Chapter 4: Garlic Bob's
The conversation around the dinner table at Garlic Bob's mostly revolved around Delia. They didn't want Ephram to feel like he was being scrutinized under a microscope even though they were ultimately concerned for him. Ephram appeared to have said and done everything to his parent's approval throughout the entire dinner. He was careful not to mention Everwood or anything remotely related to his past life there. Regardless, the memories of Everwood constantly popped into his head but he refrained himself from saying any of it. His parents got uptight when he starts with that mumbo- jumbo. The only thing he did out of the ordinary was order black olive as one of the toppings for his pizza. According to his parents, he always hated black olives. But they let it slide.
"So, how was your food?" Andy spoke munching on a slice of buttered bread.
"Good. Very tasty." Ephram replied. "Was there a waiter named 'Trey' that worked here?"
"Yes - you're correct." Andy said. Smiles went all around the table upon Ephram's memory slowly returning. "He's our usual waiter but he's off tonight."
"Ephram, you've been remembering so much today. I think we should celebrate. Let's splurge on dessert." Julia decided. And nodded to Andy.
"I want a banana split with strawberry ice cream and chocolate sprinkles!" Delia called out batting her big blue eyes in excitement causing Ephram to grin.
"You got it, kiddo!" Andy lightly flipped Delia's cap rim down on her face playfully. Delia pushed the oversized cap back up and merrily pouted her soft oily lips.
"Mommy, I have to go to the bathroom." Delia said wiping her greasy mouth with her cloth napkin.
"OK, we'll be right back. Don't you dare order dessert without us." Julia said to Andy and Ephram. "C'mon, sweetie." She motioned for Delia to follow. They disappeared behind the pay phone lounge to the restrooms.
"Can I ask you a question?" Ephram showed a slight moment of hesitation.
"Ephram, you can ask me anything." Andy said putting down his glass of wine.
"Was mom having an affair behind your back?"
"What?! No, why would you say such a thing!" A flabbergasted Andy turned red upon hearing the astounding and embarrassing question. "Of course she wasn't. We love each other very much."
"It's just that in Everwood, I remember a discussion we had. And you said you suspected she was cheating on you." Ephram responded slouching in his seat staring blankly at a tiny burnt hole on the red tablecloth next to his plate with his hands tucked between his knees. "You told me a lot of stuff in Everwood. But I was always the defiant one. I hated you but yet I didn't. I kept saying mom should've left you because you didn't care about us. You only cared about work." He added showing no emotion at all.
"Ephram, are you feeling alright?" Andy asked noticing the dramatic zombie- like turn in Ephram's behavior hardly blinking at all.
"I was so isolated and lonely. People at school considered me like some city sideshow freak - an outcast. But then it was always about YOU. YOU needed to get away and you dragged me and Delia with you. You never once thought how much the change would affect me. Not until we moved to Everwood." He continued in a low tone.
"Ephram. Snap out of it. Everwood is not real." Andy worded slowly while taking his son's hand. Ephram blinked and looked at his father with his helpless greenish-gray eyes seeking an explanation.
"I-I didn't mean what I just said." On the verge of tears, Ephram sucked it in. Andy saw his son's pain and confusion. Ephram withdrew his hand from Andy's grasp and gazed back at the tiny burnt hole on the tablecloth.
"Son, don't worry about it. It's hard, I know." Andy consoled. "You've been doing great for a first day out of the hospital. I've seen people in the same situation who can't even stay focused enough to finish a sentence."
"Don't tell mom, ok?" Ephram looked up. "I hate to disappoint her." Andy nodded.
They talked randomly about various non-memory-recalling subjects before Julia and Delia returned to their table completely refreshed and ready to order dessert. Delia changed her mind three times before settling on the Mega-Deluxe mint chocolate chip ice cream waffle sundae. Her family knew she was biting off more than she could chew but they let her have her moment of desire anyway. Andy was going to be stuck finishing her leftovers so he just ordered a slice of lemon meringue cake.
