No Ordinary Love (13 page)

She touched his elbow. “Then let’s talk.” She led him back to the couch in the theater and sat next to him. “Pretend I’m Trina.”

“You are not Trina,” Tony said.

“Look at her picture on the television then,” Aika said.

Tony turned toward the television. “I like looking at Trina’s face.”

“Okay, let’s begin,” Aika said. “Hi, my name is Trina. What’s your name?”

Tony took a deep breath. “I am Tony Santangelo from Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, New York, USA.”

“Just tell her your name is Tony,” Angelo said.

“I am more than my name,” Tony said.

“I know that, but you’re giving her a little too much information all at once,” Angelo said, “and you’re going to scare the shit out of her.”

Tony sighed. “I do not want to scare the shit out of her.”

“Let’s start again,” Aika said. “What’s your name?”

“My name is Tony.” Tony waited for the next question.

“Now is a good time to ask what her name is,” Aika said.

“I know her name,” Tony said.

“I
know
you know her name,” Aika said, “but you have to act as if you
don’t
know her name.”

“I do not understand,” Tony said.

“If you come up to her and say, ‘Hi, Trina,’” Aika said, “she’ll ask how you knew her name.”

“And I will tell her I saw her story on the Internet,” Tony said.

“And she will think you’re a stalker,” Aika said.

“I do not want that,” Tony said.

“Always ask for a woman’s name,” Aika said. “Trust me on this. You’ll be less creepy that way.”

“Okay.”

“Let’s continue,” Aika said. “What do you do, Tony?”

“I watch the Weather Channel and walk my dog Silver and play my 1883 Mason & Hamlin piano and ride the subway and write songs and—”

“Trina’s running away from you now,” Angelo interrupted.

“Simply tell her who you are,” Aika said.

“But you asked what I did,” Tony said.

“You
are
what you
do,
” Aika said. “You write songs and play the piano.”

“I am what I do,” Tony said. “I write songs and play the piano. Okay. Ask me more.”

“Tony, you look familiar,” Aika said. “Are you famous?”

“No,” Tony said.

“But you are, Tony,” Aika said.

“Art E. is famous,” Tony said. “I am not.”

“Oh, just tell Trina you’re Art E. and get on with the conversation,” Angelo said. “You’re putting her to sleep.”

“But I am Tony Santangelo,” Tony said. “I want Trina to love me, not Art E. Art E. does not watch the Weather Channel. Art E. does not play the piano. Art E. does not write songs.”

“Tony, she might not give you the time of day
unless
you tell her who you are,” Angelo said.

“I will buy her a watch so Trina can give me the time of day,” Tony said.

“What I meant was, she might not talk to you
at all
unless she knows who you really are,” Angelo said. “She might dismiss you in the first ten seconds unless you tell her how famous you are.”

“Trina should talk to me whether I am famous or not,” Tony said.

“In a perfect world, yes,” Aika said. “But the world isn’t perfect, Tony.”

“Just tell her you’re the man whose songs made Naomi Stringer a household name,” Angelo said. “You’re the man who has won three Grammys.”

“Trina will not believe me,” Tony said. “No one will believe me.”

“He has a point, Angelo,” Aika said.

“And that’s
my
point,” Angelo said. “Unless I’m there
with
Tony to talk to this woman, she’s going to think Tony is a nut job. He can’t talk to her on his own, Aika. You have to see that.”

“I do not want you there,” Tony said. “I have to talk to Trina alone.”

“Then she won’t believe you,” Angelo said, “and you’ll get to watch her walk away.”

Tony started twisting and pulling on his fingers. “I am too different.”

Angelo focused on Tony’s hands.
Not that again. He hardly does that anymore. At least he’s not chanting.

“Tony, you’re wonderfully different,” Aika said. She rubbed his thigh.

Tony stopped twisting and pulling on his fingers.

And Aika stops his stimming by touching him,
Angelo thought.
Mama used to do that, too.

“You have soul, Tony,” Aika said. “You are all heart. Most men don’t have half your heart or focus. Including your brother, who is really pissing me off tonight.”

