The fabulous sky is inviting to all on a day like this, where it seems so be an oasis in the everlasting tapestry of life. Today, the vastness of the sky bids any and all man to come and admire it for its captivating beauty. Predator and prey, friend and foe. Anyone would love to take a moment and entwine their fingers in the refreshing pool of azure poetry. The sky was void of all clouds, allowing the sun to slice through the air and penetrate the coldest of hearts. The warmth would engulf you into the flames of life permitting happiness to all and spreading joy to those who welcomed it.
Blue, as far as they eye could see, as far as the mind could contemplate, as far as the senses could tell. The crisp blue that seemed to go on forever caressed the horizon with a gentle touch. The city lay in perfection. It was the perfect day for a new beginning. The wind whirled through his hair cooling him down only slightly. Smells of exhaust and other intoxicating fumes wound their way up his nose making him cringe slightly. It was a warm swell of air, not doing much to relieve him of the invisible fire, because the sun, still evermore persistent, beat down on the residents of the planet Earth with tsunami waves of fire. It was not just any heat, oh ho ho no, but blistering one hundred and ten degree heat that left you begging for mercy.
Another bead of sweat ran down his brow looking for a good place to rest itself. He stood adjacent to a pair of doors on his right, feeling the air conditioning coming from within the one story building he now glared at. A parking lot of BMWs stood behind him in a rainbow of colors from red to purple, orange to hot pink, black to blue, etc etc etc.
Gazing upwards, he wished he could fly into that wonderful sky above him. Just to speed through the warm air would be pure bliss. The gust of wind would be more than enough to cool him down and he always enjoyed the breathtaking view from so high up. He just stood there, though, observing the expansive heavens, wishing he could fly out of here, but no...he would be seen, get caught, what ever you wanted to call it. The outcome of him blasting out of here wouldn't be very smooth. Too many people stood around looking at their hopeful convertible-to-be. Plus, how do you think a city would react to seeing a man flying through the sky without the aid of machinery. They would probably shout 'Look, it's a bird, no it's a plane, no...It's an ALIEN!! We're all gonna die!!'. He wouldn't really mind being called an alien. After all...he really was one. Saiyan to be exact, well half anyway. Plus, it was better than being called some man in blue tights with red underwear and a cape to top it off. The weggie must be horrific. Who needs superpowers when your outfit is enough to scare away the villains. Another warm gust of wind swept through the city ruffling his white button up dress shirt. He reached up and undid the first few buttons revealing a well sculpted chest to the world. Then, neatly rolling up the cuffs to his sleeves, he unveiled scarred forearms and worn tan skin. Though he was well build, he was no body builder, just simply in good shape. Glancing around, Gohan decided to take a stroll over to his new love interest, a brand spanking new convertible. Smiling, he took his hand and slid it gently across the leather head rest. Now grinning like a mad man, he inspected the car, checking out every feature he knew of. Soon, some portly man began to approach the car with a shining pair of keys in hand. Gohan's excitement grew ten-fold.
A quickly brush of icy lips seemed to caress the back of his neck. He looked up as a chilling whisper swept across the valley making him tremble. The cold brushed against his ear making him turn a full circle to inspect the landscape once again. Then, suddenly, out of the cloudless sky came a sudden shadow that swooped across the aqua convertible. The fleeting shade touched his skin taking his breath away with it into the void abyss.
Pitch black.
Soon, in the darkness, the sound of franticly beating wings reached his sensitive ears. Quickly glancing up, he expected to see a bird, possibly a seagull due to the fact they were near the ocean, but not a single bird was in flight.
The shadow chilled him as though a frigid wind came riding along with it, but the air was utterly still. His body wracked with shivers, making him feel like he was convulsing.
He continued to look around, trying to find the flapping wings that were causing this noise, trying to discover what object could cause such a shadow, but the search was fruitless. Turning once more, a tingle engrossed his fingers. He held out his right hand as the tingle became a sudden pang of ice cold essence sweeping across his palm. Surprised by the painful sensation, he deftly jerked his hand back, but soon and image appeared. Something shiny, sparkling, metallic. Realizing that the ice was merely the keys to his new car, he watched them jingle, not falling, but levitating there, still moving, glistening, but with no source of light.
His eyes widened at the sight. Keys don't float...they just can't.
