other people's memories: the stranger

(this memory is not my own. it is written in the first person as though through the eyes of a young boy. a young boy who grew up to be the sweetest and kindest gentle man i have ever known. my husband, steven. this writing is based upon a real experience from his childhood. and this writing is lovingly dedicated to him.)

 

"black chair"! "green chair"! "couch"! "floor"! who yells floor?! nobody yells floor. you don't have to yell floor. i mean it's, well...the floor. but i did. i always yelled floor. being the youngest of six children, i learned to appreciate simple victories. now, what i really wanted ~ what everyone really wanted ~ was to sit in the black chair. it sat majestically in the corner, boasting the best vantage point of the television and gave the person sitting in it a commanding presence over our living room. i never got to sit in the black chair. i wasn't a sore loser or anything. it was just the way it was. sort of a pecking-order-type-of-thing. michael, having a real-life full-grown beard, and being the oldest and most mature kid we knew, logged more black chair hours than anyone...possibly even dad and mom. well, one day, when no one was around, i sat in the black chair and commanded the presence of a very empty room. i was relishing a minor triumph. anyway, i was sitting there, minding my own business, when this stranger walks in. he was tall, with a big smooth face and a deep voice. "hey", he says to me. "hi", i said in return, averting my eyes, hoping he would go away. but he didn't. that's when it started getting worse. the guy sits down on the couch across from me...and then he starts talking to me! like he knows me or something. believe me. he gets creepier. he starts asking me things like, "is mom at the store?" and "did dad take the car?" i mean, who does this guy think he is, calling my mom, mom...and my dad, dad?! now, i really didn't care to be chatting with this guy. and i was giving him my best two-syllable answers to give him the brush-off. like, "mmm-hmm" and "uh-uh". see what i mean? not exactly engaging him in lively conversation. but the guy just wouldn't take a hint! he just sat there and kept going on and on about our supposedly mutual mom and dad. probably just one of michael's friends, waiting for him to get out of the shower or something. but he was acting a little too familiar. creepy familiar, if you ask me! so, i figured i better get a good description of him to give to the police, just in case: okay...the guy's about michael's height. probably weighs about the same, too. his eyes are the same color as michael's, but this guy's face is smooth and shiny like he just...

hey, wait a minute! it is michael...he shaved his beard!

~ janean christine mariani