Below is an excerpt from the new set-in-Florida novel Green Flash at Sunset. Click here to purchase the book.
Eli’s Aunt Liza lived alone in Carol City and cleaned condos in Surfside. A few days after Eli arrived, she told him matter-of-factly that his mother died as he ate a bowl of Cheerios before school.
“What happened to her?” he said, unsure why he didn’t cry.
“Drugs,” Aunt Liza said.
Drugs. Such a vague word that didn’t mean anything to him. It contained nothing solid for his brain to imagine.
“What kind of drugs?” he asked.
“What?” Aunt Liza said. She made a ham and cheese sandwich on white bread to take to work.
“What kind of drugs killed her?”
“Heroin.” Aunt Liza looked over at him.
“Okay,” he said, looking back down into his bowl of cereal and eating a spoonful. When he swallowed, he said, “What is that?”
“You inject it. With a needle.”
Eli nodded. “Yeah, she was doing that.”
“I know,” Aunt Liza said. “I’m sorry, sweetie.” She put the sandwich in her purse, slung it over her shoulder, and squeezed his shoulder as she walked by him. “I’m working late tonight, okay? There is a pizza in the freezer.”
“Okay,” Eli said. “Did you sign my permission slip? We are going to the fair today.”
She stopped and looked at him. “It’s on the table.”
Aunt Liza left for work, and Eli washed his bowl, set it on the drying rack, brushed his teeth, grabbed his bookbag, and headed out the door to catch the city bus to school. Sixth grade. New city, new school, new home, no parents, and one eye.
Three male teachers took thirty one students on a school bus to spend the day at the Miami Youth Fair. The three teachers taught their classes in portable classrooms and operated outside the norms of the rest of the school. The students passed freely from class to class throughout the day, and the administration allowed these teachers to follow their own rules. Wasn’t easy to find male middle school teachers, or teachers in general, so certain things were overlooked. Eli felt lucky to be in their classes, and when Mr. C discovered he knew magic, he would often ask Eli to perform the latest tricks he learned, such as simple card tricks, sleight of hand, and juggling. The kids were intrigued, and Mr. C cheered loudly, making Eli feel like a true performer. Instead of being known as the one-eyed freak, he felt like he belonged, even though he didn’t have friends. He felt that the teachers were friends enough. The other kids still thought him weird, but at least they didn’t make fun of him. Mr. C made sure of it.
The bus parked. Mr. C quieted the kids down, and they listened. The other two teachers already stepped off the bus. Eli sat up front and looked up at Mr. C as he spoke.
“All right. Here is the plan,” Mr. C said, “You have three hours to do what you want. Check out some of the student exhibits. Don’t spend all your time riding the rides. Or do. It’s your field trip. It’s 9:30 am, so be back on this bus by 12:30 pm. Stick with a friend. Don’t do anything stupid. Don’t be late. If I have to look for you, you’ll be sorry. Don’t ruin this, and don’t get me in trouble. I’m going out on a limb so you guys can have fun. Now go have some fun and be smart.”
The kids cheered, and Mr. C walked off the bus.
The other teachers at the school couldn’t understand how Mr. C got middle schoolers to listen so well, but they did, and because of that, the principal didn’t bother him. The other two teachers followed his lead. Mr. Humbert had been teaching for a while and was initially skeptical of Mr. C’s teaching style but warmed up to him and played along. The other teacher, Mr. Schultz, was a first-year teacher with a ponytail and earrings. The week before school started, Mr. C pulled him aside and said to stick with him and he’ll be alright. He said that the key was never to write a referral. Handle all the discipline yourself. Mr. C spoke with the principal and placed Mr. Schultz in one of the empty portables. Mr. Schultz appreciated the mentorship. Mr. C said that with the addition of Mr. Schultz, he had completed the Kingdom of Portables.
Eli didn’t go with the other students. Instead, he followed the three teachers out of the fairgrounds. They crossed the street to a convenience store, and Eli watched from afar. When the next crosswalk signal flashed white, and the teachers were inside the store, he crossed the street. He stood next to the gas tanks as the three teachers exited the store with bottles hidden in paper bags, walked to the side of the store, and sat at a picnic bench under a palm tree. Mr. C handed Mr. Schultz a cigarillo and lit one for himself before handing over the lighter. Mr. Schultz lit one and gave the lighter to Mr. Humbert, who finished unwrapping the cellophane for a cigarette pack and smacked the package against his palm a few times before pulling one out and lighting it. They opened their drinks, cheered, and took swigs. Eli watched from a distance. He never saw teachers behave this way. The three teachers spoke loudly and laughed loudly. Then, Mr. C stopped and pointed in Eli’s direction. The laughing stopped, and they looked his way.
“Hey kid,” Mr. C said, “Eli. Get over here.”
Eli turned and looked behind him.
“I ain’t talking to anyone but you, bud,” Mr C said. The other two teachers laughed.
Eli sheepishly joined them.
“My man,” Mr. C said, “Are you trying to get us fired? If you get hit crossing that street, we’re toast.”
“I’m sorry,” Eli said.
“Look, we aren’t the friends you are looking for. Why aren’t you over there instead?”
Eli shrugged.
“How old are you?”
“Twelve.”
“Goddamn, you’re a big twelve-year-old.” Although Mr. Schultz and Mr. Humbert weren’t paying too much attention to the conversation between Mr. C and Eli, they laughed at that. All three teachers continued smoking and taking sips out of their paper bags.
Eli stood there looking stupid.
“You do magic, right?” Mr. Schultz said. “Show us a trick.”
Eli smiled. “Okay. Can I see your cigarette?” he asked Mr. Humbert.
Mr. C laughed. “This kid is wild.”
“I’m not giving you a cigarette. You crazy, kid?”
“I’m not going to smoke it, but it has to be lit.”
Mr. C said, “Just give him a cigarette. He already sees us smoking and drinking beer. What’s one more thing?”
Mr. Humbert handed Eli his half-smoked cigarette. Eli took it and quickly made it look like he stuck it up his nose and showed his hands. It was gone. The three teachers loved it, and then Eli opened his mouth. The lit cigarette flipped around on his tongue, and he held it between his lips.
“Shut the fuck up,” Mr. Schultz said. “Did you see that?”
Eli loved the attention. He then took the lit butt from his mouth, showed it clearly in one hand, and within an instant, the butt disappeared.
Mr. Humbert said, “All right, show us how you did that?”
Mr. C stepped in. “Don’t. Never show anyone how you did. You’ve got a gift, kid. Do you know any more?”
“Do you have a dollar?”
“One of you give him a dollar,” Mr. C said.
Mr. Schultz gave him a dollar. Eli folded it, appeared to rip it, and restored it. And then, while the three teachers were still excited, he made it disappear.
“Kid, you can make money from this,” Mr. C said. “But look here, the only magic trick I want to see now is you cross back over the street and not get hit by a car.”
“And don’t tell the other kids what you saw us doing,” Mr. Humbert said.
“That goes without saying,” Mr. C said.
Eli walked off with a smile.
“Hey, my dollar,” Mr. Schultz said.
“You can forget it,” Mr. C said. “We just changed that kid’s life.”
