It was George Harrison, the lead guitarist for the Beatles that he first noticed – but then he realized that all the Beatles had those shoes…. and the music had touched his heart, the music inspired him and he wanted a pair of those shoes.
As the family loaded into the van, Paul’s dad Joseph was going through his pre-flight speech, “Alright everyone, sit down, buckle up, shut up and hang on!”
Joseph and Sarah had met in college and it was truly love at first sight. Joseph was in the theatre and had dreams of acting, whether it was Broadway or the silver screen. Sarah was an accomplished dancer with natural talent. She was never formally trained, but there was nothing she could not do on the stage. Her dance professor was amazed at her natural talent and wondered just where Sarah could have been professionally if she had been trained when she was younger. But both Sarah and Joseph had come from dysfunctional families where violence, alcoholism and verbal abuse were the order of the day. Certainly part of it was genetic, but it was also New Orleans…the city that care forgot – Let the good times roll… and all of those pithy phrases that tourist advertisers love to throw around. But the reality was just like in any city –there was poverty and lack.
The love that brought Joseph and Sarah together was so strong that it overpowered the past and had given them the “true” love they had never experienced when they were young. And because the love was so strong, dreams of fame and fortune faded into the background as their love produced a family. One by one as the children were born, Joseph’s dream of acting and making a living as an actor faded. But there was still that desire and ability to act, so sales was a second best, well not really second best… it was just a job to provide for the family. Sarah was still involved in dance though. She danced with a group of ladies from different churches. She was always the one who stood out, and was without a doubt –the definition of grace and beauty. And Joseph knew it.
Joseph was always pleased to see her dance and sometimes he did have the opportunity to act in church functions. So as he prepared for the drive, he had this mental image of being an airline pilot. Joseph loved the drive, and of course he wanted to see his sister and the rest of the family, but the drive itself was like a chance for him to pretend to be the airline pilot. It was good he could still pretend. With six kids and a fifty hour a week job, he needed some kind of diversion.
Sarah, was not pretending anything. Between getting all the kids dressed right and packing extra clothes and all the necessities that kids need for a short term trip, she was ready to lock them in their seats and settle back and find a little time to relax before the hustle and bustle of the birthday party. The two girls, Rachel and Anna were almost always well behaved, especially when they had their dolls with them. Noah and Aaron, the twins were almost never well behaved…. especially on long car trips. And Joseph actually did have a roll of silver duct tape in the glove box that he had used on the older kids before Elijah, the one year old little one of the family was content enough to eat and sleep on the long trip.
“Oh, no! Peters present! Sarah screamed, “Stop!” Before Captain Joseph had throttled up to full power and was ready to engage his vehicle for takeoff, Sarah leaped from the minivan and ran back inside the house to grab Peters present. Sarah had wracked her brain trying to find the right present for Peter. But Peter had everything. He was an only child and Barbara had been divorced from Peter’s dad, Darren ever since Peter was five. It was a classic case of them not being able to get along.
Darren’s family had owned a lumber mill and for years been the main employer in the small town of Osyka Mississippi. In a sense it was, “old money,” but the mill required strong day to day leadership. And for many years Darren lead the company well. But in the early seventies a combination of competition, scotch whiskey and mid life crisis brought a prosperous venture to a crashing halt. Besides the divorce there was the tragedy of losing Lewis, Peters older brother in his teen years. His demise was also aided by scotch whiskey, but it was the cocaine habit that figured more prominently.
Having the means and influence, Lewis was everyone’s “go to” guy for nose candy. It wasn’t mob connections or disgruntled addicts that figured in Lewis’s early death –it was just a simple blood clot in the brain. Was it the alcohol and cocaine that caused it? None of the doctors really knew or even cared to guess. Seeing an 18 year old die with his whole life before him was hard for anyone to adjust to. Lewis’s death had always been somewhat of a mystery to Paul, but he had known that the sadness and hurt in Aunt Barbara’s eyes was there for a reason. Sarah had decided to let the boys help out and after much discussion and “boys being boys,” in terms of cool stuff for guys –they decided on a gift. It was a Hot Wheels Volcano Race Set. Two racing cars would have to make the ramp before the volcano would belch up smoke and blow air out of the spout to crash the slowest car. Paul had picked it out. It was his second choice. He would like to have had one himself, until he saw those shoes!