He reached out his hand towards the flying object, going slowly as if expecting the keys to bite like they were a deadly snake. Inspecting the commodity, his hand inched closer.
They fell. Falling, falling into nothing.
Glass shattering. The sound echoed throughout the darkness at the keys hit something. Hit what? Gohan slowly bent over to retrieve the fallen wonder of physics. "No, no. Don't worry. I'll get 'em," Jim Shine, the rather obese car salesman, said with an annoyingly fake smile on his face for what just happened.
"Wai-what...huh?" Gohan stood up straight and looked around. Where did Jim come from? Perplexed and frowning, Gohan looked up at the sky again. Unblemished blue with not a cloud in sight. "Must be exciting," Jim said winking. His chubby face scrunched up making him look like a pudgy choir boy. "Huh?" Gohan was still a little disoriented from the now disappeared shadow.
"I must be imagining things," Gohan thought shaking his head looking at the ground. His body was still chilled to the bone. The perspiration on his face seemed to turn cold. It wasn't so hot out anymore. "Getting your first BMW is like getting your first piece of ass," Shine states winking again. Gohan extended his hand snatching the keys. Even though Gohan was no prude, he was mildly offended when Jim compared the amazing feeling of owning your first REAL car to sex. For the moment, at least, the convertible beat out any mattress dancing routines or bedroom games. The sound of the engine, the way it hugged the turns, and the raw speed, it fascinated Gohan. It was the closest thing he new of to flying. Reaching out a shaky hand, he opened the driver's side door to the car hoping that no more freaky shadows were coming his way again any time soon, and slid in accepting the warm touch of the leather on his grateful skin. Jim Shine grabbed the door and softly shut it as Gohan put the keys into the ignition. Gohan dreamed of this moment for a long time. It was almost every boy's fantasy...wasn't it? To get your first gorgeous car and drive it out of the dealership feeling immortal. Like a god. Turning the keys, the engine purred. Perfection to his ears. It hummed smoothly soothing him. He put it into gear and shook Jim's hand. It was wet. A little sticky due to perspiration. Gohan all but forgot about the heat. It felt like a brisk fall day in Pennsylvania at the moment. He wanted to wrap a jacket, blanket, ANYTHING around his shoulders to ease the soul shattering chill. Quickly studying the dashboard he has seen in too many magazines to count, Gohan hastily cranked up the heat.
Giving Gohan a queer look, Jim shine slammed his hand on the door twice and said, "Have fun." Smiling like a choir boy, Jim slowly walked away. Back into the depths of the dealership he went, dreaming of the nice paycheck to come. Eventually, he slowly yet surely made his way out of the parking lot and decided to drive along the Los Angeles coast, not wanting to go home just yet. As he sped through the tight curves along the Cliffside, he discovered his presumption was correct. You did feel like a god if you owned one of these babies. "This HAS to be better than sex," Gohan thought as his Saiyan side chuckled. To a Saiyan nothing and I mean NOTHING was better than sex, but then again you never know with a half breed. The sun began to slowly set behind the vast expanse of the ocean, looking as though it was taking a leisurely plunge into the sea. The sky slowly began to change to a wonderful purple, with a ring of orange and red surrounding the bathing ball of fire. It was pure splendor. Staring at the awe-inspiring scene in front of him, Gohan felt another chill run through his body. He shivered. He reached out his hand to turn up the heater and was discouraged to see it was already at full power and he probably was unconsciously raising it throughout the ride. He shook. "Damn it's cold," Gohan groaned while reluctantly pressing the little black knob so the roof would rise into place blocking out all wind and lifeless air.
After hearing the click Gohan turned on the radio to some unknown oldies station and began to sing along with the Beatles, Beachboys, and Chuck Berry. At that moment, the swooping shadow and inexplicable chill were all but forgotten.
He continued cruising aimlessly around the see shore. The lapping waves seemed hypnotic. The sound of the waves, listening to some good music- not that crap where it sounds like the poor singers are having a seizure- and getting used to his dream car was the most relaxing moment he has had in a long while.
Reaching down into his jean pocket, he pulled out his cell phone and decided to call his mother back home in the mountains and spread the good news. She answered on the second ring, her voice strong and clear. "Hey, Mom."
