The Man Made of Broken Glass

The Man Made of Broken Glass

By

Henry Corrigan

“Hello, I would like a Red Eye and a blueberry scone, please.”

“Don’t be so formal, child. You need to loosen up.”

“Nine two eight two zero one three. Nine two eight two zero one three.”

“Stop that. I raised you too well for you to be this foolish.”

“Leave me alone.”

“Watch your tone, child.”

“Please, leave me alone.”

“That’s better, but the answer’s still no.”

“Nine two eight two zero one three. Nine two eight two zero one three.”

“Hhhh, you’re really going to do this, aren’t you? How can you be in such a bad mood on such a beautiful day? The sun is shining, we’re walking to that coffee you’ve been obsessing about.”

“I’m not obsessing about anything, I just-”

“And look! Mr. Berman’s out weeding his garden. Go and say hi!”

“I don’t want to.”

“Stop being silly. It’s just Mr. Berman.”

“No.”

“Don’t be rude, child. Mr. Berman’s a friend. Now. Say. Hi.”

“Hhh...”

“You...you didn’t say hi. You didn’t say hi to Mr. Berman! How could you do that? He’s been our neighbor for years!”

“Mr. Berman is a bully.”

“Nonsense! He’s always been perfectly nice to you!”

“No, he hasn’t. He’s always screaming at me to keep out of his yard.”

“You have no business being in his yard.”

“I’ve never been in his yard! He screams at me for being on the sidewalk!”

“He’s just trying to protect his property, child. That’s what men are supposed to do! Your father spent years trying to teach you that.”

“Dad spent years ignoring me, not teaching me anything.”

“That’s not true! Don’t you dare speak about your father that way!”

“Dad had zero interest in anything I did!”

“He was teaching you to be self-reliant. To not care what other people think. It’s not his fault you were too thick to pick up on that.”

“God, I can’t take this! We are not having this conversation.”

“Really? Because it feels like we are.”

“We are not talking, right now! Nine two eight, two zero one three.”

“Telling yourself something isn’t happening, doesn’t make it true, child.”  

“Nine two eight two zero one three. Nine two eight two zero one three.”

“For goodness sake, stop that! We both know it doesn’t work, no matter what Oslo says.”

“Doctor Oslo is a good man.”

“He’s not a doctor, he’s a social worker which is as much crap as everything else.”

“He’s trying to help me.”

“By blaming me and your father for everything? Please, that’s not help. That’s a cheap justification for an expensive therapy bill. The man is full of nothing but bad ideas. Why, I’ll bet us walking to the coffee shop was his idea, wasn’t it?”

“It wasn’t his idea. It was mine. And the plan was for me to go alone.”

“Well that didn’t work out, now did it? Haven’t you figured it out by now? Where you go, I go. That’s just the way it is.”

“You are not coming with me.”

“Yes, I am. Though I am curious as to why we’re even going at all. You have a perfectly good coffee maker at home. Care to explain why you’d be so stupid as to waste the money, hmmm?”

“I don’t have to explain anything to you. And I’m not stupid.”

“You’re wrong on both counts, now stop being stubborn and answer the question. Why are we going out for coffee?”

“Because at home all I have is...ughhh. At home all I have is only inside coffee. This is outside coffee. It...it tastes better, okay?”

“It’s almost adorable how you think that makes sense.”

“Ughhh, we are not talking about this! We are not talking at all.”

“You’re right, sweetheart, we’re not really talking, we’re going around in circles, and I for one, am getting dizzy. So why don’t you stop pretending for a minute and tell your dear sweet mother about Janet.”

“H-how...how did you...?”

“Oh, well that got quite the reaction, didn’t it? Give your mother some credit for once. You plugged the words ‘coffee’ and ‘Janet’ into your phone over a week ago.”

“You went through my stuff?”

“Keep whisper-screaming like that, child. Maybe someday you’ll manage to frighten the birds from the trees.”

“I can’t believe you went through my stuff!”

“How else am I supposed to keep you from doing something stupid? Besides, I am your mother. I’m entitled to meet the girl my boy is infatuated with.”

“She’s not a...I’m not...ughhh, God! I’m not a boy anymore. I’m forty two years-”

“Pfft. You’re still a baby. But when you get to be my age, maybe you can-”

“You’d call me a baby if I was a hundred and three!”

“Don’t interrupt, child.”

“You interrupted me!”

“I am your mother. I’m allowed.”

“Please. Stop.”

“I already told you no, and I hate repeating myself. We’re almost at the coffee shop anyway, so you might as well tell me about Janet. Is she pretty? She must be, to have caught your eye.”

“God, this can’t be happening.”

