Chapter 15: You Are Good With Your Hands
The road was full of people, it was Sunday anyways, it's common to find a street full of souls walking around the street. Some soul probably seeking some leisure times or perhaps just places to run away from a busy routine.
Joshua is one of them, he is walking down the street just like any other people around there, drowning in a sea of living human flesh. Today the sun shines brightly, it doesn’t go well with the poor boy because sometimes he needs to cover his eyes from the bright light. His eyes squint because of the intense burn, even his clear spectacles not helping him at all, well his eyes already squint from the start anyways, but it’s hard to see things now.
But the sun means no harm, it is just bright but the light, the light that brings warmth to all people under.
The frozen wind blows through all the streets, despite the heavily crowded street the wind somehow maintains the chill temperature fighting with the warm sun.
Kids are laughing and running around, parents watching them from a distance, they are enjoying their times outside with their loved one.
Some teenagers skateboard and chat with one another, some of them playing soccer, and there is some painting gravity on the wall, there is a lot of color dirtying it's hard surfaces.
People can see the elderly sit in the corner, sit in the loving silence, perhaps if you are already that old, peace is all you need.
The thought brings a big question to Joshua, will he ever grow old? Will he have a chance to meet the loved one? And will be able to experience the little bit of wilderness in this world?
Joshua decided to sit on the bench and join in watching the warm weather with all this stranger, they might not know one another but it seems the atmosphere itself brings them as one, as family.
For them this is a nice day.
Joshua still sat down and observed the happiness that radiated around him, even though all that smiles were not directed to him, alas he was content with the feeling that he feels right now.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“It’s supposed to be around here…”
I took my phone out from my pocket, slowly and carefully read the message that was displaying on the screen.
[Cordova Street, Tseng Cleaning Services]
You give me the most cryptic message with not enough information. What's worse is you can’t even be contacted, at this point I’ll just walk around in circles like a lost person. I have tried to ask some people, but they never heard of such a place.
I know you’ll never scam me, Evan, but this place must be really-really well known by the locals. When I said local, local that has been here at least 80 or more years. This whole laundry thing is more troublesome than I thought, not to mention my eyes keep searching its shadow for no reason. The blazer is not mine, the smell is very disturbing, some expensive taste only rich people know the value, and I’m not.
I lean down my back more, let my back slumped to the wood even more. I close my eyes and hang my head to the back, letting the sun warm up my entire face from the cold wind. Perhaps all this coldness is the one that made my brain freeze and failed to find the laundry place.
I decided to stand up after a while, and start to walk again aimlessly, hiding my neck under my coat along with my uncovered palms inside my pocket. Canada can be like a refrigerator in any season, but winter is much worse, the autumn just the beginning of the end.
Ah it’s cold.
It’s always cold
I passed so many shops, sometimes my legs brought me to the familiar scenery in every corner because I have been walking in the circle for a while now, but sometimes I found something new and followed along that road until I reached the same point again.
Rinse and repeat.
I keep following my legs, and my eyes and mind go somewhere else, flying like a seagull that is flying above.
Walking and walking.
Until my body bumped into someone, and that person yelled at me.
“Watch it shorty!”
The force was quite strong, it threw my whole body to the side, into the wide alley way. The man looked at me menacingly for a moment and walked away quickly. I try to check myself, and it seems nothing is lost.
I thought he might mug me or something.
At least that is what happened in most movies.
I need to stop watching so many crime solving movies.
I walk slowly to go inside the alley way, and my eyes land on the banner above the door not far from where I am standing.
‘Tseng Cleaning Services’
So here you are, that little incident wasn’t that bad huh?
I thought I will never find this place and will just either walk till sunset, or keep contacting Evan till he picks up. I guess it is no longer needed.
I walked quickly and opened the door. I was greeted with the bell sound as soon as the door opened. A man standing up and looking at me sharply behind the counter, his eyes never leave the moment I make the appearance inside his shop.
