mirrors

AND NOW, TEN YEARS LATER...

Although he has always loved dancing by himself in the middle of the supermarket (or at parties, with a glass of rum in his hand), there was nothing better than dancing with Delta or with his children. No need to say then that the male didn’t resist when people started to line dancing at the rodeo. Grabbing the hand of Aiden, his first born, he dragged his son towards the other people, doing a few steps with him until both father and son laughed. No matter how much they were trying, they would never be as good as Delta when it comes to dancing. But at least they were having fun and soon enough, Aiden found his place between his father’s arms.

Smiling at the rest of the family and joined by one of the foster kids, Zachary enjoyed a few minutes of dancing with the children. It was one of his favorite things about the rodeo. He could dance, he could spend time with animals, he could see his friends and challenge himself at the mechanical bull. Really, there were all the things he could need to have a great time -- which was exactly what was happening every year, especially when some friends who were not living in town anymore would make the move to Bayview for the weekend.

Pleasure! I went on a couple of different vacations there. Ironically, I did film a movie that took place in Mexico once, but we actually shot it in the Dominican Republic, so there’s that. But it was still nice. Sort of like your own little fantasy world, right? I can only imagine how good that must have felt! I hope so, I haven’t seen any bugs yet, let’s put it that way. I hope that we make it through the rest of the weekend with no bites!

That’s funny, to shoot a movie happening in Mexico in another place when you’ve been used to going there for fun. But at least you got to enjoy this beautiful country, that’s always a nice thing. Exactly! Like my own mermaid paradise, that’s it. So far so good, right? They must have some kind of superpowers here, to make all the bugs go away so we could enjoy the weekend without any worry.

You never know! There are some people back home who don’t like me all that much, although I’m not sure if they think I’m a bad person or just that they don’t like me, so maybe you’re right. I like to put out good person vibes when I can, anyway. I love you more! I think that it is, I think that it means you were meant to be best friends, and you might as well stop trying to fight it, since it’s going to happen whether you like it or not, at this point. I was going to say, is it really so abd to be thrown into a pool at what basically ends up being a gigantic pool party, anyway? When you think about it, they’re just getting us started on all of the fun! And maybe deciding to disown us for not being that funny in the process, but it’s not our fault that they can’t see us for the comedic geniuses that we actually are. Alright, that’s what we’ll do tonight, is tell each other jokes all night, how does that sound? It’s a lot, but also, I’m glad to be experiencing time flying this way with you by my side, honestly. Okay, deal! Do you think they’ll fall for me as a kid…? If not, we could always say Blue is our child.

Are those people blind, silly or pure evil? Cause that’s the only reasons why someone wouldn’t be able to appreciate what an angel you are. So don’t worry, you give some strong good person vibes, it’s just a shame that some people don’t see it and they clearly don’t know you the way I do. Ugh, maybe that’s true. Maybe the little furry devil and I are meant to be friends eventually. We might be working on that either way. Nope, it doesn’t feel like a bad thing at all. And now that I’ve heard your jokes, I actually think that there’s a chance we don’t end up in the pool. At least not right away, they’d probably listen to us for 30 minutes before they do it, which is some kind of victory. Me too, you know. That’s the best way to see time flying away. Or to not see it, actually. Weeell. Don’t get me wrong, I think you look young and pretty but I’m not sure they would believe us. So we’re going to tell them that Blue is our child instead, sounds like a safer option.

Anyone who does think of you as the devil doesn’t actually know you, I can say that much. Because I happen to know you as a pretty angelic presence in my life, and I won’t accept anything else. Well, you didn’t get bit or hissed at, either, so I think we can count that as… some sort of success, right? Because you guys are making progress together! Besides, you’re right, and he was just being respectful of your allergies, obviously. It really should, what if we hijacked the outdoor stage at the Getaway this weekend and ended up performing our comedy set? I mean, we would also end up pushed into the pool, I don’t doubt it, but what a way to go. I’m on board with that – isn’t it weird to think about how close we are to Halloween now? We’ll have to start stocking up on candy, too! You know, for the kids… or just for me, I’m not going to complain. I hope you got well rested, because I am ready for a good time!