Ephram fixed his gaze at the oval bowl of chocolate/cherry/vanilla ice cream before him while his family was digging into their dessert heartily. The swirls of whipped cream towering each scoop topped by nuts and cherries reminded him of snow-capped Rocky Mountains. He forced the images of spruce trees and flowing streams out of his mind but they only came back stronger. He could smell pine. His grasp on the silver spoon in his hand grew tighter and tighter until he felt his fingernails digging into his palm. He released the spoon from his hand and it accidentally fell onto the table rattling nearby utensils. His family stopped eating and all eyes were on Ephram.
"I - uh - need to use the restroom. I'll be back." He stammered as he got up and made a beeline for the restroom.
He didn't need to use the restroom at all. He just wanted an excuse to get away and hide. Ephram took a seat on the crimson carpeting underneath the last pay phone around the corner of the lounge leading to the restrooms. It was the most private place he could find. With his back leaning against the wooden paneling, he hugged his legs to his chest. His heart pounded and his temple throbbed. He let the knot in his throat loose and sobbed into his knees. Tears gushed out the corners of his eyes. He couldn't wipe his tears fast enough with his hands and sleeves. After a while, he just gave up and let the tears fall wherever they wanted to. His shoulders shook with each heave. He needed to let out his frustration and anguish. A substantial amount of time must've passed because eventually, his father came looking for him to see what was taking him so long.
Andy was about to turn the knob of the men's room door when he heard sniffling sounds coming from the pay phone lounge. He moved closer and spotted Ephram sitting on the carpet with his head buried in his knees weeping.
"Ephram. What's wrong?" Andy said kneeling in front of his son. Ephram raised his head.
"I'm sorry dad." He blubbered. "I'm sorry."
"For what? For what you said before? That's already long forgotten. Don't beat yourself up about it."
"It's not only that. It's me." Ephram blinked and a few tears rolled casually down his face.
"I don't understand." Andy shook his head lightly.
"That's just it. You don't understand. You can't possibly know what's going on in my head. All my memory is jumbled up and I can't tell if one thing happened or it didn't. And this Everwood place that everyone keeps telling me doesn't exist, in my mind, it DOES exist. It's so real that it's frightening. Like as if the time that I couldn't account for was spent there." Ephram choked. "I get both lives mixed up and I don't know what part of which to believe and not to believe. I try so hard to say all the right things to you and mom because I don't want you to feel my sadness and grief. I keep thinking you have this expectation of me that I have to meet because I don't want to let either of you down."
"Oh no Ephram. For heaven sakes, you just came out of a coma! You've got to cut yourself some slack here. You're doing fine and we don't expect anything from you. Words cannot begin to describe how much we love you, Ephram. We share in your sadness. That's how it goes whether you like it or not." Andy succored. "We want to help you."
"Then help me dad. I need help. I can't get these images of Everwood out of my head. It just keeps lurking. I don't think I can take it anymore." Ephram's eyes were red now and the tears were continuous. "I'm afraid I'll go crazy and kill myself if this keeps up."
"Don't say stuff like that." Andy got scared suddenly upon hearing Ephram's blunder. "I will help you. We will go thru this together. I know it's hard to cope with all the memories mixed up in your head but you gotta just trust me that things will get better no matter how unbearable it is right now."
"After knowing mom wasn't dead and realizing you were a great father, made me think how thankful I was not to be living in Everwood. I'd rather live my life here in New York with my whole family in one piece." Ephram sobbed. "I've never been so happy and miserable at the same time in my entire life."
"It's ok, buddy. I'm here." Andy hushed. Ephram's puzzled look hit Andy hard. He wanted so much to make his son well so that he didn't have to look into those lost and imploring eyes and wonder if he would ever remember all the good times he had with him.
They both sat under the pay phone in a tight embrace until Ephram's bawling subsided.
"What are you guys doing?" A female voice spoke. They looked up and saw Julia coming towards them. "Ephram baby, is everything alright?" She said in alarm when she saw his bloodshot eyes and tear-stained cheeks.
"It's ok Julia. He was just overwhelmed and needed to vent." Andy replied still with his arm around his son's shoulders. "No more crocodile tears, ok?" He said to Ephram with a tender smile. Ephram wiped the last tears off his face.
"Well then, let's get back to dessert. Your ice cream is melting." Julia quipped as they went back to their table. Julia saw the troubled look in her husband's eyes and knew it wasn't alright.