I walk up to him and show him my phone screen that displays my laundry voucher that Evan took by Evan with his phone. His sharp eyes looking at the screen carefully, without uttering any words, both of us just standing there while his eyes keep eye on me, his finger holding to the button which makes the line up of clothing behind him moving like a roller coaster.
And then it abruptly stopped.
Albern blazer pressed inside the plastic warped neatly hanging in the front of me.
The man behind the counter took that blazer and lay it at the front of me. With a low voice he just says the price and expects me to go out.
“$15…”
I didn’t say a lot either, just pull out the money and hug the blazer away and out from the shop.
Just a few steps from the outside of the door, I bumped into another person again, at this point, by third time a car might hit me instead.
I look up to the big man that bumps into me, he wears a white dirty singlet, with a construction onesie with the top dangling at his waist.
But something made me freeze, his face, I know him, what an odd thing to meet him here.
“Ah! I’m sorry! Senior?”
His cheerful tone is still just like any other day.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Never thought I can meeting you alone, around this place out of the place too”
Chad's dirty body walked beside me with a big construction bag hanging on his back. He thought the same as I’m, I never thought I bump into you too Chad.
He was pretty surprised when we accidentally met one another like that. He was all giddy and jumping as if the weight at his back was nothing. But I’m still confused how we actually can meet in an incident like that.
“Same goes for you too, Chad. I was as surprised as you”
He nodded at me and did what he usually does, smile. Our feet walk at a different pace, but none of us out run one another. We just walked in the same direction calmly trying to go to another side of the alleyway.
“So, what are you doing around here Chad?”
“Me? Ah, I help my father when I don’t have class, and today I don’t have practice or class, so I help my father at construction site”
I nodded my head.
“So where are you going now? To work?”
Chad shakes his head.
“No, I just done, but my father still work there, I’m just part timer, fill up whatever they have vacancy available”
“Ah, so your father is the supervisor?”
Chad laughed at my question.
“No way, my old man just normal construction worker, but his friends work as supervisor there, that is why I always have able to fill up any vacancy they have”
“Was it hard?”
“To work there? Not really, but that is maybe because I get used to it”
Chad laughed cheerfully.
Within a couple of minutes our feet manage to bring us out from the alleyway, I’m about to step the other way where I come from, but before that Chad nervously speaks to me.
“Senior… are you busy?”
“Not really, why do you ask?”
He starched the back of his head and paused for a moment before continuing.
“Well if you're free, do you mind having lunch with me?”
I just stay still, not answering him, after what you did with the whole Albern escapade.
“I mean! The place isn’t fancy, and I do not think it is place that fits for someone like you, but I promised the taste is out of the chart”
“Someone like me? What kind of person am I?”
Chad immediately panicked when I pushed him with my answer.
“No! That is not what I mean! I’m so sorry!”
I laugh and stop, smiling at his naivety.
“I’m just joking, I do have some time to spare, show me the way”
Chad's face turns calm and nods his head vigorously.
“Let’s go! Follow me!”
I chuckle at how easy it is to control his mood and how easy it is to play a prank on him.
What a good egg.
Chad is a good egg.
Hopefully my rotten inside will not corrupt him.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We walk deeper into the other side of the town a few blocks from where we are. This place still has the sense of livelihood, but I can’t help it because some side of the town looks run down too. People that walk around here are vastly different with people that few block away from here.
The difference shouldn’t be striking, but it is.
Some people are busy with themselves, passing by without care with their surroundings. But what bothers me more is the majority park passing by but look at me intensely while doing so. As if they tell me with their eyes to go away from here.
But Chad kept me close, he walked slightly behind me, like a boulder trying to catch up to me. But I feel safe within his presence. We walked and kept passing the passerby, until Chad's big hand grabbed my shoulder and stopped me from keeping walking forwards.
I spin my body and look up to find Chad grinning at me while his other hands showing his thumb to the side, directed to the door of a small restaurant near us.
