Sal was sitting in Charlie’s RV, listening to his story. How could Charlie not be bitter?
“Your parents, they wanted to give you a life free from danger. The arsonist who had burned my house down was a man who believed me to be guilty.” Charlie said earnestly.
Sal kept looking at the floor. What the hell was he supposed to say? He'd been lied to all of his life.
“The day you were born was the best day of my life. The doctors and nurses were puzzled because you didn’t look like any of us.” Charlie smiled at the memory. “I didn’t care. I knew you were mine.
“Do you have any brothers or sisters, Sal?”
“The twins…and Carl,” Sal said without taking his eyes from the floor. “Carl's the one I came here with. He came to find his girlfriend.”
“I see,” Charlie said. “I take it you two are close?”
“I would die for him,” Sal said without hesitation.
“That’s what I am thankful for, Sal.” Charlie forced Sal to look at him. “You said he came to see his girlfriend. That must've been a long trip.” Charlie took a sip of his tea.
“She got into some trouble and moved here. Carl decided he couldn’t live without her, and here we are,” Sal said absently.
“What about you? Do you have a special someone?” Charlie asked in a warm voice.
“Not really. I don’t really date.”
Charlie saw right through him. “You're so full of shit,” Charlie said laughing. “Someone broke your heart. What happened?”
“I thought we had something. I've certainly never felt this way before. But then he just left. He left me behind like a fool and without an explanation, and I haven't heard from him since.” Sal said bleakly.
“Him?” Charlie seemed surprised but not outraged.
“I like all people.” Sal looked at Charlie to make sure he'd gotten the message.
“I see,” was all Charlie said. “What’s his name?”
Sal shifted, uncomfortable in his seat. Charlie was just like Carl, always poking at his weak spots. “His name's Seth.”
“Seth,” Charlie repeated. “The god of the desert, storms, disorder, violence, and foreigners in ancient Egyptian religion. I assume he's very handsome.”
Sal nodded.
“It’s like an addiction, isn’t it? Your mother had me going insane when I first met her. She never left my mind, she was always there—the perfect drug.
"You want to see a picture of her?” Charlie pulled out his wallet. A face cut right from the pages of a woman's magazine met Sal. A woman with piercing eyes of green and straight, light brown hair smiled at her audience.
“She’s…” Sal held his tongue.
“White,” Charlie said, finishing Sal’s sentence. “Like you, I am a people person.” He laughed heartily.
“Her name was Gloria. She did to me exactly what Seth did to you. She left me behind at a restaurant. I sat there like a jackass until closing time, waiting for her to come back.”
“Man. that’s tough. Why did you stay behind for so long?” Sal was full of admiration
“She was the girl I wanted to marry.” Charlie ran a finger over the picture. “So I drove to her house, put Frankie Valli on—Can’t Take My Eyes Off You—on the stereo, and sang the lyrics as loud as I could. I woke up the entire neighborhood."
“That's so cool.” Sal laughed.
“I suppose so. She said she was testing me, to see how badly I wanted her. From that day on we were inseparable. She stood by me and fought for me while I was in prison, never doubting my innocence. That night, when I was released from jail, it was magical. I’ll spare you the details, but you were born nine months later.”
Charlie held Sal's hand gently. “I can’t believe you're here.
Sal’s eyes filled with tears. "Me neither. Will you come to see me play basketball? I’m good.”
“I’ll be damned. You do take after me. Born gifted with incredible height.” Charlie was all smiles. “Of course, I will.”
Sal dried his eyes.
“This one time, in college, with 45.9 seconds left in the game, a fight broke out on the court between players. After the fight was broken up, a fan threw a drink at a friend of mine. My friend entered the crowd and sparked a massive brawl between players and fans that stretched onto the court.”
Sal and Charlie talked for hours in the RV. Charlie told Sal about his life, and Sal did the same, but he left out the part about the Giants and his visit to Giant Hill.
He forgot about Carl until he received a text message. “It looks like my brother's staying in Limestone with his girl. Someone on Circle Drive lent him a room to stay in.” Sal was happy for Carl, but at the same time, he was sad to leave without him.
“Let me guess: he’s staying at Ned’s house?” Charlie asked.
“How did you know?” Sal asked.
Charlie shrugged his shoulders. “Ned’s a good guy. He helped me quit drinking.”
“Can I stay here with you?" Sal urged Charlie.
Charlie sighed. “Go and say goodbye to your brother. Then, you need to go home and forgive your parents.”
“Why?”
“You know why. Don’t let the darkness consume you. I’ll still be here.” Charlie said softly, “You are my boy. Always. That will never change.”
Sal felt the muscles of his chin tremble and tears spill down his face. Charlie reached over and dried his tears away. "Besides, I still need to kick your ass at some one-on-one basketball.”
He smiled beneath the tears.
Charlie walked Sal to the bus. He wrapped an arm around Sal’s shoulders and pulled him close, gently rubbing his arm. Sal cried his eyes out as he drove the bus from the old campsite.
What a circus his life had turned out to be.
He found Carl with Louise at Circle Drive in front of Ned’s house. As Sal got out of the bus, Carl’s eyes showed a kind of gentle concern, and he laid his hand on Sal’s shoulder.
“What?” was all he said.
They sat on the curb while Sal, all torn up, told Carl Charlie's heartbreaking story.
“I am sorry, Sal, but I suppose we both knew something was off. Why don’t you stay here with me for a while?”
Sal shook his head. “Thanks, but I have to go back and finish this.”
“Then I’ll go with you.” Carl put his hand on Sal’s.
“No. Stay here with Louise. I’ll come back.”
Carl hugged Sal goodbye. “I love you, kid brother.”
“I love you, big brother.” Sal waved goodbye and jumped into the bus, feeling sick at heart as the bus rolled out of Limestone.