* end of chapter 4 *
The conversation around the dinner table at Garlic Bob's mostly revolved around Delia. They didn't want Ephram to feel like he was being scrutinized under a microscope even though they were ultimately concerned for him. Ephram appeared to have said and done everything to his parent's approval throughout the entire dinner. He was careful not to mention Everwood or anything remotely related to his past life there. Regardless, the memories of Everwood constantly popped into his head but he refrained himself from saying any of it. His parents got uptight when he starts with that mumbo- jumbo. The only thing he did out of the ordinary was order black olive as one of the toppings for his pizza. According to his parents, he always hated black olives. But they let it slide.
"So, how was your food?" Andy spoke munching on a slice of buttered bread.
"Good. Very tasty." Ephram replied. "Was there a waiter named 'Trey' that worked here?"
"Yes - you're correct." Andy said. Smiles went all around the table upon Ephram's memory slowly returning. "He's our usual waiter but he's off tonight."
"Ephram, you've been remembering so much today. I think we should celebrate. Let's splurge on dessert." Julia decided. And nodded to Andy.
"I want a banana split with strawberry ice cream and chocolate sprinkles!" Delia called out batting her big blue eyes in excitement causing Ephram to grin.
"You got it, kiddo!" Andy lightly flipped Delia's cap rim down on her face playfully. Delia pushed the oversized cap back up and merrily pouted her soft oily lips.
"Mommy, I have to go to the bathroom." Delia said wiping her greasy mouth with her cloth napkin.
"OK, we'll be right back. Don't you dare order dessert without us." Julia said to Andy and Ephram. "C'mon, sweetie." She motioned for Delia to follow. They disappeared behind the pay phone lounge to the restrooms.
"Can I ask you a question?" Ephram showed a slight moment of hesitation.
"Ephram, you can ask me anything." Andy said putting down his glass of wine.
"Was mom having an affair behind your back?"
"What?! No, why would you say such a thing!" A flabbergasted Andy turned red upon hearing the astounding and embarrassing question. "Of course she wasn't. We love each other very much."
"It's just that in Everwood, I remember a discussion we had. And you said you suspected she was cheating on you." Ephram responded slouching in his seat staring blankly at a tiny burnt hole on the red tablecloth next to his plate with his hands tucked between his knees. "You told me a lot of stuff in Everwood. But I was always the defiant one. I hated you but yet I didn't. I kept saying mom should've left you because you didn't care about us. You only cared about work." He added showing no emotion at all.
"Ephram, are you feeling alright?" Andy asked noticing the dramatic zombie- like turn in Ephram's behavior hardly blinking at all.
"I was so isolated and lonely. People at school considered me like some city sideshow freak - an outcast. But then it was always about YOU. YOU needed to get away and you dragged me and Delia with you. You never once thought how much the change would affect me. Not until we moved to Everwood." He continued in a low tone.
"Ephram. Snap out of it. Everwood is not real." Andy worded slowly while taking his son's hand. Ephram blinked and looked at his father with his helpless greenish-gray eyes seeking an explanation.
"I-I didn't mean what I just said." On the verge of tears, Ephram sucked it in. Andy saw his son's pain and confusion. Ephram withdrew his hand from Andy's grasp and gazed back at the tiny burnt hole on the tablecloth.
"Son, don't worry about it. It's hard, I know." Andy consoled. "You've been doing great for a first day out of the hospital. I've seen people in the same situation who can't even stay focused enough to finish a sentence."
"Don't tell mom, ok?" Ephram looked up. "I hate to disappoint her." Andy nodded.
They talked randomly about various non-memory-recalling subjects before Julia and Delia returned to their table completely refreshed and ready to order dessert. Delia changed her mind three times before settling on the Mega-Deluxe mint chocolate chip ice cream waffle sundae. Her family knew she was biting off more than she could chew but they let her have her moment of desire anyway. Andy was going to be stuck finishing her leftovers so he just ordered a slice of lemon meringue cake.
