on, but there were too many memories of Dad in England. So she packed me up, and off to New York we went.”
“Why New York?”
“She had spent a summer there when she was at university and loved it. It seemed like the perfect place to make a fresh start. We used to call ourselves the ‘Two Musketeers’, taking on this brave new world. We had only each other.”
“Sounds like you two are close.”
David nodded, his eyes misting over. “Were. She died from breast cancer right after my first film came out.”
Charlotte reached out and rested her hand on top of David’s. He gave it a quick squeeze.
“What do you remember about your dad?” Charlotte asked.
David let out a sigh, his mind shifting back to happier days. “Gosh. There are so many things.” David held his chin between his thumb and forefinger. “He used to read me a bedtime story every night. Sometimes we’d share a strawberry jam sandwich and bottle of ginger ale after kicking the football around on Sunday afternoons. Soccer, I guess you call it. One of my favorite memories is going to Piccadilly Circus. You’ve heard of it?”
Charlotte nodded, “Yes, but I don’t know too much about it”.
“Well, it’s a lot like Times Square in New York, if that helps. People, lights, shops all jammed into one another like bumper cars out of control. Anyway, we’d hop on the tube every Saturday, and Dad would buy me a little tin of jelly babies from the candy shop inside the station. We’d go into the listening booth of his favorite record shop, and he’d put these massive headphones on me, sound shooting out of each ear and filling up my little body with music. He played me his favorite singers; mostly American soul. Lots of Motown, Otis Redding, Sam Cooke, Aretha Franklin. Oh, gosh, he was mad for her. Funny enough, he wasn’t much of a Beatles fan.”
“Really? I thought everyone loved the Beatles.”
“No; he was much more of a Stones man.” He leaned back in his chair and gave her one of his intense gazes. “What about your family?”
Charlotte’s cleared her throat.
“Um--- well, both of my parents are also dead. My dad had a series of strokes and was gone within a few months. In less than a year my mom was gone too. The official ruling was ‘natural causes’ but it was of a broken heart, if you ask me.”
“That’s terrible.”
Charlotte gave him a wry grin before she continued. “They were in their seventies, married fifty years. They were told they could never have children, so they were pretty surprised when I came along.”
“An ah-ha ! baby.”
“Precisely. They spoiled me rotten, treated me like a total princess. But it was all because they loved me so much, and for that I’m grateful.”
“That’s tough they went so close together.”
“Yes and no. They were extremely devoted to each other ---- never spent a day apart their entire marriage. They used to joke that when one went, the other one would follow. Every night at dinner my mom would ask, ‘How was your day, Joe?’ and he would say “Boy, Marie, it was hard because I sure did miss you.’ And she’d always respond ‘and I missed you, too.’” Charlotte chuckled. “It was their little running joke. They had a lot of those. I used to think it was corny, but as I got older I realized how sweet it was. It’s my favorite childhood memory of them.”
“It sounds like I would’ve liked them.” David said.
“You would have. Everyone who knew them loved them.” Charlotte leaned forward. “Your parents sound amazing. I wish I could have met them.” She took another mouthful of ice. “Did your mother ever find love again?”
David shook his head, his voice foggy. “No…she never did. When she got the cancer diagnosis, she was eerily calm. I asked her why she wasn’t more upset. I mean I was ready to tear the doctor’s office apart if it meant I’d find a cure. She just told me she would fight it but that if she lost the battle, at least she
“Why New York?”
“She had spent a summer there when she was at university and loved it. It seemed like the perfect place to make a fresh start. We used to call ourselves the ‘Two Musketeers’, taking on this brave new world. We had only each other.”
“Sounds like you two are close.”
David nodded, his eyes misting over. “Were. She died from breast cancer right after my first film came out.”
Charlotte reached out and rested her hand on top of David’s. He gave it a quick squeeze.
“What do you remember about your dad?” Charlotte asked.
David let out a sigh, his mind shifting back to happier days. “Gosh. There are so many things.” David held his chin between his thumb and forefinger. “He used to read me a bedtime story every night. Sometimes we’d share a strawberry jam sandwich and bottle of ginger ale after kicking the football around on Sunday afternoons. Soccer, I guess you call it. One of my favorite memories is going to Piccadilly Circus. You’ve heard of it?”
Charlotte nodded, “Yes, but I don’t know too much about it”.
“Well, it’s a lot like Times Square in New York, if that helps. People, lights, shops all jammed into one another like bumper cars out of control. Anyway, we’d hop on the tube every Saturday, and Dad would buy me a little tin of jelly babies from the candy shop inside the station. We’d go into the listening booth of his favorite record shop, and he’d put these massive headphones on me, sound shooting out of each ear and filling up my little body with music. He played me his favorite singers; mostly American soul. Lots of Motown, Otis Redding, Sam Cooke, Aretha Franklin. Oh, gosh, he was mad for her. Funny enough, he wasn’t much of a Beatles fan.”
“Really? I thought everyone loved the Beatles.”
“No; he was much more of a Stones man.” He leaned back in his chair and gave her one of his intense gazes. “What about your family?”
Charlotte’s cleared her throat.
“Um--- well, both of my parents are also dead. My dad had a series of strokes and was gone within a few months. In less than a year my mom was gone too. The official ruling was ‘natural causes’ but it was of a broken heart, if you ask me.”
“That’s terrible.”
Charlotte gave him a wry grin before she continued. “They were in their seventies, married fifty years. They were told they could never have children, so they were pretty surprised when I came along.”
“An ah-ha ! baby.”
“Precisely. They spoiled me rotten, treated me like a total princess. But it was all because they loved me so much, and for that I’m grateful.”
“That’s tough they went so close together.”
“Yes and no. They were extremely devoted to each other ---- never spent a day apart their entire marriage. They used to joke that when one went, the other one would follow. Every night at dinner my mom would ask, ‘How was your day, Joe?’ and he would say “Boy, Marie, it was hard because I sure did miss you.’ And she’d always respond ‘and I missed you, too.’” Charlotte chuckled. “It was their little running joke. They had a lot of those. I used to think it was corny, but as I got older I realized how sweet it was. It’s my favorite childhood memory of them.”
“It sounds like I would’ve liked them.” David said.
“You would have. Everyone who knew them loved them.” Charlotte leaned forward. “Your parents sound amazing. I wish I could have met them.” She took another mouthful of ice. “Did your mother ever find love again?”
David shook his head, his voice foggy. “No…she never did. When she got the cancer diagnosis, she was eerily calm. I asked her why she wasn’t more upset. I mean I was ready to tear the doctor’s office apart if it meant I’d find a cure. She just told me she would fight it but that if she lost the battle, at least she
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