“All I’m saying is that if Tony tells Trina all that he is
with
my help,” Angelo said, “she
might
become more interested in him.”

“What if Trina isn’t impressed by that?” Aika asked.

“She has to be impressed by three Grammy Awards,” Angelo said. “And hopefully a fourth at the end of the month.”

“I do not want Trina to talk to me because of the awards,” Tony said. “I do not want Trina to talk to me because I am Art E. I want Trina to talk to me because she likes talking to me. I am Tony Santangelo from Cobble Hill, Brooklyn. Bring Trina to Brooklyn.”

“Dude, I can’t call up a complete stranger and say, ‘Hey, my brother wants to meet you so hop on a plane.’ ” Angelo smiled. “We have to go
to
her.”

“You said you would help me,” Tony said.

“I’m trying to help you,” Angelo said. “Why don’t we all go out to San Francisco so you can meet Trina?”

Tony resumed twisting and pulling on his fingers. “I do not want to leave Brooklyn.”

I hate to keep scaring him like this, but he has to understand how impossible all this is.
“You haven’t been out of New York your whole life. Why don’t you go to San Francisco? A change of scenery will do you good.”

Aika put her hand on Tony’s arm, but Tony kept yanking on his fingers. “I will not have the home-field advantage,” Tony said. “Home-field advantage is essential to winning championships in the NBA and the NFL.”

“How do you know that?” Angelo asked.

“Aika makes me watch
SportsCenter
sometimes at breakfast,” Tony said.

“I do not
make
you watch it,” Aika said. “You
like
to watch it. You said the ‘not top ten’ is funny.”

“It is funny,” Tony said. He shoved his hands into his pockets.

“Home-field advantage is only important in sports, Tony,” Angelo said. “Not in romance.”

“Well, it kind of is, Angelo,” Aika said. “You knew exactly where to take me to impress me the first time we went out. If you didn’t know Brooklyn so well, I might not be here now.”

“All right, your home turf does play a little role,” Angelo said, “but in romance, variety is good.”

Tony stood and paced in front of the TV. “I know Brooklyn. Brooklyn is my home.”

“San Francisco isn’t in a foreign country, Tony,” Aika said. “And in some ways, San Francisco is as much if not more of a melting pot as Brooklyn is. You celebrate Brooklyn’s diversity so well in your music. Go celebrate the diversity in San Francisco. If nothing else, you’ll have the raw materials for more songs.”

Tony stopped pacing. “I need to know more about Trina first.”

What just happened? Aika hasn’t convinced him to go to San Francisco, has she?
“Why do you need to know more about Trina?”

“So I do not say the wrong thing,” Tony said. “I want her to like me.”

“You really should learn about Trina on your own,” Aika said. “The real joy and wonder of any relationship is the getting-to-know-you part. And even the not knowing and doubt can be wonderful.”

“Not knowing is not wonderful,” Tony said. “Doubt is not wonderful.”

“If you know everything about a person,” Aika said, “there are no surprises.”

“I do not like surprises,” Tony said.

“But if there are no surprises,” Aika said, “there may be no fun, no excitement, and no romance. Maybe even. . . no love.”

“I want to know all about Trina first,” Tony said.

“You mean you want to sponge her,” Angelo said.

“Yes,” Tony said. “I want to sponge her.”

“You shouldn’t have to, Tony,” Aika said. “You need to wring yourself out and soak up a real person firsthand and face-to-face. You didn’t sponge Angela, did you?”

“I found Angela in Brooklyn,” Tony said. “I must find Trina in Brooklyn, too.”

This is better,
Angelo thought.
He’s talking himself out of it again.

“But Trina is not in Brooklyn,” Aika said.

“Trina will like me in Brooklyn,” Tony said.

“Once Trina gets to know you, she will like you anywhere,” Aika said.

“Trina will not like me in San Francisco,” Tony said.

Aika shrugged. “Then she doesn’t like you. Move on and live to love another day. You wrote those lyrics. Put them to use. Follow your own advice. Move on and live to love another day.”

Tony ripped his hands from his pockets, pulling and twisting on his fingers. “Okay.”

Angelo stood. “Okay what?”