And the same goes for you, although I don’t think that anyone would ever think of you as a bad person, that’s impossible. Aw, look at you being the cutest one. I love you. Well... that’s fair. He didn’t bite me. You may be right, maybe it is a sign that we are making progress and that one day, we will manage to live around you without giving each other wary looks. I mean... it’s not completely a crazy idea. You’re right when you say we might end up being pushed in the pool but at the same time it’s Summer, it wouldn’t be a bad thing enjoy the water! We just have to work a little on our jokes and then, I’ll be down for it. Which means that you should actually give a look at my potential jokes cause mine might suck more than yours. I know! Time is flying way too fast, it’s insane. You know what, I’ll take you out for Halloween and we’ll go trick-or-treat together.

Totally, and over time we lose sight of what something looked like, or small details fade, so it’s amazing to be able to look back on the things that we were able to capture in photographs and realize how it really was. Oh gosh, no, I can imagine. Mexico is so beautiful, I’ve spent a lot of time in Cancun, and I love it there, but Tulum is one of those places that just seems magical every time I see photos! Nope! Unless there are some bugs hovering around the Getaway, but I am hoping not!

Exactly. This is how the human brain works but it’s always nice to have a little reminder of things thanks to pictures. You have? Was it for wok or because you went on a vacation there? It is magical for sure. You feel like you are miles and miles away from reality when you’re there. It should be alright! Last time I went there, there was no bug at least. Hopefully it is still the same now.

I think that there are some things that we can’t honestly answer and we’re bother off just not knowing the answers too. I think that we just have to leave things be some of the time. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that.  I’m glad that you had a good time. I mean, camping is fun but beaches  are something else all together. Any quality time with the people we love is good.  I think that  she is generally a sweet person and she might just like you enough to hear you out if it was something you were really passionate about but it might not be something she was really into. She could secretly be into the cartel though.

Absolutely. We have to accept that some questions don’t have any answer. Or at least that we would never access to those answers. So letting go isn’t always easy but it’s the way out. That’s two very different things but I enjoy them both, to be honest. As long as I’m outdoors, I’m a happy man. I don’t need much. She is the sweetest for sure. I’ll probably think that something’s wrong with me if I were enjoying selling drugs or producing them. Or at least I’d be worried about myself. Oh! I know she’s a pirate queen but I never thought she could be using her ship for a cartel.

The superheroes eventually show themselves to the world. Doesn’t take them very long to stay hidden in the dark. I would say that we should test it out, but I don’t need a haircut right now. Oh, good! I survived as well. Just have a bit of some backache but my body is content now that I’m able to sleep on my bed again. 

The scissors are the one true test to figure out who’s a superhero and who isn’t. I don’t need one either, but next time I do, you’ll be the first to know about it and we’ll try our theory out. Same, man. My body was a bit sore but being able to sleep in my own bed again made it better.

Just have to set those boundaries, man. Make sure they know that you are not the one to experiment on. They have those wigs / cosmetic heads that they can practice on! Though guess making them not feel on edge would help too. Hopefully you’ll be able to avoid that for a little bit. Oh yeah, super soon, it’s crazy how soon things are going to kick off. I’m ready but I’m not all at the same time. 

That’s a very good point. I’ll make sure to remind them that wigs exist if I ever feel like they’re about to do something crazy on me. But for now, I don’t have to go to the hairdresser so it should be alright, I’m safe. I know that feeling! But don’t worry, I’m sure you’re going to rock it. Break a leg!

That’s sweet of you to say. You’re earning points, Zac.  I don’t know that anyone wants to be left with those questions. It’s always better to beg for forgiveness over permission when it comes to living one’s life. It’s so short anyways that it would be a nightmare to miss out on those beaches.  I definitely think that Tulum sounds lovely from what I’ve been hearing. I wouldn’t have wanted to be dragged away from it. I appreciate being high on the notification list. You should probably tell Delta first though since her opinion on the whole career change might be more important than mine.  I am the kind of person who can when it matters.  It’s not been so bad, a little cold at times  but there are solutions for that.

More points to me, yay! Those questions are the best way to get you confused or anxious or just mad at yourself for no valid reasons. Really, it’s way better to go live that life without asking yourself too many questions about how life would be if you had made another choice. Tulum was amazing indeed, so I thought it would be a bit rough to go camping at first but I quickly enjoyed it. Oh yeah, you’d be the first after Delta even if I’m not sure that she would approve the new drug business.

Which is probably a good thing! I think those bad things we remember are kind of big enough you don’t need to be setting reminders. Moving during Christmas would have been rough, I couldn’t have imagined it. So at least you were able to get in afterwards and just enjoy the calm of the winter to begin with. It’s been pretty great so far, though I am looking forward to roasting marshmallows tonight and seeing if I can get my s’mores game on. 

