chaptter 7 rich people also cry-

Eddie wasn’t as popular as he would show to be. The truth was that the

only friends he had were so few that sometimes he was ashamed of it:

there was Barry, his best buddy, and crazy Jerry, Steven the butler and

Betty the maid. Recently, he had met Easy, the nice new cashier, and he

wondered if she was like the many other girls he met: superficial. But her

smile, eyes and manners were anything but superficial.

He used to have more friends, back to high school, but then he realized to

be the only one in his team to go Business, and that made college even

more boring. Of course, none of his “friends” ever made contact since

graduation year, nor did he.

He was very glad, when his dad proposed it to him six months ago, to take

care of the Park Avenue bookstore: it would have given him some time to

spend away from those annoying Accounting textbooks. And it was there

where he met Barry. He sensed he was a good guy since their first meeting,

and Barry proved that every day since.

Jerry came later, popPing into the bookstore every now and then to take

some books about Acting and Drama, and then he came more often to chat

with Barry and Eddie, and took books on very different topics: astronomy,

Indian dances, Shakespeare novels, French cuisine, paintings, Russian

culture, the Navy, and most recently, the Wild West. It all helped him to

“get involved” in his spare performances on the stage. Actually, Jerry was

their most regular customer.

But Eddie wasn’t completely happy with his life. He knew he had everything

a guy could want and he was far luckier than many others, but he just

couldn’t help to feel he still didn’t realize anything important yet. He wasn’t

doing what he loved. He was just doing what they -more precisely, his

father- told him to do.

That morning Eddie woke up very early. It was six o’clock, and he got up

just to see the sun waking up too: his bedroom walls were painted sky-blue, 

but when the sun raised lazily up from the horizon, his shining rays kissed

those walls and turned them gently into orange.

Eddie got up from his bed, moved to open the big window, and sit, crosslegged,

on the floor of the porch in his pajamas and naked feet.

He touched the white floor of the porch with his hands, and he could feel

the cold of the night. Yet, the sun striking his face so sharply reminded of

the hot he was going to feel later on during the day. He closed his eyes and

leaned his head on the wall, trying to think.

I can see the light of Dawn

The everlasting darkness fading

Cold leaving my bones

And the warmth of hope filling them again

Though the stars have lit our way

As we walked down this path

Nothing is greater than seeing the Sun

He noted his little poem on his pocketbook, the one covered with leather

that his Uncle gave him as a gift on his 20th birthday, saying: “Keep going,

son, you’ve got talent!”

Actually, Uncle Frank was the only one to believe he was a good writer.

That was what Eddie really wanted to do, he wanted to write. To imagine or

describe or translate any feelings into words, and make the readers have

goose bumps on their arms and chills down through their backs.

“Boy” he thought. He believed in his self, he knew he could write, even if

the others �"again, especially his father- didn’t, and just wanted him to

become a business man or manager. However, that was his life, not theirs,

and he wanted to live it doing what he loved.

He was now more positive and decided he had to put a smile on it, and

fight ‘till he won.

The sun was now too high and strong to feel comfortable, so he went inside

again, his eyes aching and going blind for few moments. Then, after

grasPing his sight again, he dressed up, put his red cap on and went

energetically downstairs. A great day was waiting him: he had to show Easy

the best of New York! That girl could really join his very short list of friends

very soon.

He didn’t know two figures were watching him since he got up, and now

they were hiding in a dark corner next to his room, praying not to be

noticed. They were Steven and Betty, the housekeepers.

They have noticed their beloved young master was having highs and lows,

and that very often he seemed depressed and bored. They didn’t know

why, nor did they know how to help him. They were very worried, though,

for a young man starting his life sadly wasn’t a good sign.

When Eddie reached the last step of the marble stairs in their beautiful

house, he realized how hungry he was. So he decided to go to the kitchen,

not knowing that he’d have regretted this decision for the rest of the week.

Entering the cream colored kitchen, he found his father sit at the table,

reading-glasses on, reading the e-paper on his tablet. Every morning he

enjoyed taking his coffee early while reading the news, perfectly dressed in

suit and tie: he was a true business man.

“Hello Edward, good morning! How nice to see you awaken so early this

morning” Eddie’s father said, looking at his son above his glasses.

“’Morning Dad” Eddie answered, picking up an apple from the basket on

the table.

“You know son, I’m very glad I’ve found you because I really needed to talk

to you, please sit”

Eddie knew that when his dad wanted him to do something he always

started by saying “please, sit”. It was tactics he always used with his clients.

“I’m fine thanks, go ahead.” Eddie said, standing still.

His father put his glasses down, and started his speech with a smile,

showing his healthy teeth under his moustaches that went grey during the

years. “Okay, so I guess you know your brother Jason and I have been

working so hard to open a new big bookstore in Times Square, don’t you?”

“Yeah, I heard so.” Eddie had two brothers. One was Jason, older than him,

and the other was Michael, older than the two, and he was currently

opening some “Whales & sons” bookstore in Europe. His brothers were also

true managers.

“Well, we just need a hand, you know. This could be a nice try for you to

prove your management skills.”

Where was he going with that? They already had all the help they needed!

“I-I don’t think I got it Dad.” Eddie said, hesitantly.

“Son, I want you to come with me and help us supervising the works.”

“Okay, it will be ‘till lunch, right?” Eddie couldn’t miss the trip with Easy

around New York. He gave her his word!

His father laughed. “Son, I mean for the whole week. Saturdays and

Sundays included.”

Horror! What was that, a kind of punishment? How could he manage to

stay a full week in a dark raw local, with an helmet on his head, looking at

blueprints and leading people he didn’t even know?

“Dad, I just can’t I’m sorry”. Eddie knew he wouldn’t get far with this, but it

was worth a try.

“Yeah? And why’s that?” his father inquired, rising his right eyebrow a little

bit up. He always did so when he felt disappointed.

Yeah, Eddie. Why was that? “Because I hate everything of that job!” he

thought. But he just couldn’t tell the truth that way. So he chose cowardice,

instead.

“There is a girl, she’s new here and I promised her to go around a bit. To

know New York better, you know”

“Is she your lover?” his father asked in a voice he could have used to ask

can you pass me the salt, please? “Because, if this is the case you should

bring her here to let us meet her.”

“My what? No, Dad, what did you get! She’s just a friend!” Eddie burst out,

surprised by how loud he’d said that.

His father smiled. “Then she will surely understand that you are too busy to

go wasting your time with her.”

Eddie gave up. His dad would never understand. So he gave no answer and

just collapsed in the nearest chair, trying to dissemble the reality to spend a

whole week managing. Eeek.

His father, Mr. Whales, got up energetically. “C’mon young man, there is a

day full of work in front of us!”

“Yuppie” Eddie mumbled under his voice, but his father heard him any way

and pulled him away with him.