7/12/2001

*

Snip, Snip, Snip.

Pieces of lamenated paper flew to the floor. Years of memories shed into this room. Levi, arm still in a cast from his small accident and then subsequent assault on it in the battle royal, sat crosslegged, snipping away at a picture in his hands.

Levi worked with fervor, sweat begining to come down his face and drop to his green sweater. No matter that it was 98 degrees outside and rising in this non air conditioned room in LA, it was still September of 1981 to him. 8 years old, and 15 days before the fatefull day where he would drop a Fridgeadere on his father and then fork his eyes out. His mother was still sulking around the house, mulling over the death of Elvis Presley. Even though he had died in 1977, she never fully got over it, instead, buying every Inquirer that claimed to have information that he was still alive.

At one point, Levi had dressed up like Elvis and sang to his mother. It made her cry, but in a good way. A way that made her hug him tight and kiss his forhead. That was Mommy he wanted. Not the crying Mommy. But Mommy always seemed to by crying nowadays.

Dad had gotten worse. Now he might not come home two nights in a row. He had heard Mommy screaming about some woman named 'Julia.' he had heard mommy say she wanted that dreaded DIVORCE. He had heard Daddy hit her. Many Many times.

And then the next day, Daddy would always show up with flowers and chocolotes. Tommy would be sent outside to play around 5PM and his mom would come get him around 11PM, always in the same place, a lonley swing in the playground of the Apartment complex they lived in. Swinging, singing Elvis songs softly to himself.

But now Daddy didnt come home with flowers. He barley came home at all, and when he did, he did while Mommy was at work.

And Daddy was always drunk.

He would pass out on the couch, on the floor, in the kitchen, in the hallway, wherever he happened to be. And when he did, Tommy would jsut grab his picture and lock himself in his room.

His picture was of Tommy and his Mommy sitting on the front porch smiling at the camera. Mommy and Daddy didnt have a camera, but Mr. Heorber next door let him have the picture after Tommy mentioned he didnt have a picture of his Mommy and him. It was a cheap way to get the picture, but it worked. Now Tommy kept it in a gold frame that he had bought with his allowance money at the five and dime.

When The Big Night came, the picture had been taken as evidence. Tommy never saw it again. Many times he would draw it, entirly from memory in notebooks while at the Boys Home. But he never saw that picture again.

Then almost 22 years to the date, he saw the same pose in a younger picture on the mantle of Taylor Dawkins home. In it were Taylors wife and only child. Neither of them Dawkins ever saw anymore. But what struck Levi was how close, how goddamn close they were to being exact replicas of the picture that Levi had held so tight in 1977.

So when Levi decided that he would get Dawkins back, he knew exactly what to take.

Now sitting on the floor of this muggy hotel room, Levi cut the face of his lovley mother off a copied wedding picture he had gained via the newspaper circa 1968. Then the only other picture of Tommy that Levi had at his disposal. An old NWA promotional picture of a young, smiling happy Tommy Levi. 1989 was the year that picture was taken, 12 years after his fathers death and two after his mothers shunning of him the one time he went to see her afterwards.

As he pasted the faces onto the picture, he noticed they didnt fit all the way. His mothers face was in black and white and was grainy and too small. Levi's face was that of a verile 20 year old, not an 8 year old, but it didnt matter. The picture was back. And upon completion, Levi held it out to admire it.

It was beautiful.

He touched his mothers face.

"Mommy" he muttered.

"Yes, Thomas" it answered from behind him. He whirled on his ass, and faced the sound. It came from the nightstand area. Levi looked and he could see in the reflection, his mother standing beside him. Yet when he looked to his side, he saw nothing. She only existed in the reflection.

"Thomas, you know that was sweet of you. It was very sweet dear, just like you dressing up like Elvis for me."

Levi blushed. He held his head down and smiled at the memory and his mothers kind words, warming his heart.

"But you know it isnt enough Thomas. You know you have to get my ashes back, don't you? If you dont.."

Levi snapped his head up.

"Daddy will be really really mad. And I don't think you want that do you?"

"No mamma."

"You have a chance on Saturday, don't you Thomas?"

"Yes Momma."

"Don't fuck it up Thomas. Whatever you do, don't fuck it up. If you do, Daddy will be REALLY pissed."

"Yes Momma."

Then she was gone. Levi looked at his picture. It wasn't perfect. It wasn't even believable. But it was his. And for Thomas Aaron Levi, it was enough. Clutching his new picture, Levi swept away the junk, took his sweater off and lay on the bed where fell fast asleep.

At night he dreamed of vengence and he woke with a start, still clutching the picture he had worked so hard to make.

*