Chapter 8
"Piña Coladas & Sunset Blvd."
Mia's POV:
After about 6 hours of doing Ell's laundry with mom, it was about two 'o clock. I turned to mom who was folding the last of Ell's laundry.
"I'm done now." I held my hand out.
"Let me see what I have," mom reached into her pocket and grabbed her wallet. She handed me $30.
"Thanks mom." I ran out to where Ell was watching TV.
"I'm finally done with your freaking laundry!" I said out of breath.
"Okay. So what do you want to do?" Ell got up and turned off the TV.
"I don't know... Go to the mal-"
"If I'm going to be your personal butler carrying your all your bags, then we aren't going to the mall." Ell said in a girly voice making lots of hand gestures. I rolled my eyes.
"Fine, then what do you want to do?"
"I don't know, how about get shaved?" He mentioned.
"YUMMY!" I shouted.
"Alrightie!" Ell grabbed the keys to his car and we both hopped into the car. It was silent for a few minutes until asked a random question to break the silence.
"So did you like riding the bus in the morning the last time I went on tour?"
"Not really. I always like it when you take me to school and pick me up on Fridays." When Ell is not on tour, he always takes me to school in the morning and I ride the bus in the afternoon. Last year when he was on tour, I rode the bus in the morning and still in the afternoon. The bus ride in the morning is always crowded and noisy just as much as it was in the afternoon.
"I know," Ell looked over and smiled at me.
"Are you still going to come with me to the Lynches Super Bowl party tomorrow?"
"Of course! I wouldn't miss it for the world!"
"Well I was just wondering because of yesterday, you know..." He trailed off.
"Yeah I know." I said. Ell continued to drive until we pulled up to the wonderful Get Shaved. I walked up and opened the door without Ell, making sure there weren't a lot of people. I gave Ell the all clear and we walked up as normal citizens getting ice cream, which doesn't happen often.
"Hey hey hey! Look who it is?!" We heard someone shout. Immediately I recognized his voice.
"Hey hey hey! It's Big Larry!" Ell mimicked Larry and gave him a big hug. Big Larry has been working at Get Shaved for as long as I could remember. Yes, Big Larry might live up to his name being a big black guy but he is by far the greatest guy I know, of course besides my brother.
"Oh my," Big Larry gasped. "My little-o-Mia-My-a isn't so little anymore! Come to papa honey!" he spread out his wide arms for a hug.
"Gosh I haven't seen you in forever Big Larry!" I exclaimed.
"Here why don't you guys come on back so we won't draw any more attention to ourselves," Big Larry said and brought us back in where the employees work. We always did that if R5 didn't want to get noticed in public but especially me because know one was supposed to know I'm Ell's sister. Big Larry set up a table and three chairs for us and we sat down.
"Let me whip something up for you guys. What would you guys like?" he asked. Ell and I looked at each other.
"Piña Colada!" We both exclaimed at the same time.
"Coming right up." Big Larry said and left the back room to get us some shaved ice that honestly tasted exactly like ice cream.
"Gosh it's been a while since we've been here." I said.
"Yeah I know Big Larry has gotten a lot bigger." Ell pointed out. We chuckled.
"Alright I got a piña colada and a piña colada," he sent the shaved ice down right in front of us.
"And since it's my break time," Big Larry added. "I'm havin a piña colada too." He sat down with us. "So everyone," he paused. "What's new?"
"Well Ell's going on world tour soon," I said with a smile on my face.
"Wow, world tour?" Big Larry gasped.
"Yep," Ell nodded.
"Wow, no kidding. For how long?"
"Three months."
"And you leave in..."
"Five days."
"Damn. No kidding."
"I know. Pretty crazy huh."
"But I've known you since you guys were pip squeaks, so am I still your #1 fan?"
"Hell yeah!" Ell exclaimed and high-fived Big Larry.
"Now how's my not so little o-Mia-o-My-a doing?"
