of Rent, and the trio's parents all thought them at The Phantom of the Opera.