"Kanahan?" she said. "Gohan," he reminded her. He loved his mother to death, but she drove him crazy. She refused to give up on using his Saiyan name. After his father died she kept on insisting that they use it as his 'regular' name. But he refused. The death of Dad was his fault and he didn't want to be reminded of it every time someone addressed him. His mother, Chi Chi, let out a long-suffering sigh, "You sound funny." "It's a cellular phone, mother." "Whose phone?"
"The car phone."
"Why do you need a car phone, Kanahan?"
"Gohan. They're really handy. I'm not sure if I could get along without one. Ya know, with work an' all. Listen mum, guess what-"
"Car phones are for big shots." "Not anymore mom. Pretty much everyone's got 'em." "I don't. Plus, phones and driving put together are dangerous." Gohan sighed. He soon realized and was quite disturbed at the fact that his sigh sounded just like -cringe- his mother's. "I've never had an accident before, mom." "You will. Just see. I don't care how good a driver you are. A mother's intuition is always right," she stated firmly.
This is what bugged Gohan. He was strong, stronger than any ordinary man, because well, he wasn't really ordinary. He could dodge bullets, survive explosions, and easily pick up a cruise ship with one hand. Hell, he almost blew up the world in his sleep one time, so he could defiantly survive a car accident and, all thanks to dear old dad, his mother should be more worried about the other driver in the crash. Eh hem...that is, though, if he ever did get in one. And now, even though he only had the use of one hand at the moment, driving the car was a sinch. It was amazing. He was practically gliding. Chi Chi changed the subject, "Kanahan, I haven't seen you for weeks!"
"Gohan! We spent all of Sunday together, mother. This is only Thursday in case you haven't noticed." "Will you come to dinner? Goten misses you terribly." "There she goes again, using Goten as a guilt trip ," He rolled his eyes -another trait obtained from his mother.Gohan loved his little brother terribly. Goten was just about twelve years younger than Gohan, making him nine, but the most adorable part of Goten was that he was like his father's mini-me. It was amazing. "Tonight? Gee, mum. See, I can't. I just-" "We have chicken stir-fry." "-just bought-" "You remember my chicken stir-fry? Or maybe you forgot all about you mother's cooking?" "Of course I haven't forgot, mum. It's delicious." "We're also having shrimp and watercress soup. You remember shrimp and watercress soup?"
"Yes, I remember, mum." Night was creeping over the coast. Above the land to the east, the heavens were black and speckled with tiny stars. To the west, the ocean seemed sable, almost like ink. It appeared to be striped with a silvery foam of oncoming breakers. Toward the horizon, the sun looked like it had finally drown in the ocean, leaving behind a small strip of indigo.
Even though the promise of feeling like a god, and the beautiful stars eased his mind, Gohan couldn't help but feel like an ungrateful son. Chi Chi said, "We are also having some stir-fried celery, carrots, cabbage, some peanuts - very good. Oh, and my special sauce."
"You make the best stir-fry in the world, mom, and the best soup, but I -"
"Hmmm...can you cook and drive at the same time?" In anger and desperation, Gohan blurted, "Mom, I bought a new convertible!" "You bought a phone and a convertible?"
"No, no. I've had the phone for quite a while. The-" "What is this...convertible?" "You know, mom. A car. A sports car. A very nice sports car." "You bought a sports car?"
"Remember. I always said if I raised enough money after taking care of you and Goten I would-"
"What sport?"
"Huh?"
"Football?" His mother was stubborn, and that was putting it lightly. She was a bit of a traditionalist. Not as much as the Queen of England, but pretty close. Even though she had her ways, Gohan knew perfectly well that his mother knew exactly what a sports car was. He was pretty sure she wasn't that thick-headed. She also knew what the convertible symbolized to Gohan: a chance to be normal, an forget about the past. But the past is what his mother hung on to. She wanted to remember the good old days when her boy was at home working on his studies and her husband was still alive. Other than Goten, the past was all she had left. She would not accept the fact that her little boy wanted to throw away the last true possession of happiness she had.
"Baseball?" she asked again. "They call the color 'bright aqua metallic.' It's beautiful, mom, a lot like the color of the vase in your bedroom. It's got-"
"Was it expensive?"
"Huh? Well, yeah, it's a really nice car, mother. I mean it doesn't cost as much as a Mercedes, but-"
"Reporters and liberals all drive convertibles you know." His mother had a bad thing with reporters and simply cursed all liberals. 'This country was screwed up enough without them,' may end up being written on her tombstone. "Reporters? No I've-"
"You spent everything on that car. Didn't you. You'll go broke, and then you won't have enough money to help provide for me and Goten."