"I'm great."
"Now what grade are you in now?"
"7th," I said.
"Gosh girl what happened to you? It seems like that last time I saw you you were only 5 years old!" He exclaimed. I giggled.
"So are there any special guys in your life yet?" Big Larry asked with suspicion. I laughed.
"Not on my watch there aren't," Ell interrupted.
"Haha well I'm not into guys... Yet, that might change." I said.
"Well I swear, if one ever tries to hurt you, you come to me and your brother and I will pound the daylights out of that kid you hear?"
"Got it." I said while laughing.
Big Larry, Ell, and I continued to catch up with each other for the next hour, talking about the good old times and the future for us. Thinking about it now, it makes me tear up a bit knowing that we've always had a guy who cared so much for us and loved talking to us about, well, life. You never find people like that anymore and I'm glad Big Larry doesn't mind a bit talking to us about stuff like that. If you ever get an opportunity like this, savor those moments because you never know if they are going to be gone tomorrow.
"Well, my break is up, and you should probably get some brother sister time together before you leave. And you young man," Big Larry put his hand on Ell's shoulder. "Get some of that valuable sleep in before you leave. Don't let jet lag get the best of you on tour."
"Haha I won't."
"And you my young lady," he kneaded down a little. "If you ever need anything, I'm always here for ya little lady. Understand?"
"I understand," I nodded.
"Good."
"Oh shoot," I said. I pulled out the thirty dollars out of my pocket.
"Lil sista you know your ice is always on the house." Big Larry said.
"Well I think it's about time I pay it forward. Buy something nice for yourself. You deserve it."
"Aww little Mia. You don't have to."
"But I want to." I handed him the thirty dollars and left with Ell.
"Wow really? All of your allowance?" Ell asked.
"Yep. I don't like to be called spoiled."
"Well played Mia, well played." Ell patted me on the back.
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Ratliff's POV:
I walked out with my little sister and got into the car.
"It's only 5. Where now?"
"Well, seeing that you gave all your money to Big Larry, let's drive around a little, and see where the night takes us," I said in an English accent.
"Haha that sounded like something out of Shakespeare."
"What can I say? We have English in our blood."
"You do, I don't know where the heck I came from," Mia mentioned.
"Yeah well, once a Ratliff, always a Ratliff."
"But I don't even know who my real parents are," Mia said.
"Have you ever wanted to know?"
"Well I was really thinking about it before you announced you were going to be on tour, but if I'm going to meet my parents, I'm going to do it with you." Mia admitted.
"Maybe afterward." I mentioned.
"Yeah I guess so," her voice drifted off. There was a long pause.
"So where do you want to drive?"
"Can we go to LA?" Mia suggested.
"That's going to take more than an hour Mia. Are you sure?"
"But it will be night by the time we get there and I've never driven down Sunset Boulevard at night!"
"You haven't?"
"Nope."
"You wanna know what it's like?" I asked and started to pull out of the Get Shaved parking lot.
"What's it like?"
"Well, once you know you've made it and your driving down that road at night to go to another city to perform, it feels like that road is yours, and I swear, it's the most magical feeling ever." I explained. "So when we get there, imagine your one of the big names in the bizz, and trust me you will feel it."
After being stuck in rush hour traffic on I10 for about half an hour, we got to Sunset Boulevard and I looked over at Mia, I could see the wonder in her eyes, I could see her fantasizing being a singer on stage with millions of people watching her and I knew she would be the kindest most giving and loving person. She wouldn't get caught up in doing drugs or achohol or going to rehab. No, if she were famous, she would act as selfless as possible. But the look in her eyes were just like mine when I first saw Sunset Boulevard at night. That very night I wanted to be one of them and at this very moment now, I knew Mia was thinking the same exact thing.
"So?" I asked. Mia looked at me with a smile.
"I wanna be like you someday." Mia said.
"I know you will." I smiled.