A New Life

Don't you just love the smell of the ocean? Naturally, I just had to start this project here at Malibu. But where are my manners? Introductions! Howdy! My name's Preston - Preston Albert O'Brian. I just turned seventeen years old. I'm five feet ten and sopping wet I weigh about 150 pounds. I have red hair and blue eyes. Not too long ago, I didn't used to have many friends. But now I seem to be pretty popular at school and spend most of my time hanging out with my three best buds. I'll tell you more about them in a few.

Almost two years ago, my dad's job was eliminated and the fights between him and my mom ended one morning shortly thereafter. That was the day my mom told me that she and dad were splitting up. At the breakfast table, she asked if I would like to stay in Texas with dad or move to California with her. There would never be any love lost between my drunken old man and me so I paused for a few moments, making it appear as though this required thought then answered, "Let's move, this place is beat. When do we go?"

She smiled and said, "Your school year ends in two weeks. I’ll hand in my resignation today and we'll leave the day after your last day of school. How does that sound?"

So that's how my new life started.

My mom's sister got us a nice two-bedroom apartment in Woodland Hills and got my mom a few interviews lined up. During the trip from Texas to California, in a fit of boredom driving through the desert, I happened to look at the map. Omigod! Woodland Hills was in Los Angeles and only a few miles from the beach and the Pacific Ocean. The only beach I'd ever been to was Galveston and that was when I was twelve. Needless to say, I was getting jazzed about this deal.

In a few days a moving van would deliver our furniture and stuff. It was weird sleeping on pool rafts and sheets those first few nights. With nothing but my little stereo and a borrowed thirteen-inch TV from my Aunt for entertainment, my mom and I had what she called "a chance for quality time".

Yeah, it may sound funny, but my mom and I actually kind of became friends during that first week. She even taught me to dance and asked me about girls too! I like girls plenty, sure. But there's no doubt in my mind that guys are just as attractive, to me any way. Jeez, most times more so! I couldn't bring myself to say that last part to my mom though. Having never had sex with anyone, I didn't know what I wanted. I just knew I wanted - a lot!

Mom landed a job and our stuff was delivered while she was at work. I got to supervise the movers. One moving guy was worthy of a great deal of "supervision"! Anyhow, I finally got my trusty old bike back and, once the movers had finished, I went out for a ride around town.

The San Fernando Valley is a big, confusing area. More than a few times I found myself on streets with no outlet and turning around clueless. To me, all the major streets looked like each other. Checking my watch, I noticed it was almost 7PM. Within another hour it would be getting dark and my mom would have a major fit if I wasn't back by then. At the next stoplight, I checked my pockets for change to call home when another kid pulled up besides me at the corner. He had short brown hair and brown eyes that seemed friendly. I wasn't really sure, but he looked to be about my age and my height, but a few pounds lighter.

He said, "Hey. Wassup?"

"Hey," I said, "I guess I’m kind of lost," and then asked, "Can you tell me how to get to Topanga Canyon Boulevard?"

"Sure," he said, "I can ride with you there. It’s on my way home anyway. We gotta jet though, dude. I’m late and my mom’s gonna have a cow. I’m Keith," and offered his hand.

I shook his hand and introduced myself then the light changed. He led and I followed. When it was safe, we rode side by side and I told him that I had just moved to town and thanked him for helping me out of the mess I was in.

"No problem, dude." he said. "I was at my bud Mike’s house for a dip in his pool. Then Derrick showed up and they wanted to jam... I needed to jet anyway."

He started to say something about how Mike and Derrick were always together and that he lately sometimes felt weird with his two best friends. I just said that he didn’t have anything to worry about, but my thoughts were on his friends Derrick and Mike jamming. They were obviously musicians. And who is this Derrick? Even his name sounded attractive. As I wondered if I would ever meet them and have the chance to jam with them, we turned on to Topanga Canyon Blvd.

Shit! I was almost home. How did I get so lost only a few miles from my front door? I told Keith that I was back in familiar territory, thanked him for his help and offered him a cold Coke, if he could spare a few minutes. He said that he sure could, if he could call his mom to let her know where he was.

We locked our bikes and walked into the apartment to find my mom pacing the living room floor.

Breathlessly, she said, "Jesus, Preston! Where have you been? I was getting worried," her voice a mix of stressed concern and relief.

"I’m okay mom," I grinned and explained, "I thought I’d go out for a bike ride and get familiar with the area. Well, I got a little confused." Then I pointed to Keith and said, "Mom, this is Keith. He happened by and helped me find my way home."

"Pleased to meet you, ma’am." Keith chimed in, offering his hand to my mom.

He was a perfect gentleman. That impressed both my mom and me. I said, "Mom, Keith needs to use the phone for a few to let his mom know where he’s at." Reaching into the fridge, I grabbed two cans of Coke and handed one to Keith.

My mom said, "Help your self to the phone, Keith. Why don’t you stay for dinner? I’d like to thank you for helping Preston out today. Barbecued burgers, fries and corn on the cob is tonight’s menu."