“We are here!”
I see an old building with an old sliding door at the front of it. The glass at the front of the window is cracked and there is black tape that helps put the cracked glass intact. Chad walked past me and opened the sliding door.
We were welcomed with the busy sight, people in groups sitting together almost in every spot of this place. People from many ethnicity sitting down together mixing and laughing. Most of them seem to be blue collar workers, and the rest seem to belong to the same line of work.
We were both greeted by a blonde woman in her fifty, her smile really welcoming and her heavy smoker voice sound rough but not unfriendly.
“Chad! Come again with that empty stomach! Come here you son of a bitch!”
Chad waved at the woman gleefully.
“Hi Susan! Having a good day?”
“Oh my, you never come here with someone except with your family, who is this little guy?”
The woman goes out of her boundary and pinch my cheek, I just squirm when her rough hand forced together my plump face muscle.
“Hahahaha! I’m sorry, what a soft fella, was it too strong for you”
She let out another loud laugh and put her hands on her hips, Chad joined her before proceeding to introduce me.
“His name is Joshua, he is my senior at University. Senior this is Susan, she is the wife of this place owner and cook”
“Oh! He talked a lot about you! We are finally meeting one another boy!”
“Hey Mateo! Look who we have here! Chad savior!”
Within a second a man with a cook attire comes out from behind the door I assume is the kitchen. That man has a very menacing look, and some long and nasty scar on his arm.
He comes to our direction while using a towel to wipe his wet hands. That man tries to smile but he can’t wipe away the scary look from his face.
“Welcome boy, if I don’t know who you are from the story, I thought you are just some little kid who are lost and made his way to my restaurant”
His voice sounds very cold yet there is a peck of welcomes and warm deep inside.
“Right! He looks super young, while our Chad here, has a face as if he has 3 children already. If I don’t know any better I thought Chad is the senior”
“Is my look really that old?”
Chad pointed a finger at himself, which resulted with both of the adults to answer in unison.
“Damn right!”
And all of them laugh together, but Susan soon realized something and snapped from her laugh.
“Hey we can’t keep standing here! Chad what do you want?!”
“We will have lunch here, table for two please!”
“We are all standing for nothing here Hahahaha! Follow me!”
Susan quickly walked and both of us followed her from behind. We kept walking past the noisy table until we reached the corner and Susan directed us to sit down at a restaurant bar table.
So now, Chad and I are sitting down side by side with Susan standing at the front of us behind the counter.
“Okay boys! What can I get for you?”
“I’m the usual!”
“Susan turned her head to the small window behind her and yelled.
“BBQ Pork chop! As usual!”
She is facing us again but this time her attention is on me.
“How about you?”
Susan thumbs pointing to a big poster behind her, and it seems that is this place's menu. She smiled at me while her arms folded and rested on the counter while waiting for me.
“I… Ah… I…”
I was caught off guard and couldn't think of anything, I had never been here, never had that experience, until I heard Chad recommend me something.
“You can try their chicken pot pie, it’s pretty famous around here”
I nodded at her, signaling I’m okay with it.
“I’ll take that”
My voice comes out very timid for some reason, makes me embarrassed with my broken voice.
Susan's hand came and pinched my cheek again.
“What are you nervous about boy?! Sit down tight, the meal will come shortly”
Susan walked out from us and greeted another customer.
I sigh, let my confusion and anxiety that build up, go in one exhale. My eyes wander around the room. The entire room and decoration looks tacky and not pretty, but it’s not dirty. The entire vibe looks very unkempt but not a single stain can I find.
There is a lot of cracked paint on the wall, the wooden surfaces also do not align correctly. There is not much decoration inside, just a plain wide space that is occupied by many dining tables. There are many old posters hanging on the wall, some even come from the back 90th. This place is almost like a time capsule in a way.
“Sorry, is this place making you uncomfortable?”
