I'm going to start posting some of the things that I've written. I wrote this in March and had it up on my old site. Enjoy!
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Bruno's father is of the twilight of the depression generation and grew up on the mean and impoverished streets of Chicago back when mobsters were heroes to the locals. He ran with a tough crowd of rye swilling lads and generally liked to live life on the edge. Frequently his stories end in, "Yeah, that was the last time I saw old [insert hoodlum's name] before he was killed/maimed/sent up the river." Bruno's father rocks, and while he is now a much kinder, softer, more adorable version of his former tough self, he still gets the sparkle in his eye when reminiscing about the good ol' days.
In the 40's, Bruno's father met Bruno's mother and they decided to wed after only a few dates. This was kept a secret because they were of different racial backgrounds and the world was not nearly as tolerant then as it is now. It was also kept secret because their parents would have killed them for denying their families the big Catholic wedding celebration that accompanied all great Chicago events: births, marriages and deaths alike. So under the cover of a snow darkened sky, the future parents of Bruno snuck off to the courthouse and waited in line to become joined in civil matrimony. After their nuptials, they went out for burgers and pops and then returned to their respective parent's homes for the evening. They lead this life of secrecy for two whole years until their parent's begged them to stop running around like a bunch of sex crazed teenagers and make an honest woman of Bruno's mother. Like the good children that they were, they acquiesced, and had a huge church event that rivaled the union of Charles and Diana. Their families believed for many decades there after that their marriage actually began on that day, two years after the real marriage took place.
Soon thereafter, Bruno's parents began their family and lived in Chicago until their third son was born. As is with most Catholic families, their first child was appropriately named after Bruno's father. Their second child, another boy, was named after Bruno's mother's favorite uncle. Once their third, and last child, came to be they had run out of obligatory family members to name their offspring after and thus began the hunt for a name befitting their final child. Bruno's mother desperately had wanted a girl and was stunned to find that, in fact, she had only produced boys. In her weakened and depressed state after birthing the last of her children, she allowed her husband to name the youngest of their clan. Now, Bruno's father was a tough guy and wanted his son to be a tough guy too. He believed that his son should have a name that instilled fear in all that met or heard rumors of him, and so he told the nurse to list the child's name as Bruno Hooks. When the post partum state had lifted from Bruno's mother, a new one took over upon hearing her beloved baby's new name. Bruno's father was to sleep on the couch for the next 2 weeks.
In spite of their children's tough names, Bruno's parents began to see that their boy's would have a much better life if they headed west and so soon after Bruno took his first steps, the family was on their way to the land of golden opportunity- California. Packing up a rented moving truck, Bruno's family caravanned west.
Growing up in a beach town in Southern California was nothing like navigating the rough and tumble streets of Chicago and Bruno's father often times second-guessed the choice for his youngest child's name. As Bruno grew older, it became clear that the child was not living up to the Bruno Hook's image and the father worried even more. Instead of causing brawls in the schoolyard, like his two eldest sons, Bruno was reading poetry and painting pictures of sunsets. While the family was in the living room watching Fox news and bitching about the damn liberals, Bruno was in his bedroom meditating. Clearly Bruno was not what his father had hoped for, but in spite of the chasm between hope and reality, his father loved him more than he ever could have thought possible.
Throughout the year's, Bruno proved to be the antithesis of his namesake, steadily gaining strait A's and awards for merit in areas where young men tend to be lacking in merit these days. Bruno was the first of his family to go to college and complete his degree (with honors, of course) and was the crown jewel in his father's world. Bruno's father had love for all of his boys, but Bruno was something special, and unexpected, much to the delight of his parents.
After college, Bruno traveled the world in search of himself. His heart demanded that he care for others, but his mind had yet to determine the best course of action. He briefly tried a stint as a customer service representative, but quickly realized that his calling was outside of the corporate world. On a whim, he joined the peace corps and traveled to exotic lands to bring kindness, aid and understanding to the less fortunate. Upon realizing that he was a target for terrorists, and not the beacon of peace that he had hoped, he reevaluated his position on government aid programs and returned home. At odds with his heart and his mind, Bruno's heart finally won out and he gave in to his true passion and enrolled in art school for his second degree. Bruno hoped to bring beauty and enlightenment to the world through his artwork.