"If your sure it’s no trouble, I’ll ask my mom," Keith replied.

My mom walked around the counter and did the dinner preparation gig. Keith finished on the phone and got permission to stay with instructions to be home no later than 11PM. We grabbed our Cokes and went back to my bedroom, which was still in a state of disarray with boxes and stuff all over. Keith sat on my bed and looked over at my CD collection on the dresser while I dug through some boxes looking for my Super Nintendo stuff.

"Cool CD collection, Prez. I guess you're not into much current stuff," Keith commented, "there's mostly classic rock here."

I momentarily wondered whom he was calling "Prez" and turned to look at him. No one had ever called me anything but Preston back in Texas. But I liked the sound of it. "Thanks. I like the Back Street Boys and N'Sync and Collective Soul and some other newer stuff," I explained, "I just haven't had the money to add to my collection. Mostly, I listen to classic rock stations on the radio. Go ahead and pick something out you like." Finally finding my games and Super Nintendo, I started hooking it up to the thirteen inch TV of my Aunt's (that I had shamelessly confiscated and put in to my room).

Keith hummed thoughtfully then said, "I can't really say I know much of this stuff. I know Pink Floyd though. Maybe we could catch a buzz some time and check that out?"

"Sounds great man. I haven't gotten high much but I have enjoyed it."

Keith said, "Cool, I was hoping you'd say something like that. Derrick, Mike and I usually partake of the fruit of the cannabis gods almost every weekend." His voice gradually got softer after he mentioned Derrick and Mike. I might've asked what was up but I just met this guy and didn't think pressing the issue was the right thing to do.

I got up and walked over to the bed saying, "Well how about something upbeat like umm…. Journey Frontiers is pretty cool or some metal like Rush 2112?"

Grabbing the Journey disk, he said, "I've heard some Journey on the radio, that'll do," and dropped it into the player drawer. As it started playing, he came over, knelt on the floor besides me and offered to help get the cable TV and Nintendo stuff set up.

I ranted, "It's the cable connector, man. It's all fucked up and when I try to screw it on, it just pops off and shit this is pissing me off!"

Keith's eyes got wildly wide and he chuckled, "Heehee, just screw it on, dude. Ya know how to screw, don't ya? Hahaha"

I looked over at him and laughed, "Hahaa, well umm... no but I hope to learn some day. Hold the damn deck steady for me okay?"

"Sure, I'll hold her steady and you screw! Why am I always the one left observing the merriment?"

"Hahaa! Come on now! I'm having a hard enough time without the commentaries."

He laughed heartily, "I would hope you'd be hard enough if your gonna screw it!" and fell over a bit onto me.

That cracked me up. I leaned over onto him, laughing hysterically, momentarily loosing my sense of purpose. When I regained some composure, I leaned forward to try again. An otherwise easy task must've taken fifteen minutes between his shouting "screw it," and my replying "it's hard" or "too tight" or "getting close".

Just as we finally got the unit set up, my mom knocked on the door and peeked in. "Boys, wash up for dinner. And keep down the rude commentaries please."

"Sure, mom. Sorry about all that, we were just…"

She grinned, shook her head and walked off down the hall.

Still chuckling, Keith and I got up and walked across the hall into the bathroom, each of us taking one of the two sinks. Then, Keith closed the door behind him and walked around me to the toilet. He lifted the seat and pulled down his fly.

"Let me finish here, man and you can whiz in peace," I said, noticing a good four inches of circumcised teen boy meat.

"Don't sweat it bud. I have two younger brothers and we share one bathroom," he explained as he started to piss. "If we had to wait for each other to get ready for school in the morning, we'd never get out of the house."

"Oh, two brothers, huh? I guess being an only child, I just kind of thought you'd want some privacy."

He finished relieving himself, flushed and washed his hands while I dried mine. I had spent way too much time working up a lather as I washed my hands but I couldn't help watching him from the mirror. I handed him the towel and waited for him then we walked out to the kitchen table and had a seat.

As soon as we were all seated, my mom started asking Keith all about himself. All the stuff I never thought to even ask. I just sat there and absorbed it all while my mom continued her twenty-questions routine. Keith was fifteen years old, going on sixteen in September. We were practically the exact same age! He had his learners permit and could drive with an adult. We would be attending the same high school as would Mike and Derrick. He was an average student but didn't work to get better grades. He lived with his mom, dad and two brothers in a house about a mile away. He liked mountain biking, skateboarding, roller blading and surfing. He didn't have a girlfriend and had only been on one date before.

When we finished dinner I got up to help my mom clear the table, causing her to stare at me with wide, wondering eyes.

I don't know why I did it! That was the first time. But things had changed so much in those last few weeks, especially the last week, especially between my mom and me. It just seemed to be the right thing to do. 'Course, it got to be always that way. The quicker we got things cleaned up, the quicker we could both do other things.

Stepping away from the table, Keith said, "Great burgers, Mrs. O'Brian. Prez, how about a walk to... umm... digest these burgers?"