My head whipped immediately to Chad, who showed his concern about my eyes that keep lingering around the place.
“Oh no… not at all, it just, this is my first time, please excuse me curiosity”
I put an Albern blazer neatly on my lap, and I can see from here that Chad's heavy bag is placed below his chair between his legs.
I run my palm on my lap, trying to make myself as familiar as possible with this place. The friction between my skin and the jeans managed to make a warm heat which comforted me a lot.
“So… Chad do you live around here?”
Chad, who was looking elsewhere, diverted his attention to me once a question popped up from my lips. His sunlight never leaves no matter what happens, he is not the only one that has this warm personality, but his presence is just different overall.
“Yeah! I live nearby from the place I was working and this restaurant. Just a few blocks away!”
His right hand is busy rubbing onto his other hand knuckle. His eyes are always welcoming, unlike the cook who has really cold eyes, Chad's appearance is really older than his actual age, but his eyes make his looks more approachable. His whole personality is actually really embracing strangers of any kind.
“So, you are some kind of return customer for this place?”
“Yeah, but most of time I come here with my father when we got back from work or with any my sister if we want to eat something little bit fancy, if you may called it fancy”
Chad let out a cheerful laugh despite his bitter words.
“Did they like the food you brought from the campus festival?”
Chad reply me with loud clap, but not enough to draw any attention from other customer.
“Certainly! They eat it like no tomorrow! I’m really happy I can share it with them! It’s all thanks to you”
I quickly wave my hands with my face grimed with the thought.
“It was his money, not mine, he is the one you should be thanks to”
“Right! Next time when he comes around I should thank him properly”
And I see Chad's eyes darted on the thing that is sitting neatly on my lap.
“It’s his?”
I shake my head with a mocking smile plastered on my face.
“Yeah Troublesome…”
“I hope he come during lunch again, so I can say I thank you”
I quickly sucked my teeth with the thought, my whole body shaking with the thought that Albern joined us again. If anything I want Albern and I to have some kind of distance so his fans are not going to bother me. I heard from Maya, the social media has been like a war zone due to his post.
Albern is going to be fine.
But I’m not.
“I beg to differ, that man only caused trouble for me instead of anything else…”
Chad showed me his awkward smile.
“Right… It seems you guys are not on good terms…”
I let out a heavy groan, feeling stressed just by hearing Albern's name spoken by anyone.
“It’s not like that really, we just, no, he's just really annoying. That’s all”
Chad's lips turned upside down and puckered and nodded his head, as if he was mocking my answer.
“Here they are boys! Enjoy your meal!”
Shortly after Susan comes with our order, the hot plate placed at the front of me, a very hot steam comes out from my chicken pot pie, freshly made, same just like Chad’s.
“What can I get you for the drink?”
“Water for me”
Chad immediately answered for himself.
I smile at Susan.
“Same for me”
And with that she comes back with two glasses of water, both I and Chad start digging our meal. The moment the freshly baked chicken meat with its creamy sauce comes in contact with the inside of my mouth, saliva starts to build up, and the flavor explodes within me.
“Some hardcore shit right?!”
Chad nudged me when he saw my expression. I nodded in agreement while chewing the meal slowly trying to enjoy every second of the flavor festival that is happening inside my mouth right now.
And both of us enjoy this time together, we make small talk in between, laugh and chit chat. Chad is actually a really pleasant person, it’s nice to have him around, thought he is tad slow in some aspect.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Ah! That was good!”
Chad kept slap his hard stomach after he ate all the meal clean. Susan let out a proud smile while she cleaned our table with a semi wet towel.
“I’m glad our meal always satisfied you, how about you little boy?!”
Susan smiled at me, his rough build really welcoming almost motherly like.
“It was good, thank you very much for the meal”
“What a polite gentleman! Chad you should be more like him! You already go into that well known university! At least fix your manner!”
Susan grabs Chad's head and head locks him with her big hand.