"No, no. I'd never-"
"If you go broke, then don't take welfare."
"I'm not broke, mother."
"If you go broke then you must come back home and live me and Goten."
"That won't be necessary, mother."
"The 'family' is always here."
Gohan felt like dirt, no, lower than dirt. He felt like dirt that's been processed through a worms digestive system and pooped up again. He did nothing wrong. Did he?
At that moment, he felt uncomfortable being revealed in the headlights of oncoming cars, as if they were those interrogation lamps the police use on TV. He thought someone would suddenly ask 'Where were you on the day of July 7?' She questioned, "Where is your Toyota? And what about flying? You always seemed happy doing that."
"I traded the Toyota in and flying isn't the most normal thing on earth in case you haven't noticed." "Your friends all drive Toyota. Ford. Dodge. Never convertibles."
"I thought you didn't know what a convertible was, mother."
"I know," she said, " oh yes I know," suddenly making one of those hundred eighty degree turns that only a mother has the talent of making, Chi Chi said , "Doctors drive convertibles. You were always a brilliant child, Kanahan, you could have been a doctor."
Sometimes it seemed that even though with the paycheck he was making at the age of twenty-one as an engineer, he would never be able to satisfy his mother. Most parents would be happy if their kid found a job at McDonalds, but not his. Either follow the family, or be ruthlessly shunned by all. Sigh, life is tough. "Anyway, Mom. I am not just an engineer anymore. As of tomorrow I am writing novels to get some extra cash for you and Goten. You know how I always wrote in my spare time."
"No job."
"No...just partially self-employed...that's all."
"That is just a fancy way of saying no job," she insisted. The thought that her husband never even had a job illuded her totally. "I'm still an engineer, mum. Plus, the contract I signed-"
"You know, people read newspapers. Who reads books these days?"
"You read books, mother."
"Not those silly books about private detectives with guns in every pocket and policemen who chase gangsters with jeans that could fit a sumo reseller and thugs who drive cars like they're on drugs and get in bad fights. Not to mention the fact they always happen to get drunk on whisky just to get laid by some city girl," his mother pouted.
"My detective doesn't drink whisky-"
"He should settle down and marry some nice smart country girl...with morals, and have babies. Then he should get a real job and support his family."
"Boring, mother. No one would ever want to read about a detective like that."
"This so-called detective in your 'novels', is he going to marry a prostitute or some slutty city girl and break his mother's heart?"
"He's a lone wolf character, mom. He'll never marry."
"That will break his mother's heart too!! Who wants to read a book about a mother with a broken heart? It's just too sad."
Exasperated, Gohan said, "Mom, I just called to spread the good news about the convertible and-"
"Please come to dinner. I made chicken stir-fry and rice that is so much better than those fatty cheeseburgers."
"I can't come tonight. Maybe tomorrow, mom."
"You know, if you eat too many cheeseburgers and fries, then soon you'll look like a big cheeseburger." "Mom. I-"
"Mother's intuition, sweetie."
"I hardly ever eat burgers, mom. I watch what I eat."
"Oh, so now you watch your cheeseburgers. That's brilliant. What do you do, scare the calories away by staring them to death?"
"Mom!"
Chi Chi sighed,"...Tomorrow night we're having shrimp roast , pot roasted rice, and some fish Goten caught out by the lake."
Gohan's mouth was watering, but he would not give in. Not even if little gnomes were threatening to probe his body with little freaky gnome torture devices and do little gnome experiments on him. He could not give in. He could not let his mother win! Well, not yet. "Okay, I'll be there tomorrow night," he gave up all too soon, and while mentally slapping himself he said, "And after dinner I'll take you and Goten for a spin the convertible."
"Why don't you just fly here."
"Convertible, mother."
"You know what, take Goten in the fancy sports car. He likes shiny, flashy things. They seem to amuse him. But not me. I am a simple person."
"I'll do my best not to corrupt him any more than he already is, mum."
"Fine. Tomorrow then. Good-bye, Kanahan."
"Gohan," he corrected, but she had already hung up. God how he loved his mother, but sometimes she drove him to the brink of insanity!!