The summer after his first year in art school, Bruno returned home to California to get a job and save up money for his next semester. On a sunny day in May he visited his old hangout and ran into a woman that he had never met before. She was seated with a group of his friends and he found himself in deep conversation with her before he had even had a chance to catch up with his old chums. They discussed art and literature and jazz music and debated, before agreeing, about the virtues of living in an urban city versus the oppression of living in the conservative, yet safe, suburbs.
I should mention at this point that during Bruno's search for his calling in life, he had also been searching for a partner in his journey. He had briefly lived with a woman whom he loved, but they had parted, their desires for life too different to overcome. During his first year in art school he had come to the realization that love may not be in the cards for him and had resigned himself to a life dedicated to his art, a mistress of sorts that he was comfortable with. His meeting of this woman at this coffee shop on this summer day was unexpected and ignited feelings in him that he had no longer believed were possible. Bruno had an altruistic heart, but his rational mind hadn't allowed him to hope for love any longer.
The summer passed by quickly, Bruno and this woman stealing moments here and there to gaze into each other’s eyes and wonder at the meaning of love. He found that she was a writer, and together the two of them would seek out of the way coffee shops where he could sketch and she could write. With Bruno, the woman found a voice within her that she had feared did not exist, and so she wrote and wrote and wrote. They sat long into the night, bathed by the summer moonlight, the heat from their bodies tingling between them, and dreamed of the future.
As the summer days grew shorter and the heat began to give way to the changes of autumn, Bruno slowly began the task of packing up his belongings. Before the summer had begun and before he had met this woman, he had found that his journey was calling him to Italy, the home of the art masters that he so admired. And as he had marveled at the woman that he had become so entranced with, he was forever aware of the plane ticket sitting on top of his dresser at home- the plane ticket that would take him away from her and continue him on his journey. Bruno had never kept his journey a secret from the woman and her love for him had bloomed on the very passions that had created the path of his journey. They both knew that when the season changed, Bruno would be gone, but they savored the moments that they had and valued them for what they were.
In the days leading up to Bruno's departure, while the woman tried not to think about his leaving, Bruno became filled with doubts about his journey. On the day before his plane took off, Bruno arrived at the woman's house late in the evening with a gift in hand. Together they went to their favorite park and sat down on the bench were they had first kissed, only a few months earlier. Nervously, Bruno laid the gift into the woman's hands and told her to open it. The woman looked down at the present, a cigar box wrapped in twine, slowly undid the knot and opened the beautiful old box. Inside, she found dried white rose petals and began to cry. Bruno explained that they were the petals from the flowers that he had bought for her in the beginning of the summer. The woman began to cry more. Never had she received such a romantic gift in all of her life. Bruno laughed and told her there was more. The woman looked searchingly into his eyes and he nodded to her. Slowly, the woman dug deeper into the box and came upon an old ring box and began to sob. With hands shaking, she took out the box and opened it. Inside rested a beautiful ring. The woman looked again at Bruno and again he nodded. Bruno put the ring on her finger and they kissed. The next day, Bruno left for Italy.
The next two months were filled with heartache and longing in both California and Italy. The woman called Bruno every day and Bruno called the woman every night. He wrote her beautiful love letters and sent her photographs of his paintings. When his mid semester break arrived, he flew home to share a few short days with his love. On his final day home, just like his very own parents, Bruno and the woman snuck off, under the cover of a dark November sky, and found themselves at the courthouse, in line to be married. Before he returned to Italy, they were husband and wife. There were no secrets this time, however. Bruno's parents were thrilled at the nuptial news and together with the woman's parents, they began to plan a celebration for Bruno's return in December.
On Christmas day, the two families came together over a bountiful feast, to celebrate the union of their children and the future to come. The following day, much to the delight of their friends and family alike, Bruno and the woman had a proper ceremony and another feast. Bruno had finished his semester in Italy and was never to be away from the woman, his wife, again. Two days later, they packed up their suitcases and boarded a plane for Detroit, the home of Bruno's school and their future together.
95 days ago, Bruno Hook’s and I arrived in Detroit.