“Oh, stop whining for goodness sake. Women don’t like men who whine.”

“Do they like men who take their mothers with them everywhere they go?”

“Don’t get smart, child.”

“Too late.”

“Sneer at me all you want, brat. I’m still coming with you.”  

“Nine two eight two zero one three.”  

“Will you stop arguing with me for once? Do you really want to impress this girl?”

“Of course I do!”

“Then stop whining, stand up straight and stop powerwalking like that. You can’t outrun me, and it’ll just make your limp that much easier to see.”

“My limp is already easy to see, and I wonder who’s fault is that.”

“Don’t start that again. I was trying to teach you how to ride a bike and you weren’t listening. Like always. It’s not my fault you got yourself hurt.”

“You pushed me too hard! I didn’t want to get on the bike in the first place.”

“How was I supposed to know you’d cripple yourself falling off? Millions of kids fall all the time and just laugh it off. But no, not my boy. You had to go and be brittle. Your leg had to shatter like porcelain, leaving me to drag you to the hospital then spend months hefting you up and down the stairs, not to mention wiping your little-”

“Mother, for God’s sake!”  

“Stop. Whining. Right now, do you understand? We’re finally at your precious coffee shop, and I’m coming with you. That’s it. End of discussion. Now, open the door for your mother.”

“I can’t believe I’m doing this.”

“Believe it, child. This is how it’s always gonna go. We’re a team, remember? No you without me.”

“God help me. Nine two eight two zero one three. Nine two eight two zero one three.”

“Well, don’t wrench the door off its hinges for goodness sake. Just open the door. Can’t you do anything like a normal...huh, I’ll be damned.”

“What? What is it?”

“Oh, are we talking again? And here I thought you said we weren’t.”

“God help me!”

“Pfft. You’d have better luck praying for good advice from Oslo. But if you really want to know, I was going to say that you picked a nice place. I’ll admit it, all right? The upholstery looks comfortable and I like the curtains. You made a decent choice with this. Does that make you happy? I mean, I doubt you'll have the same good taste in women, but a mother can dream.”

“That’s it! We’re going home. I’m going home!”

“We are not going anywhere, child. I haven’t met Janet yet. Which one is she?”

“Please stop.”

“Is it the fat one? Please tell me it’s not the fat one. Or the blonde at the register. She’s not right for you either.”

“How do you know that?”

“She wears too much makeup and her shirt is too tight. You want a girl who’ll only give it to you, not to everyone in town. Now, where is this Janet? Point her out to me.”

“She’s, um...she’s...”

“Well, come on, come on! Spit it out! Is she meeting you here, or what? Because right now, there’s only you, me, the two sob stories and the confused man behind the counter who thinks putting on makeup and growing his hair out is gonna net him a wedding ring. Well? For goodness sake! Speak up! We can’t wait around all-”  

“Hey Justin! How’s it going?”

“Oh. Uh. H-hi, Janet. Hi. It’s um, it’s going, I guess.”

“That’s Janet?”

“Finally decided to roll on in, huh? Thought you’d walk by like you always do.”

“I almost did. I almost turned right around and –”

“That’s Janet?”

“Um...never mind. I guess.”

“So, what can I get you?”

“I’d like, um...I’d like a Blue Eye and a...No, I mean...”

“I can’t believe you did this.”

“I mean, um...”

“I can’t believe you kept this from me!”

“You okay, Justin?”

“Yeah! Yeah, I’m...I’m fine. Really.”

“You’re sick, that’s what you are! You’re sick and you’re an idiot, child.”

“I just, uh...”

“Do you need a minute?”

“Yeah. Yeah, that would be great actually.”

“No problem. Why don’t you step over to the side and think about it, okay? I’ll be here. When you’re ready, just flag me down.”

“Thanks, Janet. Than...thank you. Really. I mean that.”

“It’s no problem, please. It’s just coffee. Take your time.”

“So that’s Janet, huh? That’s the girl you’ve been so tight-lipped about?”

“...Yes, that’s Janet.”

“I never thought, after all I’ve done to protect you, that you’d be this stupid! All the real women in the world and you had to pick Janet. You couldn’t have talked to the blonde or the husky girl even.”

“You didn’t want me to have either of them!”

“I want you to have them a hell of a lot more than I want you to have Janet.”

“You said one of them was fat and the other was a slut!”

“I said no such thing! I’d never call another woman a slut.”

“Not to her face, you mean.”

“Quiet, child! Oh, you think you’re so smart, don’t you? Well let me tell you something! The one girl may be big but you feed her a few salads and she’ll be fine. As for the other one, you just keep her on a tight leash. That’s what real men do. They keep their women on a tight leash so all the tight T-shirts only show up at home.”