“Senior is in the different league, I can’t defeated him”
Both Susan and Chad laugh together while Susan keeps teasing Chad nonstop, and Chad goes along with it.
“Oh yeah! During your walk here, do you have any trouble? Tell me if this man didn’t protect you properly, I will teach him a lesson!”
I shake my head, a smile still painted on my face.
“No, not at all… but I must admit perhaps I’m not really welcome here”
Chad and Susan looked at each other and paused for a moment, but they laughed after immediately.
“Of course! Have you seen yourself in the mirror?!”
Susan pointed her finger to me, and I started looking at myself, assuming perhaps I wear something inappropriate, or perhaps I wear my pants in the wrong way.
“No! What I mean is your vibe not like someone that living or come from this place”
Susan sight when she realized I was confused with her exclamation.
“Looks, this place not the most prettiest and the most nice place to live so to say”
She shakes her head but still continues, her smile emitting a sad aura.
“This place still lot better than the sad DownTown East Side, but still as sad as that place nonetheless”
“Yeah senior, this is not the place that people want to live in if they have choice”
Chad showed me the same smile as Susan.
I hang my head low, feeling bad I can’t feel the atmosphere properly. History repeats itself, and I am always oblivious to everything around me.
“I… I’m so sorry, I really don’t feel anything…”
“Ah! It’s okay! Nothing to worry about, Chad make sure you keep an eye on him while he is around here! You are our representation! A Host should taking care their guest”
Susan pinch my cheek and pat my shoulder. Her smile is emitting a different aura from before, this time it’s full of happiness.
“Anyways, come on senior! I walk you to the safest bus stop around here”
Chad took his big bag and was ready to go out, but I remembered something and stopped him before him walking out.
“Chad, do you mind if I go to your place?”
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Welcome! Welcome!”
Three boys ran directly full force to Chad, and he with ease just lifted three of them at once, and they immediately hung on Chad's big body like a monkey.
“Come in Senior, It’s little bit dirty and untidy up, but I hope you can make yourself at home”
Chad was standing at the front of the opened door of the small apartment waving at me. I quickly followed him, and excused myself inside.
I greeted with clothes and some kids playing here and there, and some girl I assume their sister kept yelling at them to stay put.
“You guys stop running around! We have a guest! Behave!”
I see the baby sleeping on her back peacefully despite chaos surrounding them.
“I’m so sorry for the chaos, are you our big brother friends?”
Her face looks very sweet, unlike his brother. That girl smiled at me while her body rocked the baby that was sleeping soundlessly.
“He is my senior. Karen, is mom still at the hospital doing her shift?”
Karen nodded at her brother, body still rocking the baby.
“Mother going to be late, she said she taking over her friends sift tonight”
Chad nodded in reply.
“Father going to back shortly, he had something that he have to finished at the construction site”
She nodded back at Chad, but when her eyes came back to me she jumped and gasped.
“How rude I’m! I’m so sorry! Please have a seat! I’ll make some tea!”
Before I could stop her from doing unnecessary things, she had already gone to another room. I let out an exhausting sigh, feeling bad I have to trouble her, she seems already to have a lot on her plate.
“She doesn’t have to do it actually…”
I hear laughter coming from Chad who is still playing with his three brothers on the sofa.
“It’s okay, you are our guest, please don’t mind it, enjoy yourself”
I still feel a little bit bad to make her busy like that. But before long Karen came back with glasses of tea and put it on the table.
“Here, please take it, outside must be really cold”
I smile at her and take a sip of the warm liquid, I can feel the temperature of my body instantly increasing.
“Take you this is helping me a lot”
“Anyways Karen, this is my senior, Joshua, he comes here to ask you about your cinnamon roll recipe”
“Really?!”
Karen's eyes become like her brother, glittering like a star. I guess they are siblings for sure.
“Well, that is of course if it’s not too troublesome for you”
I warmly smile at her, despite how bad I want to know, knowing how busy she is, I do not think it's wise to make her more busy than necessary.