Ephram fixed his gaze at the oval bowl of chocolate/cherry/vanilla ice cream before him while his family was digging into their dessert heartily. The swirls of whipped cream towering each scoop topped by nuts and cherries reminded him of snow-capped Rocky Mountains. He forced the images of spruce trees and flowing streams out of his mind but they only came back stronger. He could smell pine. His grasp on the silver spoon in his hand grew tighter and tighter until he felt his fingernails digging into his palm. He released the spoon from his hand and it accidentally fell onto the table rattling nearby utensils. His family stopped eating and all eyes were on Ephram.
"I - uh - need to use the restroom. I'll be back." He stammered as he got up and made a beeline for the restroom.
He didn't need to use the restroom at all. He just wanted an excuse to get away and hide. Ephram took a seat on the crimson carpeting underneath the last pay phone around the corner of the lounge leading to the restrooms. It was the most private place he could find. With his back leaning against the wooden paneling, he hugged his legs to his chest. His heart pounded and his temple throbbed. He let the knot in his throat loose and sobbed into his knees. Tears gushed out the corners of his eyes. He couldn't wipe his tears fast enough with his hands and sleeves. After a while, he just gave up and let the tears fall wherever they wanted to. His shoulders shook with each heave. He needed to let out his frustration and anguish. A substantial amount of time must've passed because eventually, his father came looking for him to see what was taking him so long.
Andy was about to turn the knob of the men's room door when he heard sniffling sounds coming from the pay phone lounge. He moved closer and spotted Ephram sitting on the carpet with his head buried in his knees weeping.
"Ephram. What's wrong?" Andy said kneeling in front of his son. Ephram raised his head.
"I'm sorry dad." He blubbered. "I'm sorry."
"For what? For what you said before? That's already long forgotten. Don't beat yourself up about it."
"It's not only that. It's me." Ephram blinked and a few tears rolled casually down his face.
"I don't understand." Andy shook his head lightly.
"That's just it. You don't understand. You can't possibly know what's going on in my head. All my memory is jumbled up and I can't tell if one thing happened or it didn't. And this Everwood place that everyone keeps telling me doesn't exist, in my mind, it DOES exist. It's so real that it's frightening. Like as if the time that I couldn't account for was spent there." Ephram choked. "I get both lives mixed up and I don't know what part of which to believe and not to believe. I try so hard to say all the right things to you and mom because I don't want you to feel my sadness and grief. I keep thinking you have this expectation of me that I have to meet because I don't want to let either of you down."
"Oh no Ephram. For heaven sakes, you just came out of a coma! You've got to cut yourself some slack here. You're doing fine and we don't expect anything from you. Words cannot begin to describe how much we love you, Ephram. We share in your sadness. That's how it goes whether you like it or not." Andy succored. "We want to help you."
"Then help me dad. I need help. I can't get these images of Everwood out of my head. It just keeps lurking. I don't think I can take it anymore." Ephram's eyes were red now and the tears were continuous. "I'm afraid I'll go crazy and kill myself if this keeps up."
"Don't say stuff like that." Andy got scared suddenly upon hearing Ephram's blunder. "I will help you. We will go thru this together. I know it's hard to cope with all the memories mixed up in your head but you gotta just trust me that things will get better no matter how unbearable it is right now."
"After knowing mom wasn't dead and realizing you were a great father, made me think how thankful I was not to be living in Everwood. I'd rather live my life here in New York with my whole family in one piece." Ephram sobbed. "I've never been so happy and miserable at the same time in my entire life."
"It's ok, buddy. I'm here." Andy hushed. Ephram's puzzled look hit Andy hard. He wanted so much to make his son well so that he didn't have to look into those lost and imploring eyes and wonder if he would ever remember all the good times he had with him.
They both sat under the pay phone in a tight embrace until Ephram's bawling subsided.
"What are you guys doing?" A female voice spoke. They looked up and saw Julia coming towards them. "Ephram baby, is everything alright?" She said in alarm when she saw his bloodshot eyes and tear-stained cheeks.
"It's ok Julia. He was just overwhelmed and needed to vent." Andy replied still with his arm around his son's shoulders. "No more crocodile tears, ok?" He said to Ephram with a tender smile. Ephram wiped the last tears off his face.
"Well then, let's get back to dessert. Your ice cream is melting." Julia quipped as they went back to their table. Julia saw the troubled look in her husband's eyes and knew it wasn't alright.
* end of chapter 4 *