"Sure." I said, turning towards him to see eyes and a grin that together spelled mischief.

"Umm… Mom we'll be back soon and won't be far."

Keith said, "Thanks again, Mrs. O'Brian. See you later."

"You're welcome, Keith. Make sure your home by eleven. Preston, cover your ass."

All that my mom probably heard was some mixture of "I will mom" and "Yes, ma'am" as I closed the door behind us.

As soon as the door was shut, I softly asked, "What's the deal man?" and grinned, "Suddenly you looked like you had just thrown the neighbors cat off a barn roof."

Reaching into his pants pocket he pulled out a single fat joint. "This is the deal! I know a quiet place near here were we can burn this," he said, as we turned out on to the main street. "I thought we'd do this up and check out that Pink Floyd CD."

"Very cool!" I said, as he led me down the street.

"It's not a problem, dude. This is way better than what I was planning on doing tonight. I thought I'd be smoking this alone."

"Oh? Why wouldn't you share with your buds?"

"I don't know about those two lately, dude. I dunno, it's probably just me being paranoid. It's just that, suddenly the three way jokes are more two ways and I'm standing there wondering what I missed. I met Mike in like, second grade and Derrick lives in the house behind his. Seems that they've known each other forever." He paused a few moments then sighed, "I'm sorry 'bout this dude." With a slight quiver in his voice, he added, "It's just been on my mind a lot since school let out."

Moving a little closer to him, I softly said, "Keith, man you helped me out of a jam today and I'm kind of grateful I got lost. You’re the first guy my age I've spent any time with in weeks. You were great around my mom tonight. I'd like to repay you for all you've done. How can I help you man?"

Looking in my eyes, Keith smiled, "You already have, Prez. I was planning on smoking this and staying home to sulk tonight, but this is much better. You were right there when I needed someone." We held eye contact for a few moments and then, just as it started feeling a little awkward, Keith turned away and said, "I hope you didn't ask a lot of people directions before you met me. LA is a wacked place dude. Be careful or you'll find yourself lost in the Santa Monica Mountains."

Still watching him intently, I said, "Actually I had passed some folks outside their houses and though of it but it didn't seem right to ask them. I don't know, you just seemed to be someone I could ask."

We walked into a small park, sat in the swings and lit the joint. That stuff I smoked in Texas must've been poor or this was truly excellent because I was buzzing after the first toke. In between coughs and giggles, he managed to ask me where I was from and why I was in California. Suddenly, I felt that I was talking about someone else when I told him my past, which only made things that much more surreal, making me laugh harder. We finished the joint and played on the swings, practically pulling the steel pipes out of their concrete footings. Then we moved over to the little merry-go-round and proceeded to get ourselves so dizzy we couldn't stand up right.

Just before we left the park, Keith pulled out a bottle of Visine, tilted his head back and dowsed his eyes. Then he handed me the bottle and I dowsed my entire face, eventually getting some in my eyes. Keith roared laughing at me. With all the chlorine water, salt water and smog my eyes are exposed to daily, I've gotten better, I swear!

We walked back to the apartment and said "Hi" to my mom and walked right past her to my bedroom. "Dark Side of the Moon" was dropped in and we settled back on the bed, sitting side by side at first, then lying side by side as the music washed over us. We were virtually silent for the entire length of the CD. Occasionally, one of us would move or shift position slightly and brush against the other. I had never listened to Floyd in that state of mind before. I didn't know then what was causing the rushing sensations; was it the buzz, or the music, or the new friend I had lying besides me? I think I'll remember that experience when I'm old and gray.

We walked out into the kitchen for something to drink and realized it was 10:30. I gave Keith a can of coke and my phone number. I was tempted to ask him to spend the night. But the apartment was a maze of half emptied boxes and I thought that my mom would just as soon not have an extra person around.

As we headed for the door, Keith said, "I'll call you tomorrow," and then turned and asked, asked, "How about I give you the five cent tour of the area?

I enthusiastically said, "That would be way cool, man. I hated getting lost today. Around here I can barely find my way to the grocery store and back! Heehee"

"Cool. I'll call you around lunchtime and we'll hook up."

I walked Keith outside, he unlocked his bike and we said our goodnights. When I got back inside, my mom was on her hands and knees unpacking a box and watching the Channel Nine News. Kneeling down beside her, I asked if she needed any help. She said she was going to finish that box and go to bed early. I noticed one of her CD's, Tomita's "Snowflakes are Dancing". I kissed my mom goodnight, took the CD back to my room and put it on continuous play. Then I stripped down to my BVD's and crawled into bed. That night, I slept more soundly than I had in a long time and had some pretty wild dreams too, as I recall. The next morning when I woke up, as I was watching myself brush my teeth, I didn't see the same person watching back in the mirror. I had changed. Stepping into the shower, I vowed to continue to be different than I had been. No longer would I sit back waiting for something or anything to happen. Keith was polite around my mom and prone to attacks of silliness while we were together. I wanted his friendship more than anything else.

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