Driving along the road, Gohan threw his cell phone on the passenger seat. All natural light had disappeared from the sky. It seemed that a blanket of clouds had come to cover the earth for a while. The only light seen was that of a few houses speckled over the coastal mountain side and, every now and then, a passing car.
Blue, as far as they eye could see, as far as the mind could contemplate, as far as the senses could tell. The crisp blue that seemed to go on forever caressed the horizon with a gentle touch. The city lay in perfection. It was the perfect day for a new beginning. The wind whirled through his hair cooling him down only slightly. Smells of exhaust and other intoxicating fumes wound their way up his nose making him cringe slightly. It was a warm swell of air, not doing much to relieve him of the invisible fire, because the sun, still evermore persistent, beat down on the residents of the planet Earth with tsunami waves of fire. It was not just any heat, oh ho ho no, but blistering one hundred and ten degree heat that left you begging for mercy.
Another bead of sweat ran down his brow looking for a good place to rest itself. He stood adjacent to a pair of doors on his right, feeling the air conditioning coming from within the one story building he now glared at. A parking lot of BMWs stood behind him in a rainbow of colors from red to purple, orange to hot pink, black to blue, etc etc etc.
Gazing upwards, he wished he could fly into that wonderful sky above him. Just to speed through the warm air would be pure bliss. The gust of wind would be more than enough to cool him down and he always enjoyed the breathtaking view from so high up. He just stood there, though, observing the expansive heavens, wishing he could fly out of here, but no...he would be seen, get caught, what ever you wanted to call it. The outcome of him blasting out of here wouldn't be very smooth. Too many people stood around looking at their hopeful convertible-to-be. Plus, how do you think a city would react to seeing a man flying through the sky without the aid of machinery. They would probably shout 'Look, it's a bird, no it's a plane, no...It's an ALIEN!! We're all gonna die!!'. He wouldn't really mind being called an alien. After all...he really was one. Saiyan to be exact, well half anyway. Plus, it was better than being called some man in blue tights with red underwear and a cape to top it off. The weggie must be horrific. Who needs superpowers when your outfit is enough to scare away the villains. Another warm gust of wind swept through the city ruffling his white button up dress shirt. He reached up and undid the first few buttons revealing a well sculpted chest to the world. Then, neatly rolling up the cuffs to his sleeves, he unveiled scarred forearms and worn tan skin. Though he was well build, he was no body builder, just simply in good shape. Glancing around, Gohan decided to take a stroll over to his new love interest, a brand spanking new convertible. Smiling, he took his hand and slid it gently across the leather head rest. Now grinning like a mad man, he inspected the car, checking out every feature he knew of. Soon, some portly man began to approach the car with a shining pair of keys in hand. Gohan's excitement grew ten-fold.
A quickly brush of icy lips seemed to caress the back of his neck. He looked up as a chilling whisper swept across the valley making him tremble. The cold brushed against his ear making him turn a full circle to inspect the landscape once again. Then, suddenly, out of the cloudless sky came a sudden shadow that swooped across the aqua convertible. The fleeting shade touched his skin taking his breath away with it into the void abyss.
Pitch black.
Soon, in the darkness, the sound of franticly beating wings reached his sensitive ears. Quickly glancing up, he expected to see a bird, possibly a seagull due to the fact they were near the ocean, but not a single bird was in flight.
The shadow chilled him as though a frigid wind came riding along with it, but the air was utterly still. His body wracked with shivers, making him feel like he was convulsing.
He continued to look around, trying to find the flapping wings that were causing this noise, trying to discover what object could cause such a shadow, but the search was fruitless. Turning once more, a tingle engrossed his fingers. He held out his right hand as the tingle became a sudden pang of ice cold essence sweeping across his palm. Surprised by the painful sensation, he deftly jerked his hand back, but soon and image appeared. Something shiny, sparkling, metallic. Realizing that the ice was merely the keys to his new car, he watched them jingle, not falling, but levitating there, still moving, glistening, but with no source of light.
His eyes widened at the sight. Keys don't float...they just can't.
He reached out his hand towards the flying object, going slowly as if expecting the keys to bite like they were a deadly snake. Inspecting the commodity, his hand inched closer.
They fell. Falling, falling into nothing.