“I am going to San Francisco,” Tony said.

That’s not happening.
“To do what exactly?” Angelo asked.

“To find Trina,” Tony said.

“And then what?” Angelo asked.

“I do not know,” Tony said.

And I’m glad he doesn’t know. That will keep him here. One more scare to seal the deal.
“And that’s okay, Tony. One step at a time.” Angelo picked up the remote and returned to the Google screen. “I’ll check out some flights for us.”

“No,” Tony said. “I must go by myself.”

“Tony,” Angelo said, “you need someone—”

“I need Trina,” Tony interrupted.

“We’d only go to make sure you were safe,” Aika said.

“I must do this alone,” Tony said.

“We’ll go with you to explain everything to her about you,” Aika said. “We’ll help her understand.”

“No,” Tony said. “I will go alone.”

“San Francisco is a big city,” Angelo said.

“Brooklyn is bigger in land area and population than San Francisco is,” Tony said.

“That’s no guarantee you’ll find her,” Angelo said.

“Trina is a nurse at Saint Francis Memorial Hospital,” Tony said. “I will find her. I will talk to her. I will get her to like me. I will ask her to marry me.”

“Tony, you have to understand,” Aika said, “it’s not that simple. There are other variables to consider.”

“I will be a suitor for her hand,” Tony said. “I will win her hand. Buy me a ticket to San Francisco.”

“I’m not letting you go by yourself,” Angelo said. “Tony, you’ve never even taken a taxi.”

“I do not need a taxi,” Tony said.

“You’ll need to take plenty of taxis in San Francisco,” Angelo said. “It’s a very hilly city.”

“I will walk,” Tony said. “I will wear hiking boots. I will ride the cable cars.”

“You’d have to take an airplane to get there,” Angelo said.

Tony stopped twisting his fingers. “I will be okay. It is safer to travel on an airplane than on a bus, train, or in a car.”

“And you’d have to stay in a hotel,” Angelo said. “Hotels are strange places.”

“I will stay with Trina,” Tony said.

“Oh no you won’t,” Angelo said. “You’ll have to stay in a hotel.”

“I want to stay with Trina,” Tony said.

“We know you do,” Aika said, “but you have to give her a chance to accept you first.”

“I do not want her to accept me,” Tony said. “I want her to love me. I want her to hold my hand with her dark brown hand.”

“We know you do, Tony, and it’s so romantic,” Aika said. “But you can’t just show up and expect someone to love you. Love takes time.”

“I will wait two days,” Tony said.

“Tony, it doesn’t work that way,” Aika said.

“I will wait two days, and then I will go to San Francisco.” Tony left the theater.

In a few moments, Angelo and Aika heard the hum of the elevator.

“He isn’t serious, is he?” Aika asked.

“He will forget all of this in two days,” Angelo said. “Don’t worry. Tony only has a one-track mind for his music.”

“He seems pretty serious,” Aika said.

“He’ll get over it,” Angelo said. “You’ll see.”

San Francisco, California

13

T
hree days after her
Second Chances
interview, Trina carried a stack of mail into her bedroom and dumped it onto her bed.

Bill.

Bill.

Robert’s bill with
my
name on it.

“Save the planet!” Oh, no! Not again!

Please vote for me in a special election . . .

You deserve new vinyl siding!

A credit-card application? Are they crazy?

Reminder from Hyundai to bring the car I no longer own for a 75,000-mile checkup.

She stared at the last envelope, postmarked from Century City, California.

Time to find out what I already know.

She tore open the envelope and read the enclosed letter:

My dear Miss Woods:

It is with sincere regret that I inform you that online voters did not select you for the leading role on
Second Chances
.

Shoot. There goes the vinyl siding. Oh well.

Hopefully this letter has arrived before we have announced the finalist who received the most votes. If it hasn’t, please accept our sincerest apologies.

“The finalist” should read “the white woman.”

I am confident, however, that there is a good man out there who is going to meet you very soon. I believe that good people eventually have good things happen to them. You are a good person, and the world is a better place with you in it. Though you didn’t get on
Second Chances
, I believe that you will get a second chance for love very soon.