Noah, Paul’s eight year old brother had wanted to get Peter a Mr. Slime Head figure. There were three different models, “Snotly Snotingham, in which you would pour a green jello type mixture into a slot in his back and then a motorized pump would squirt the green goo out of Mr. Snotingham’s nose. “Walter Waxalot, same idea, but you poured a brownish yellow mixture and it oozes out of Mr. Waxalots ears. But the best was Gus Pussly. Again same idea, but this was a yellowish red mixture that flowed from pimples on Mr. Pussly’s face. Now you would think that as an older brother Paul would have chosen the Hot Wheels set first, but he actually had agreed with Noah and they both thought Gus Pussly would have been perfect. But Sarah would never have allowed it. It was bad enough that Barbara was a snob, But she was determined that Peters gift would be something classy, at least in a mom’s way of thinking.
~*~
As Captain Joseph piloted their craft onto the I-10 to Baton Rouge, it turned out to be a rather uneventful trip, except for a dead raccoon they saw by the railway bridge on Canal Blvd.
The family had lived in the shotgun house in the Mid-City part of New Orleans since Joseph and Sarah had married. It was a wedding gift from Joseph’s parents who had lived there since they were first married. It was only three blocks from City Park, and the park was the closest thing to Paradise any kid could imagine. It is a weave and patchwork of majestic oaks covered with moss, and lagoons that wind their way through the central section. Many of the buildings in the park were built in the 1920’s by the W.P.A. and had the art deco look of a period that is lost in time. So many summers the family had spent at the amusement area, complete with carousel, Ferris wheel, roller coaster and other rides. Fishing in the lagoon or going to the New Orleans Museum of Art was also an activity that never seemed to get old or boring. Sometimes they would go to the Storyland section next to the amusement area and picnic.
Storyland is a park in itself with sculptured figures representing classic children’s stories. Joseph and all the boy’s favorite was the Peter Pan pirate ship that had a statue of Captain Hook that they could have imaginary swordfight’s with. There was also a puppet theatre and a twenty foot dragon slide that was the fastest slide in New Orleans. Often at night, Joseph would take the boy’s and a large flashlight and go spot turtles and frogs in the lagoon. The park was an extension of their home and one of the best things about living in New Orleans. It was one feature of their lives that had been kept intact. Never mind the graffiti or the drug deals going on around them, the park was a respite. It was like a time machine and the pastoral beauty and peace that they enjoyed was so strong and powerful that the peace that they experienced transcended the reality of the faces of some of the desperate people that frequented the park.
Once, at Paul’s five year old birthday party at the park Joseph had rented a Batman costume. Paul was really into Batman at the time and Joseph made elaborate preparations to have to leave the party at a certain time to meet with a sales client, which, in itself wouldn’t have been unusual, even on a Saturday
.
Joseph hated that aspect of his job, but in a world where, “money makes the world go around,” he just didn’t have a choice.
He had announced to the entire party that “something had come up” and he would return as soon as possible. As he ran to the van and grabbed the costume he faced another dilemma – nowhere to get dressed! If he dressed in the van, surely the entire party would see him and know that it was him and not the real Batman. So, he hopped in the van and drove a short distance to the entrance to the stadium at the park. Hurrying to the entrance his hopes were dashed when he saw the chain and pad lock around the entrance gate. Time was ticking away and with no other options he decided to walk by the side of the stadium, out of view of traffic and quickly changed into Batman and run back to the party. As he was changing and had put the top part of his costume on with the cape and headpiece and was in his underwear did he notice a very intoxicated man lying under a tree with a half empty pint of vodka in his hand. In a slurred and not quite surprised voice he called out to Joseph.
“Baatmaan…you got ta hep me…this old low life done throwed me outta my place and I can’t get my stuff and I ain’t got nowhere to go…. what you gonna do Baatmaan?”
Besides being slightly taken aback about being caught in his underwear, Joseph was totally unprepared. This guy was actually talking to him as if Joseph actually were Batman. Never mind the bizarre setting, this guy really thought he was talking to Batman.