Glass shattering. The sound echoed throughout the darkness at the keys hit something. Hit what? Gohan slowly bent over to retrieve the fallen wonder of physics. "No, no. Don't worry. I'll get 'em," Jim Shine, the rather obese car salesman, said with an annoyingly fake smile on his face for what just happened.
"Wai-what...huh?" Gohan stood up straight and looked around. Where did Jim come from? Perplexed and frowning, Gohan looked up at the sky again. Unblemished blue with not a cloud in sight. "Must be exciting," Jim said winking. His chubby face scrunched up making him look like a pudgy choir boy. "Huh?" Gohan was still a little disoriented from the now disappeared shadow.
"I must be imagining things," Gohan thought shaking his head looking at the ground. His body was still chilled to the bone. The perspiration on his face seemed to turn cold. It wasn't so hot out anymore. "Getting your first BMW is like getting your first piece of ass," Shine states winking again. Gohan extended his hand snatching the keys. Even though Gohan was no prude, he was mildly offended when Jim compared the amazing feeling of owning your first REAL car to sex. For the moment, at least, the convertible beat out any mattress dancing routines or bedroom games. The sound of the engine, the way it hugged the turns, and the raw speed, it fascinated Gohan. It was the closest thing he new of to flying. Reaching out a shaky hand, he opened the driver's side door to the car hoping that no more freaky shadows were coming his way again any time soon, and slid in accepting the warm touch of the leather on his grateful skin. Jim Shine grabbed the door and softly shut it as Gohan put the keys into the ignition. Gohan dreamed of this moment for a long time. It was almost every boy's fantasy...wasn't it? To get your first gorgeous car and drive it out of the dealership feeling immortal. Like a god. Turning the keys, the engine purred. Perfection to his ears. It hummed smoothly soothing him. He put it into gear and shook Jim's hand. It was wet. A little sticky due to perspiration. Gohan all but forgot about the heat. It felt like a brisk fall day in Pennsylvania at the moment. He wanted to wrap a jacket, blanket, ANYTHING around his shoulders to ease the soul shattering chill. Quickly studying the dashboard he has seen in too many magazines to count, Gohan hastily cranked up the heat.
Giving Gohan a queer look, Jim shine slammed his hand on the door twice and said, "Have fun." Smiling like a choir boy, Jim slowly walked away. Back into the depths of the dealership he went, dreaming of the nice paycheck to come. Eventually, he slowly yet surely made his way out of the parking lot and decided to drive along the Los Angeles coast, not wanting to go home just yet. As he sped through the tight curves along the Cliffside, he discovered his presumption was correct. You did feel like a god if you owned one of these babies. "This HAS to be better than sex," Gohan thought as his Saiyan side chuckled. To a Saiyan nothing and I mean NOTHING was better than sex, but then again you never know with a half breed. The sun began to slowly set behind the vast expanse of the ocean, looking as though it was taking a leisurely plunge into the sea. The sky slowly began to change to a wonderful purple, with a ring of orange and red surrounding the bathing ball of fire. It was pure splendor. Staring at the awe-inspiring scene in front of him, Gohan felt another chill run through his body. He shivered. He reached out his hand to turn up the heater and was discouraged to see it was already at full power and he probably was unconsciously raising it throughout the ride. He shook. "Damn it's cold," Gohan groaned while reluctantly pressing the little black knob so the roof would rise into place blocking out all wind and lifeless air.
After hearing the click Gohan turned on the radio to some unknown oldies station and began to sing along with the Beatles, Beachboys, and Chuck Berry. At that moment, the swooping shadow and inexplicable chill were all but forgotten.
He continued cruising aimlessly around the see shore. The lapping waves seemed hypnotic. The sound of the waves, listening to some good music- not that crap where it sounds like the poor singers are having a seizure- and getting used to his dream car was the most relaxing moment he has had in a long while.
Reaching down into his jean pocket, he pulled out his cell phone and decided to call his mother back home in the mountains and spread the good news. She answered on the second ring, her voice strong and clear. "Hey, Mom."
"Kanahan?" she said. "Gohan," he reminded her. He loved his mother to death, but she drove him crazy. She refused to give up on using his Saiyan name. After his father died she kept on insisting that they use it as his 'regular' name. But he refused. The death of Dad was his fault and he didn't want to be reminded of it every time someone addressed him. His mother, Chi Chi, let out a long-suffering sigh, "You sound funny." "It's a cellular phone, mother." "Whose phone?"