“Is that how dad managed to keep you?”

“Shut up, child!”

“Hey Justin, doing okay? Know what you want yet?”

“Oh...hey, Janet. Yeah, I, um...do. Know what I want, I mean. I’ll have the, uh...”

“You want to have her, isn’t that right, child? Well, go on then. Tell her! Tell that sissy who has bigger muscles than you do, that you think she’s pretty. Tell her she’s sexy. Tell her you want to see her naked so you can see which of you dangles more!”

“Shut up mother!”

“Oh. Oh dearie. I think she heard you on that one. I think everyone heard you. Look at the way they’re looking at you. Look at the way Janet is staring at you, child. Oh, you’ve really done it now, haven’t you?”

“I’m...I’m sorry. Janet, I-I didn’t...I didn’t mean to...I’m so sorry.”

“Where are you going, sweetheart? Don’t you want to stay and talk with Janet some more?”

“Stop. Please. For God’s sake stop.”

“Go back in there. Go back right now and ask Janet out on a date. Tell her you’ll bring her flowers and chocolates. Make her feel like a real woman. Go on! Ask her out and see what she says.”

“Why can’t I get rid of you? Why do you always ruin everything for me?”

“I haven’t ruined anything, child. I just stopped you from making another stupid mistake, like I always do. And as far as getting rid of me? Well, I think you know the answer to that.”

“God, I’m so sick of you hurting me!”

“It wouldn’t hurt if you would just listen, for once. If you would have the sense to stay where I put you! But no, you have to go off and flirt with sissy boys who think they’re...what the hell are you doing now? Who do you think you’re calling?”

“Y-yes, hello? Yes, I need to speak to Oslo. It’s Justin. Please, it’s an emergency.”

“What’s Oslo going to do right now? Charge you three hundred and fifty dollars for telling you to take deep breaths and calm down?”

“Hello? Justin? Are you okay? What’s going on?”

“Doc! Thank, God. You gotta help me. Please, I-”

“Stop calling him a doctor! He’s just a little man trying to justify his existence! You sound like a damn idiot right now, do you understand that? ”

“D-Doc, please. I...I tried. With Janet. I went to the, um...to the coffee shop and I tried to talk to her, but...”

“Okay, that’s good, very good, Justin. But right now, I need you to breathe, okay? Just breathe. Can you do that for me?”

“Told you he’d tell you to breathe. So glad you’re throwing good money out the window for him.”

“I...I can’t! She’s...”

“Take one big deep breath and let it out slow, Justin. That’s it, good, just like that. Do one more for me. Take it all in and then let it out slow. Great job. Now, tell me what’s wrong.”

“I...I can’t get her out of my head. She won’t stop talking. She’s here. I just can’t-”

“Justin, your mother is not there now. She hasn’t been for ten years. You know that. And you know the date. Start with the date and go from there.”

“I’ve been trying! It doesn’t work!”

“Try again. Focus on it.”

“Real deep thinker, this one. When are you going to see that I’m all you’ve got?”

“Just breathe and focus on it, Justin. I’m here for you.”

“So am I, sweetness.”

“S-September twenty-eighth...”

“That’s it. Great job. Keep going.”

“September twenty-eighth, two thousand thirteen.”

“Well done. Now, listen to me, Justin. Your mother did terrible things to you, but she is gone. Do you understand?”

“I never did anything you didn’t deserve.”

“She is not really there.”

“Yes. I. Am.”  

“I...I can’t get rid of her, doc.”

“And you never will. No you without me, remember?”

“Tell me where you are right now, Justin.”

“The...the coffee shop. Janet’s coffee shop. It’s, um...it’s on the corner of-”

“I know where it is. I want you to stay there, all right? There should be a bench just outside the door, am I right?”

“Yes. Yes, I see it.”

“Good. Go and sit down. I’ll come and get you.”

“It’s almost adorable how he thinks he can help.”

“It’ll take me twenty minutes, thirty at the most to get there.”

“You don’t mind if I keep you company until then, do you sweetheart?”

“It’s going to be okay, Justin.”

“There’s nothing he can do to make this okay. We’re a team, no matter what. Now say it.”

“Just hang tight, Justin.”

“She won’t leave, doc. I can’t...”

“I will never leave you, child.”

“Justin, listen to me.”

“Not now. Not ever.”

“Justin, can you hear me? I’m on my way.”

“I want to hear you say it.”

“Justin, can you hear me?”

“Say. It. Child.”

“Justin? Are you still there?”

“Yes.”

“Yes I’m here.”

“Always.”