As Joseph quickly put on his pants and began the difficult task of putting on his “bat” boots, he decided to play along. After all, he was an actor and there was a part inside of him that truly hurt for this man. He said in his best Batman voice, “I’m going to visit with the Mayor later today and we are going to come and find everyone who sleeps at this park at night (which was really anywhere between 150 to 200 people every night –one of the largest outdoor parks in America, City Park covers over 1,300 acres) and find decent housing for them.”
“Dern!, that’s might nice of you Baatmaan…. I bet Supamaan wouldn’t do dat fo no one.”
Then he offered Joseph a swig of whatever was in his brown paper bag. Joseph, fully costumed, reached down and put a hand on the man’s shoulder. He could feel the frail structure of his shoulder and the look of advanced alcoholism in his bloodshot eyes.
“Mister, if the Mayor and I can’t help you, just know that God loves you and is watching over you”
“You rite man…Lord have mercy…, yo got dat rite!”
And as Joseph ran back to the shelter where the party was he felt a mixture of sadness and empowerment, and tears. But as he came into sight several of the kids yelled out, “There’s Batman, Paul, Batman came to YOUR party!”
That was all Joseph needed to hear. Everything after that was just lagniappe. Joseph told a lame story about doing battle with the Joker and did some very cheesy magic tricks and let Paul demonstrate some of the tricks to the kids there at the party. Paul felt like a million dollars and Joseph was just so happy to see his son blessed in the company of his friends. After the presentation and singing “Happy Birthday,” several obviously homeless people were walking by. It was never a thought process or asking of Joseph, but Sarah called out to them, “Hey, we have some sandwiches, drinks and Birthday cake – would you like to join us? Oh, and Batman’s here also.”
The people just mixed in and they all visited like they had known each other for years. Some of the guests did have a little trepidation, but for the most part Paul’s birthday was a blessing to everyone. Joseph and Sarah and Paul left the party that day feeling something deeper in their hearts.
~*~
As the family settled into their ride, the beauty of the bayou country unfolded around them. The sky was a radiant, day glow blue, and the cool October air was refreshing. It was just a beautiful day to be out. As they pulled into the driveway, Paul wondered what kind of cake Peter was going to have this year. Two years ago, he had the coolest pirate ship cake ever! It was all chocolate, and had fudge and strings of sugar strengthened chocolate running from the top of the masts to the bottom of the deck. That was a good cake! This year Peter’s theme was going to be the Incredible Hulk. So Paul reasoned that it would be green gooey and with lots of sugar…ummmm!
As they all climbed out of the van, Paul saw that there were already a lot of Peters friend’s from school already there. But as Paul walked toward his cousin, his gaze was shifted to the ground, and then he saw them…those shoes! For more than a few seconds he couldn’t breathe! They were quite simply the coolest shoes Paul had ever seen! They were a leathery, shiny black type of a semi-boot. The top went up well over the ankles and at the top was a silver piping that was sooooo cool! On the side there was a large silver zipper on the inside of the boot that zipped them up and made them fit tight and snug. There was also a black invisible zipper along the back and sides that you could hide stuff in. They kind of looked just like the “Beatle Boots.” But none of the kids or for that fact most of the parents wouldn’t have known what those were any way.
“Whoa Peter where’d you get those shoes!?!” Paul said in a dazed voice.
“Oh these are some stupid old things my aunt Myrtle got for me,” Peter replied nonchalantly, “They’re O.K., but this is the coolest part,” he unzipped the invisible black zipper in the back and pulled out a crisp newly folded hundred dollar bill!
“If nobody gets me a Mr. Slimehead figure for my birthday, I’m gonna buy all three of them and the deluxe bag of ooze!”
The whole day Paul was fixated on those shoes! Everything else was almost like slow motion. Even when he thought of Diane Bailey, the prettiest girl in his class.