"The car phone."
"Why do you need a car phone, Kanahan?"
"Gohan. They're really handy. I'm not sure if I could get along without one. Ya know, with work an' all. Listen mum, guess what-"
"Car phones are for big shots." "Not anymore mom. Pretty much everyone's got 'em." "I don't. Plus, phones and driving put together are dangerous." Gohan sighed. He soon realized and was quite disturbed at the fact that his sigh sounded just like -cringe- his mother's. "I've never had an accident before, mom." "You will. Just see. I don't care how good a driver you are. A mother's intuition is always right," she stated firmly.
This is what bugged Gohan. He was strong, stronger than any ordinary man, because well, he wasn't really ordinary. He could dodge bullets, survive explosions, and easily pick up a cruise ship with one hand. Hell, he almost blew up the world in his sleep one time, so he could defiantly survive a car accident and, all thanks to dear old dad, his mother should be more worried about the other driver in the crash. Eh hem...that is, though, if he ever did get in one. And now, even though he only had the use of one hand at the moment, driving the car was a sinch. It was amazing. He was practically gliding. Chi Chi changed the subject, "Kanahan, I haven't seen you for weeks!"
"Gohan! We spent all of Sunday together, mother. This is only Thursday in case you haven't noticed." "Will you come to dinner? Goten misses you terribly." "There she goes again, using Goten as a guilt trip ," He rolled his eyes -another trait obtained from his mother.Gohan loved his little brother terribly. Goten was just about twelve years younger than Gohan, making him nine, but the most adorable part of Goten was that he was like his father's mini-me. It was amazing. "Tonight? Gee, mum. See, I can't. I just-" "We have chicken stir-fry." "-just bought-" "You remember my chicken stir-fry? Or maybe you forgot all about you mother's cooking?" "Of course I haven't forgot, mum. It's delicious." "We're also having shrimp and watercress soup. You remember shrimp and watercress soup?"
"Yes, I remember, mum." Night was creeping over the coast. Above the land to the east, the heavens were black and speckled with tiny stars. To the west, the ocean seemed sable, almost like ink. It appeared to be striped with a silvery foam of oncoming breakers. Toward the horizon, the sun looked like it had finally drown in the ocean, leaving behind a small strip of indigo.
Even though the promise of feeling like a god, and the beautiful stars eased his mind, Gohan couldn't help but feel like an ungrateful son. Chi Chi said, "We are also having some stir-fried celery, carrots, cabbage, some peanuts - very good. Oh, and my special sauce."
"You make the best stir-fry in the world, mom, and the best soup, but I -"
"Hmmm...can you cook and drive at the same time?" In anger and desperation, Gohan blurted, "Mom, I bought a new convertible!" "You bought a phone and a convertible?"
"No, no. I've had the phone for quite a while. The-" "What is this...convertible?" "You know, mom. A car. A sports car. A very nice sports car." "You bought a sports car?"
"Remember. I always said if I raised enough money after taking care of you and Goten I would-"
"What sport?"
"Huh?"
"Football?" His mother was stubborn, and that was putting it lightly. She was a bit of a traditionalist. Not as much as the Queen of England, but pretty close. Even though she had her ways, Gohan knew perfectly well that his mother knew exactly what a sports car was. He was pretty sure she wasn't that thick-headed. She also knew what the convertible symbolized to Gohan: a chance to be normal, an forget about the past. But the past is what his mother hung on to. She wanted to remember the good old days when her boy was at home working on his studies and her husband was still alive. Other than Goten, the past was all she had left. She would not accept the fact that her little boy wanted to throw away the last true possession of happiness she had.
"Baseball?" she asked again. "They call the color 'bright aqua metallic.' It's beautiful, mom, a lot like the color of the vase in your bedroom. It's got-"
"Was it expensive?"
"Huh? Well, yeah, it's a really nice car, mother. I mean it doesn't cost as much as a Mercedes, but-"
"Reporters and liberals all drive convertibles you know." His mother had a bad thing with reporters and simply cursed all liberals. 'This country was screwed up enough without them,' may end up being written on her tombstone. "Reporters? No I've-"
"You spent everything on that car. Didn't you. You'll go broke, and then you won't have enough money to help provide for me and Goten."
"No, no. I'd never-"
"If you go broke, then don't take welfare."