Absolutely. Plus most of the time, we don’t even need a reminder to still have those bad things in mind. I think it would be a little bit crazy to move during that time of the year, unless you’re staying in the same town but you’re just moving to the street next door, you know. So, do you still have your s’mores game on? Did you enjoy the entire weekend?

Couldn’t agree more! Photographs hold on to so many memories, and sometimes we really would be lost without them, or at least incapable of remembering what happened with perfect details in a lot of them. I can only imagine, and then you went right from paradise to more camping. Although at least you get to do that with the rest of us, so maybe that can be a nice little added bonus for you! So far, so good! I haven’t gotten eaten by anything – minus a bug here or there – so it’s been a success!

That’s so true. I can’t even remember how many times I’ve looked at a picture and thought “oh so this is what it looked like!”. The brain can’t remember everything after all so photographs are a good support. It was nice! Granted it wasn’t the same kind of comfort than in a Mexican hotel room but it was still a good time. I’m so proud of you for surviving it! We won’t have to face the bugs anymore now, right?

No, of course not, babe! Doesn’t sound like anything that you would ever be capable of, we all know that you are a living angel on this earth. Which actually is true, but. Shh, we can pretend I didn’t say that. That’s what he’s going to do the moment that we get done with camping on Monday, actually, give you that little self-satisfied look to let you know that he owns me. But it’s okay, he’s cute, I’ll take it. I think that more comedy clubs should be like that! Where people are celebrated just for trying… although I guess that might mean that I’ve missed the point a little bit, but that’s okay. There’s nothing wrong with me wanting to be nice, right? Fingers crossed. I think so, too! Although hearing rain in the middle of the night was a little spooky, even though you secured the tent pretty well. I woke up nice and dry, after all. I hear you, do you know how good that bed is going to feel tomorrow? Because I will tell you now: so good.

Thanks you for recognizing it. I’m the best angel, like no one would ever think of me as an evil person, that’s impossible. I hate that you were right about how Beanie was going to welcome you -- I say ‘you’ because I didn’t get the same snuggle. Which was probably for the best cause my nose wouldn’t have enjoyed having cat hairs right under it. I couldn’t agree more. Comedy club should be about celebrating all kinds of humor and jokes. Even the bad ones! As weird as it sounds, I enjoyed the spooky vibes. It was like a pre-Halloween vibes and Halloween is always a fun time so, no complaints from me. That said, I’m really, really happy to be home again. At least now we get to rest a little before the closing party at The Getaway.

The universe knew what it was doing when they decided to put us together. You’re right. The scissors would pretty much bounce off our strong bodies. Might even break, if we’re being honest. I sure did! Had a great time, not to mention the wonderful gifts you gave me. How’d you survive the first night at camping? 

Right?! It has done such a great job with us, I like it. Exactly. That’s how you recognize a superhero from a regular guy. The scissors would either bounce off or break, I don’t know. I’m glad to hear that! I survived the first night, and the second one. So I think it’s all doing good! Is everything doing good for you, too?

I definitely would never leave someone to fend for themselves if they were in danger. I’m no monster!  I’m glad that you plan on doing that though. I think you really shouldn’t spend your life worrying about ‘what if’ anyways because then you’ll miss all the special memories you’re currently making with your hair.  Mexico is a good choice. Did you go for the beaches or the something more nefarious? I won’t tell if you’re secretly a drug lord named El Pelo on your days off. I’m down for camping though we’ll see how well I handle it rough.

You’re a very good person, Nicola. You can be proud of yourself. I couldn’t agree more. I’ve been in the whole “what if” kind of mood before and it isn’t helping. Enjoying life as it is is much better. The beaches! We went to Tulum. It was so nice and so relaxing. So no drug deals yet! But if I ever start that business, you’ll be one of the first to know. I feel like you’d keep my secret no matter what. How is it going so far?

It’s almost like daring them if you close your eyes. So I say don’t do that, watch them closely, just not enough to also make them nervous to make a mistake. Thankfully mine’s been pretty good but I’m also someone who isn’t afraid to shave off all his hair down super short if I have to, so that does help. Tour kicks off August 20th in Vegas! So very soon, just a few more days. 

Exactly, I don’t want them to think it is the perfect excuse to try new things on my head. So I am going to keep being careful around them -- and lowkey enough to make them comfortable. Oh that’s so soon! Five more days and you’ll be back having fun on stage.