Part Two - Freddy and Maddy

Part Two – Freddy and Maddy

It probably wasn’t a big deal but he stayed on my mind for the rest of the month. Long sunny days would make me believe it had actually been the best thing to end up here, at this crazy spot in the world, right at this time. I would wake up everyday early to go to work and wouldn’t stay up at night so I could go to bed and just dream. Dream, dream, dream for there was nothing else to do, actually. Nothing that I’d care doing anyway.

The winter wasn’t happening. People hanging with less clothes than one would expect, Hollywood heroes and foes gathering and sharing some air, bikini goddesses and sexy bodybuilders, wannabe actors, wannabe actresses, people slash this, people slash that battling to find their spots in the warm and round sun. In a sunny morning one of my best friends on earth and roommate, Freddy, couldn’t find his glasses! He was on the third round of searching and no finding when I got sick of it.

-Ok, Freddy! What the hell, I’m helping ya’!
-Thank Lord!
-No, you must say: Thank you, Lady!
-Shut up! Help me to find it!
-Ha! I will. When did you last see them?
-Well, I don’t know… My best guess is... last night?
-It definitely was because you can’t see anything without them on!
-Yeah!
-How could you possibly get home driving if you lost them before? They ARE in this house!

We lived in a small but very charming condo, and we weren’t the most well-organized set of people around so we’d lose lots of things everyday. We looked all over the place, we went through his things, his bed, his closet, the clothes spread out on the floor, the computer desk, the corners, the bathroom etc. Then we moved to my room and the glasses weren’t there. I was getting tired and had to go to work. Freddy had to go to college and I had already given up on the idea of finding it. That was when Freddy got desperate!

-Iris, sweetheart! If you really, really, really help me find it I’ll give you Ethan Hawke’s phone number!

I couldn’t believe he had come up with the subject like that! I didn’t even mention what had happened that new year’s eve and it wasn’t in my plans remembering about it right now!

-How did you get it, Freddy?
-You know I got connections…
-Screw you! Won’t do you any favors any longer… - I entered my room and shut the door making the walls shake from the strength I put into it.
-Okay, Miss-I-Don’t-Care-About-Hollywood-Shit! I’ll just call him myself and tell him you miss him! – I didn’t mention this but Freddy was a hell of a blackmailer. He’d do that all the time about everything and I was so sick of it, but I loved him! I opened the door and had that “I’ll kill you” look in my face.
-Don’t you DARE!
-So help me, Iris, I NEED YOU!

We went through it all again, trying to find his stupid glasses and we eventually did and I went to work late that day.

When I got home from work, Freddy hadn’t come yet. He had hang out with his movie pals after class and watched Star Wars for the thirtieth time or dissed some new comer’s movie. I did my same thing, all over again. Baked some nice bread, put on some butter on it, made some hot coffee, turned the television on and watched any sitcom channel and just sat on the couch trying not to think about anything else. Everyone I knew would tell me how stupid I was for missing so much. I was young, as they’d tell me hundreds of times, I should be enjoying things. Going out and all that crap, but I didn’t want to. I wanted to be quiet, I wanted to enjoy things my way and was getting pretty nervous about not having the right people to do it with me. I mean, I loved Freddy! Just the way I loved Meredith, our best friend that lived next door and worked at a go go dancing club. I loved them but they weren’t around me much. I needed real close people near me all the time! That’d be the only way to be happy and I wasn’t so I just sat there… One more night.

***

Can’t quite remember how it happened. All I know I was sleeping tight when Freddy and Meredith – whom we’d facetiously call Maddy – entered my room and messed with some papers on my desk. I didn’t move but I’d waken up when they got in. I didn’t think they were doing any bad thing but felt I should just wait. Sooner or later I would find out what they were up to. By the morning Freddy had prepared breakfast and the house smelled like eggs and coffee. As I sat in the balcony to eat we spoke.

-Good morning, journalist queen!
-Good morning, movie freak! What happened to your brains? Did you fall down last night? Are you in one piece, I mean, do you need help?
-Why, Iris? Didn’t you love the breakfast ready at your table?
-Yeah, I loved it! But I mean… you never do that…
-Yes, I don’t but you know… every now and then things happen…
-Oh really? What happened today?
-Nothing!
-You don’t make any sense, my friend…
-I know! I just felt like doing it. Today I’m not having a busy day and I thought I could do something for you. You’re always doing things for me and Maddy, I thought I could do something for you.
-Oh, nice, nice… By the way, is Maddy asleep? I really wanted to talk with her…

But the time I said that Maddy came in through the front door holding a bag of grapes and apples. She knew how much I was fond of them!

-Mad!
-Hey silly, good morning… - she always kisses me in the forehead, every time she’d see me. She was a little older than me and had a totally different lifestyle than mine but we had this magical friendship. We really understood each other. – Brought you things you love…
-What’s up with you people today? – Freddy and Maddy would look like they were hiding something and I didn’t like it at all… - Are you hiding something from me?
-No, we’re not!
-Maddy and I just felt like making you happy!
-What? Suddenly you just walk in and make everything beautiful for me? It was supposed to be the other way around, folks! I’m the one that likes to iron your clothes, prepare your meals, wash the dishes… Why did you change it like that? I was happy like that!
-Oh! We’re not changing it, Iris, we’re doing something different for one single day, you can have your own routine back by tomorrow!
-Shut up, Freddy! Look, Iris… - Maddy was the motherly type of woman that made me feel so comfy and cozy – we really just felt you needed to be cheered up. You’ve got to get out of this boring life you’re living.
-Yeah, sweetheart. You didn’t come all the way from Brazil to live like a modest newspaper woman. You deserve more than that…
-You deserve more than staying up all night reading…
-More than watching sitcoms and eating…
-More than jogging twice a week…

I was getting embarrassed by that over caring, but I knew that they were right.

-Guys, I’m really happy that you want to take care of me like that and all but… I just can’t be like you. I don’t feel like going out to all these parties and things while the world outside’s just vanishing and quickly turning into hell…
-Baby! Wake up, hell’s always been here!
-I know, Mad, but hey I’m not like you! I love you, but I’m not like you! Thank you both for your sweet ways but I just have to get ready for work. Excuse me.

I grabbed my cup of coffee and locked myself into my room and got ready for work. By the time I went out they weren’t there anymore and there was a small piece of paper stuck in the front door. I could read Freddy’s awful handwriting.

“Lovely Iris, write down this number, I owe you this.
310-4485
Love you, Freddy.”

I thought it was Ethan Hawke’s number, at least Freddy said he had it… but I didn’t believe it. Just left the small note by the door, where I found it and went out, had a long and busy day ahead of me.