"I'm not broke, mother."
"If you go broke then you must come back home and live me and Goten."
"That won't be necessary, mother."
"The 'family' is always here."
Gohan felt like dirt, no, lower than dirt. He felt like dirt that's been processed through a worms digestive system and pooped up again. He did nothing wrong. Did he?
At that moment, he felt uncomfortable being revealed in the headlights of oncoming cars, as if they were those interrogation lamps the police use on TV. He thought someone would suddenly ask 'Where were you on the day of July 7?' She questioned, "Where is your Toyota? And what about flying? You always seemed happy doing that."
"I traded the Toyota in and flying isn't the most normal thing on earth in case you haven't noticed." "Your friends all drive Toyota. Ford. Dodge. Never convertibles."
"I thought you didn't know what a convertible was, mother."
"I know," she said, " oh yes I know," suddenly making one of those hundred eighty degree turns that only a mother has the talent of making, Chi Chi said , "Doctors drive convertibles. You were always a brilliant child, Kanahan, you could have been a doctor."
Sometimes it seemed that even though with the paycheck he was making at the age of twenty-one as an engineer, he would never be able to satisfy his mother. Most parents would be happy if their kid found a job at McDonalds, but not his. Either follow the family, or be ruthlessly shunned by all. Sigh, life is tough. "Anyway, Mom. I am not just an engineer anymore. As of tomorrow I am writing novels to get some extra cash for you and Goten. You know how I always wrote in my spare time."
"No job."
"No...just partially self-employed...that's all."
"That is just a fancy way of saying no job," she insisted. The thought that her husband never even had a job illuded her totally. "I'm still an engineer, mum. Plus, the contract I signed-"
"You know, people read newspapers. Who reads books these days?"
"You read books, mother."
"Not those silly books about private detectives with guns in every pocket and policemen who chase gangsters with jeans that could fit a sumo reseller and thugs who drive cars like they're on drugs and get in bad fights. Not to mention the fact they always happen to get drunk on whisky just to get laid by some city girl," his mother pouted.
"My detective doesn't drink whisky-"
"He should settle down and marry some nice smart country girl...with morals, and have babies. Then he should get a real job and support his family."
"Boring, mother. No one would ever want to read about a detective like that."
"This so-called detective in your 'novels', is he going to marry a prostitute or some slutty city girl and break his mother's heart?"
"He's a lone wolf character, mom. He'll never marry."
"That will break his mother's heart too!! Who wants to read a book about a mother with a broken heart? It's just too sad."
Exasperated, Gohan said, "Mom, I just called to spread the good news about the convertible and-"
"Please come to dinner. I made chicken stir-fry and rice that is so much better than those fatty cheeseburgers."
"I can't come tonight. Maybe tomorrow, mom."
"You know, if you eat too many cheeseburgers and fries, then soon you'll look like a big cheeseburger." "Mom. I-"
"Mother's intuition, sweetie."
"I hardly ever eat burgers, mom. I watch what I eat."
"Oh, so now you watch your cheeseburgers. That's brilliant. What do you do, scare the calories away by staring them to death?"
"Mom!"
Chi Chi sighed,"...Tomorrow night we're having shrimp roast , pot roasted rice, and some fish Goten caught out by the lake."
Gohan's mouth was watering, but he would not give in. Not even if little gnomes were threatening to probe his body with little freaky gnome torture devices and do little gnome experiments on him. He could not give in. He could not let his mother win! Well, not yet. "Okay, I'll be there tomorrow night," he gave up all too soon, and while mentally slapping himself he said, "And after dinner I'll take you and Goten for a spin the convertible."
"Why don't you just fly here."
"Convertible, mother."
"You know what, take Goten in the fancy sports car. He likes shiny, flashy things. They seem to amuse him. But not me. I am a simple person."
"I'll do my best not to corrupt him any more than he already is, mum."
"Fine. Tomorrow then. Good-bye, Kanahan."
"Gohan," he corrected, but she had already hung up. God how he loved his mother, but sometimes she drove him to the brink of insanity!!
Driving along the road, Gohan threw his cell phone on the passenger seat. All natural light had disappeared from the sky. It seemed that a blanket of clouds had come to cover the earth for a while. The only light seen was that of a few houses speckled over the coastal mountain side and, every now and then, a passing car.