The Arcade

Gradually the conversation from below died away as guests left, until there was only silence. He couldn’t even hear his mother and father talking – which they must be doing, in light of his and his dad’s revelation to everyone.

Cosmo had decided to kick off his shoes and lie down. Even though the roaring in his ears had subsided, he was now left with a dull throb right behind his eyes that only the absence of light would sooth. Lying on his bed, the cool darkness of his room allowed him the partial clarity to begin to reconstruct the events of the evening.

Mentally reviewing and putting in order the montage of reactions and expressions – ranging from shock and sadness, to outrage and betrayal – gave Cosmo some perspective. The one thing that stood out was the look on Holly’s face. It was Theo who had been injured, but the expression on Holly’s face betrayed a deeper wound. In years to come, that look would always be with him as a reminder that no matter how he tried, there would always be wounds he would never be able to heal.

It didn’t take long for him to doze off from mental and emotional exhaustion. When he opened his eyes some time later, he looked at his alarm clock and noticed that he had only been asleep for about forty-five minutes. His eyes felt swollen and scratchy – as if he’d been crying. Maybe I have, he told himself. Still, he felt a little better, and his head seemed clearer. He could recall the evening in better detail. He thought maybe he’d go downstairs and talk to his parents. He hadn’t heard any voices or other noise from downstairs, which led him to the conclusion that everyone must’ve left.

Just as he swung his legs over the side of the bed, his bedroom door opened, and in walked his mom and dad. Their faces were soft with love and concern.

“How’re ya doin’, buddy?” Joe asked.

Looking from his dad to his mom, Cosmo replied, “I guess I’m okay. I kinda feel like I’ve been beat up, though.”

“I know how you feel.” Joe replied.

Casting a glance at his mother, Cosmo asked, “Have you two talked about this yet?”

“Not exactly.” Joe said. “I thought we’d talk about it as a family.”

Rosemary spoke up at that point. “About that – don’t you think it would have been a good idea for you two to let me in on this before you sprung it on our friends?”

Sitting down wearily, Joe ran his hand over his face and replied, “Yeah, hon – I probably should have. I just kept waiting for the right moment, and it just seemed like the right moment never presented itself.”

Crossing her arms, Rosemary looked from Joe to Cosmo and said, “Well, it looks like the right moment is finally here, boys. Who wants to go first?”

Cosmo looked at Joe.

Rosemary looked at Joe.

Joe sighed and said, “Alright, alright. I guess it’s only fair. Sal visited me first, after all.”

So Joe recounted in detail all the events surrounding his meeting with Sal all those years ago, leaving nothing out. There was, in fact, more to the story than even Cosmo knew.

“…and then, when you were about 10 years old, Sal showed up again. He seemed kind of worried and – well – frantic. He told me that it was ‘absolutely imperative’ that we move out here to Washington State. He told me that I would be getting a call from a company out here, and that I absolutely must take the job. He also told me which house to buy, believe it or not.”

“Didn’t he say why?” Rosemary asked. “I mean – to just tell you that you need to ‘do this’ or ‘move there’ without giving you some reason…weren’t you just the least bit curious, Joe?”

“Yeah, Rosie – I was curious. I didn’t understand any of it. It isn’t every day that some old guy dressed as a maintenance worker comes up to you and tells you to completely alter your life, your plans, and everything in between – and then tell you that if you don’t, somebody will die.”

Rosie gasped. “He told you that? That someone would actually die?”

Joe held up a finger. “He actually said ‘A life hangs in the balance.’ I’m not so sure that means someone’s gonna die.”

Yes, I have been married more than once. In my defense, my first wife – although a capable mother – was nuts. It would only have been a matter of time before one of us made the evening news. So, after seven and a half years of marital “bliss,” I chose to do the honorable thing – run screaming in the opposite direction. In the six years I have been with my current wife, I haven’t once contemplated homicide. She also got mom’s stamp of approval,and that’s saying something. Thanks, mom.↩