He imagined walking down the hallway at school and Diane coming over to talk to him. Diane Bailey was the kind of girl that could take a young man’s breath away. She was simply – BEAUTIFUL. But of course this was Diane Bailey, so for a short time his daydream took control and Paul saw her smile in a different way a way he had never seen before. Sarah helped Barbara with a few games for the kids. Pin the tail on the donkey, the doughnut on a string eating contest, but after that much effort on Barbara’s part, it was time for cake. Because the sooner they had cake and opened presents, it would be time for all the little boogers to go home!
Yep, just as Paul suspected, it was an Incredible Hulk cake. And Peter, as spoiled as he was, wanted to impress everyone. So as the gang all sang “Happy Birthday!”, Peter reared back, leaned forward, blew all the candles out and then screamed, “Hulk Hungry!”, and proceeded to plant his face in the middle of the Hulks face and then blow bubbles and scream with his mouth full of cake. He lifted up his head and was spewing gooey green Hulk cake all around the room. All the kids broke out in gut wrenching laughter.
“Peter! Peter!” Barbara pleaded. “That’s not nice, now you don’t do that anymore, you hear me? “Yes mom!” But the cake was a mess.
All of a sudden around the room moms were whispering to their kids, “You can have ice cream, but you can’t have the cake!”
It was funny for Paul! But it quickly passed, and his thoughts and eyes went back to those shoes. All afternoon he prodded Peter with questions, “where’d you get them? Did they have any more? How many pairs did they have left? How much did they cost?”
And finally after a long day and a really good time for all the kids to play together, and the adults to all have a chance to relax and talk over the news of the day, it was time to pack up and go home. They all said their goodbyes, but right before he stepped into the van, Paul looked one more time at those shoes.
The way the moonlight was shining on the silver tubing and metal zippers, well they were so neat! He had to have those shoes! It was all he could think about. As Captain Joseph maneuvered the Mazda onto the interstate, he gazed at the lighted instrument panel. It looked like a real jet at night! Joseph was in his glory, flying his family safely through the darkness of night. And as the wheels turned, one by one, all the kids drifted off to sleep. It was an uneven
tful sleep for all the kids, except Paul. Paul had a dream. It was about those shoes.
Alien spaceships had landed on the earth and were taking over, one of them had grabbed Diane Bailey and was hauling her off to his ship. As Paul ran faster to catch up to the green headed menace, He looked down, he had those shoes on! And that was what was giving him speed to catch up and rescue Diane. As he reached out and grabbed Diane by the arm, the alien reached over and pulled out his death ray. As he pointed it toward Paul, Paul leaped up and used the side of the shoe as his shield. And with the other shoe he kicked the death ray to the ground and held the alien until the army arrived to take the alien to jail. The last thing he remembered about the dream was Diane smiling and looking into his face and saying, “My Hero!”
And as she said that, Paul looked at the shoes, “not even a scuff!”
He woke up as the van pulled into their driveway at home. As he got into bed, he thought about the dream, those shoes, and Diane Bailey…but most of all –Diane Bailey – was it a crush? Puppy love? True love? Only time could tell. But as he closed his eyes he could see her smile, her hair blowing in the wind and her laughing and as he drifted off to sleep he dreamed again about Diane. But this time, those shoes were not in the dream. He and Diane were walking along a beach with the bluest water and whitest sand possible. They were holding hands and both had sunglasses on. At one point they stopped and turned and looked at each other and Paul reached over and lifted up her glasses and gave her a kiss and she kissed him back…and that’s how the dream ended. Paul looking intently into her eyes and the wind blowing her swirling long hair all about her shoulders.
~*~
Well the next week was hard. Every single waking moment found Paul wanting those shoes! “But Mom, I’ll do whatever jobs around the house to make money so I can buy those shoes!” Unfortunately, it just wasn’t possible for Sarah to run out and buy Paul the shoes he wanted. Each of the kids had two pairs of shoes, their dress shoes and their play shoes. With six kids and bills to pay every week, Joseph was grateful to be able to just pay all the bills on time. His sales job didn’t pay that much, but it was steady and he was going on his sixteenth year with the company. At one time he had a fairly decent commission structure, but new management had made some changes to streamline and help the company become more profitable. Which was kind of misleading when the salaries of all the top executives were posted on the web and their numbers with six zeros behind them were very inequitable with Joseph and the rest of the Branch offices’ 3 zero’s behind theirs.