“No! Not at all! Please wait a moment!”
She went once again, leaving me and Chad and their other brother here.
But suddenly I heard the old apartment door open and I could see some bulky man come in, his appearance really resembles Chad, but he is more mature, riper in age. His skin is a lot darker and his eyes look tired, but an optimist smile still plastered on his face.
“Father, you are back? How's the construction site?”
“Nothing to worry about, just small hiccup like any other day”
While he is busy taking out his heavy equipment, his eyes meet mine.
“Oh! We have a guest? Who is he?”
I just smile at him awkwardly.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Smoke?”
Chad's father handed me his box of cigars. His hand nudged the box slightly making the cylinder paper jumping in and out. He asked me to come out together with him from his apartment leaving Chad inside with his sibling. Though Chad was really against it, I obliged.
“No sir, but thanks”
I politely rejected his offer. I was never known as a smoker and don’t know how to do so after all.
“Thank you for helping my son...”
A bunch of smoke comes out at once from his mouth and nose, he sucks his own breath as if the taste gives him cold.
“You don’t have to thank me, really, I have done nothing”
He shakes his head and he sees me with his sad smile.
“No… I really feel grateful toward you, I heard a lot about you from him”
“I believe it just exaggeration”
His eyes seem looking at the distance.
“We are pretty lucky that my friends that also my boss willing to pay for his tuition, even though at first Chad really against it, but I convince him that this is for the best”
“I just want him to have a better future than me, his parents. So he and his sibling can have a better life, that is why I purposely made him pick computer science…”
“But it seems that course is really out of his league…”
I chimed in. I see him laugh, but his eyes are still looking somewhere distant.
“I see nowadays people keep talking about technology and that is why, an old fart like me can’t do much, but I guess this hard headed passed down to him…”
He flickered his cigar a little, making the ash on the top fallen by the sudden shake.
“But I’m grateful at least he can have another scholarship… tell me boy, is he going to be fine?”
His eyes and smile now directed toward me. I see those similar eyes with a glimmer of hope, but this one is almost full.
“He can do much as a Health science alumni… he can work in the hospital as physiotherapist… or the least traditional one to be a PE teacher. He can do much, I think you can rest assured, he will do just fine, I believe so”
He let out a relieved breath while more smoke came out from his mouth and nose.
“Working at the hospital? I’m glad… glad that he still has a bright future ahead of him. He given up so much for us, for me his parent, for his sibling”
“Other kids probably just go berserk and become juvenile, but despite our tight condition, he still keeps on trying to help. Say… do you know another meaning of ‘people that are good with their hands’?”
I paused while my eyes looked at the sky. I can feel his anxiety inside that question.
“I know… “
I feel a burly hand massage my shoulder.
“Please stay with him, I beg you, he is not the brightest bulb, but I promised you I raised my children as good people”
I didn’t reply to him immediately, I stayed silent while looking up to his eyes that were staring at me.
I don’t know what to answer, and how to answer his hopeful eyes.
So I let my heart speak for me.
“He is a good person, that as far as I know…”
He laughed immediately and friendly and slapped my back lightly.
I take a peek at the door and see Chad as his usual self.
I smile at him, and he smiles back right at me with his wide grin.
The sky was covered with cloudy wind, sparkling like a glitter. Once again the boy kept walking unconsciously and set his fate in motion, one step at the time. In the same sky, another figure is looking at the same sky, waiting for the time, waiting for the promise.
He looked up to his phone, and the phone lightened up, showing him the sleeping face of someone. He smiles with his thoughts whenever he sees that image, he doesn’t seem bored, and in fact he can’t get bored at all. Right now his album is really limited, but he believes that it soon will be changed.
In another place, a figure with piercing skin looking at his bike rear mirror, the star reflection reminds him of someone, a certain boy that didn’t run away from him. An encounter that he thought was going to be troublesome instead he was thankful for.