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synchronicity

2005-01-02 - new year

NY was good, but naturally it was time for me to cry over missing my family once I left them. I had just said goodbye and since it was 20 degrees out, Christmas had a mean spirit to it. Leaving a place you love is hard, when you appreciate every word your loved ones say, and you know they don�t even know how good they have it with each other.

It was a necessary trip. I met up with a guy I was in a major relationship with ten years ago, and I hadn�t seen him since then. Where he used to stand outside his Ford Falcon and pass a beer to one of his friends, now he stood outside his car, standing how a mature man stands when he�s contemplating things. It�s really him, but inside a more expanded and experienced mind. Combat boots have been replaced with dress shirts. He is an amazing and talented photographer and when we used to do photo shoots together, he�d display the prints and sell them at art shows and exhibits. We did another shoot when I was home this time, and they came out just as magical. Sometimes connection and timing is everything.

Not to complain, but the plane back to LA was reminiscent of roller coasters I�m glad I never went on. I was sure this was the end, one snapped metal wing at a time. The aircraft was making some loud noises and behaving very badly, otherwise known as turbulence. My smiling seatmate, whom I spoke with the entire time, didn�t mention until now that he was a life coach.

�Breathe, just breathe, Ohell.�

�I�m trying. Hey check the (BUMP!) stewardesses� faces. Do they look worried to you?�

�Nope, they�re congregating in the back of the (BAM!) plane like nothing�s happening.�

�What was your name again?�

�Jeremy. I�m a Life Coach.�

�So, do (BAM!) Life Coaches always smile in the face of possible doom?�

�Everything�s fine, you�ll see.�

Everything was fine, but I watched Jeremy around the time the plane felt like it was going to flip over, and he was smiling, but his eyebrows shot upwards like an arrow for a second.

�Jeremy! You�re not scared, are you?�

�Nope. I didn�t think you could see my face, though. �

�Well then why did your eyebrows shoot up like that?�

�I�m just wondering if that screaming baby knows something.�

I wasn�t certain of it before, but now I could almost see the value in a Life Coach.

One of the strangest things happened while I was home was when I was out driving with one of my old friends. We were on the drive thru Starbucks line and it was on some random street, in some location I wasn�t familiar with.

�Oh fuck.�

So I said, Oh fuck what?

�That�s Coviello behind us in line.�

�You�re kidding.�

�I�m not kidding. I hope he didn�t see me.�

�Tell him to get out, I want to meet him.�

�No, Ohell. Absolutely not!�

�What. Just a hi, I�m curious. I need to know.�

�Hellie, this is the kind of guy that would SHOOT YOU IN THE FACE and not think twice about it. I don�t associate with him, and I haven�t for years. No!�

�Just a hello.�

�You don�t know these freakin� guys. I do.�

�Hey. News. I�m a big girl ��

�I know that. But you�re gonna hear things come out of his mouth that you won�t like. Trust me.�

� Hey. You. Stop it. It�s meant to happen. What are the odds? �

�You�re a piece of fuckin� work, you know that?�

�I know. Just to say hello. Don�t be dramatic, and get yourself all wound up, it�s just another day.�

My friend waved out the window, and John yelled to him to pull over, he�d buy him coffee. But my buddy had already bought the triple shot heart pump expresso. We pulled into the parking area. John noticed he wasn�t traveling alone.

�What, did you two meet on the internet?�

No, I told him. I�ve known my friend since I was a teenager.

�Good to see you. Yeah, how about this whole court thing. Fuckin� crazy, right? Ohell, excuse my language, I�m really a good boy.�

�It�s no shock, I have brothers.�

�What�s that?�

�She�s no angel, trust me. �

My friend glared at me. However, I knew he wasn�t completely sorry we stopped.

�Yeah, man, with the court thing. They questioned me, I told them I wasn�t involved.�

�Yeah I�ve been reading about it.�

�I was honest. They weren�t expecting that. They said, Did you rob this guy on this day? Yes. Did you beat up this one back then? Yes. Well did you commit this crime here? Nope. I wasn�t there. I don�t know nothing about it. You know what I mean?�

He looked at me so I shrugged and summed it up.

�There�s a little bad in the best of us, and a little good in the worst of us.�

Man, you�ve known me since way back. Would I do that? I would never ever hit a woman. I had to see my old man beat my Mother every day. Never. Now a guy I would beat! But not a woman. It�s just too bad, that kid of theirs did it. There was blood on that tissue he was holding and everything.�

My friend wasn�t saying much.

�I don�t know, John.�

I bit my tongue and let the guy have his opinion. He didn�t need to know more than hello.

�They want to do my story, big time. I�ve been approached by all the major studios, you name it. But I�m holding out for Warner Brothers. My whole life story could be a movie.�

If I had a dollar for every time someone told me that, I could buy Warner Brothers .

My friend told him that a mutual acquaintance of theirs shot himself in the head the other day, while running from the cops after a robbery. Coviello told him the guy missed, and is in the jail/ hospital with a major head injury. So much for that.

�Hey you two want to go to lunch down the street? We could talk, it�s freaking cold here.�

�No, I gotta get her back to Queens. We don�t have a lot of time. I�m just Xmas shopping. �

�Ok, cool. Ohell, you like jewelry? I have carat, half carat, earrings, necklaces, everything. I�ll show you if you want.�

My friend snapped his head and shot a nasty look at me that I actually felt. I shot him one back that said, A) I don�t have that kind of money and B) Do you actually think I would? Don�t underestimate your friend of many years. And p.s., if I were one of your guy friends, I know you wouldn�t doubt me that way.

�No, but thanks, we actually do have to get going.�

�Hey, it was great meeting you Ohell, how long are you in town for?�

�I�m taking off soon. It�s freezing here.�

�Yeah yeah I know. I�m moving too, I just have to get out of this place. I�m tired of every time I turn around people think I had something to do with this. I�m out of here too. You sure you guys don�t have time to go to lunch?�

�No, thanks, John. We have to go.�

�OK, well, great to meet you, have a great time back in California.�

So then what do you say to someone who is believed to have taken away the parents of someone you really care about?

�I will. Take care of yourself, John.�

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