You are currently browsing the monthly archive for January 2010.
Two years after moving to Hollywood; life was good for Chuck…not spectacular, but he couldn’t complain. His classmates knew him well enough that they were friendly with him while at school, but after school was over he was alone again. He would play kick ball, tetherball, handball, and all the other playground games. He was still picked last for kickball and other team sports. Would you complain if you were picked after an Amazon named Claudia who was know for throwing haymakers at bumblebees and knocking them out of mid-flight for a standing ten count. Chuck liked his life and was not ready to invoke her wrath over a little thing as his bruised ego; he didn’t believe he could do any better than those poor bumblebees. His life was good he still had his drawings that would pocket him an extra chocolate chip cookie or two every week. When he wasn’t working for chocolate he just love to draw for the pleasure of creating art.
On this particular day his good life seemingly came to an abrupt halt. He had just finished a drawing of a famous fat cat and his sloppy tongued dog sidekick in which he received some chocolate milk for. After the transaction, Chuck noticed he was being watched and he knew who was doing the watching. It was Mrs. Irons the school principal… Chuck swallowed as they made eye contact. His heart started to pound in his chest and his mind was racing with thought of dread…
Oh crap! I’m busted, she just saw me except payment for duplicating copyrighted material. Oh man my last year at this school and I’m gonna spend it in detention. I’m gonna be put away with they guy who ran the grade school prostitution ring or with the guy who was rumored to be a cannibal. He was gonna be surrounded by all the biggest, meanest, nastiest, and smelliest bullies in the whole school. Chuck was going in as the only artsy criminal… he was gonna end up as someone’s detention bitch. He would have to end up giving away his beloved chocolate while tearfully whimpering…
“Hello Chuck.” Mrs. Irons said with a smile.
Oh my god. She’s a sadist; look at her enjoying my upcoming misery. Goodbye my good life.
“Hello Mrs. Irons.” Chuck squeaked trying to squeeze out the dreams of horror out of his mind.
“Mind if I look at some of your drawings Chuck? I hear you are very skillful.”
“I don’t mind.” He handed over the evidence of his criminal activities as his heart was raging against his ribcage.
She flipped through the pages of the sketch pad carefully examining each one. She closed up the sketch pad and handed it back to Chuck.
“These drawing are very good Chuck.”
“If you say so ma’am.”
“Chuck I would like to ask you something…”
Uh oh, here it comes she about to close the noose now.
“… Chuck I would like you to represent out school in the Regional Art Competition, would you be willing to do this?”
Chuck’s jaw hit the floor, his eyes glazed over and his heart stopped. He wasn’t in trouble? He wasn’t going to be put into detention until he went to junior high? He wasn’t gonna be someone’s detention bitch? He could still have chocolate! He swallowed hard and forced his heart to start up again.
“Umm yes Mrs. Irons I would be happy to do this for our school.”
“That’s wonderful news Chuck! I’ll let your teacher know that you’ll be working on this so you can have access to supplies you may need.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Irons. I’ll do my best.”
She gave him a smile and left him to work on what he was planning to enter into the competition. The two weeks he had before the competition was filled with thoughts of nothing but art. He wanted to make something awe inspiring, something unique, and something beautiful. There were nights when he couldn’t sleep because his mind was running over the details of what he was planning to submit for the competition. He wanted every detail perfect, he wanted it never to be said he didn’t try his best. When he was done with his submission he let it go with the knowledge that he did just that and with a hope that he might win some recognition for himself and his school.
He didn’t win… life still went on and chocolate still tasted sweet.
After moving to Hollywood making friends was not as easy as it was before. Maybe it because the childhood friends you had had a member limit. Maybe because as children start growing up they become less excepting of new people coming into their lives. Or maybe it was that Chuck was even too weird for Hollywood. He wasn’t a loner, he knew his classmates by name, he’d eat with them at nutrition and lunch breaks and he’d wait patiently for them to pick him last for kick ball. He was awkward when he played kick ball, tetherball, hand ball or anything having to do with a ball and coordination. The one thing he liked doing was drawing and he did it well. To the kid outside his class he was just a weird kid who would doodle in the dirt under the tree surrounded by the black tar asphalt of the playground. To the those kids in his class he was all that too, but they also knew he could draw something by looking at it without tracing and that he would do it for them if they asked. He was so good at it became his job during the breaks, Chuck would carry a large sketch pad with him to school, and during lunch kids would ask him to draw their favorite cartoon character. At first he did it for free, but eventually kids would end up giving him chocolate milk, chocolate chip cookies, or fifty cents so he could go purchase the goodies himself for one of his drawings. Chuck couldn’t refuse such offers, because he really liked chocolate.
Chunlukkun’s parents were modern-day nomads. They didn’t herd sheep, goats or other livestock moving from one pasture to another; they move around a lot. After leaving Thailand they settled in West Covina living in his aunt’s house. A few years later they moved to Los Angeles into an apartment located above a Thai restaurant, which was owned by a different aunt and one that his mother was working at. A couple years of waking up to the smell of fried rice wafting in from an open window he moved to an apartment complex not to far away form the restaurant. Not the last stop in Chunlukun’s nomadic life but a memorable one.
Chunlukkun’s was home alone again; well not really… he was at home with his baby brother Rex. It was a horrible day…the sun was shining, birds were singing, the new friends he made were out playing around the neighborhood and it was Saturday. He couldn’t go out because he was responsible for looking after Rex while both his parents were out making ends meet. He just wished he could go out to play like any other regular 10-year-old. He really liked this new place lived now, over the past 2 years he had made friends with kids around his own age and there many places to play around his neighborhood. His neighborhood; he liked the sound of that. Maybe they’ll stay here for more than just a few years; maybe these friends he makes now will be the ones who will be with him into his future. He sighed as he dreamed about stability starring out of the second floor corner apartment.
“Chun!”
Chunlukkun blinked as he looked around to find one of his friends Melvin standing in the lot waving frantically at him, standing in the lot of the adjacent apartment complex.
“Hey Chun, the guys and I are going to the park! You wanna come?” Melvin called out loud enough for his friend, who had his head out the second story window and along with the rest of the neighborhood,
“I can’t go Melvin,” Chunlukkun said with a sigh “I have to watch Rex.”
“Ok Chun. See ya later then!” Melvin yelled out as he ran off toward the park.
What a horrible day. All his friends are at the park probably eating sugary popsicles form the ice-cream trucks, throwing paper airplanes in to the sky, and running and rolling in the grass. His parents wouldn’t be back until evening and by then his friends would be on their way back home. It was just a horrible waste of a good day. It wasn’t fair, it seem like everybody is out running around and enjoying the day. Even that damn young kid who lived in the same apartment complex he did, why would Chunlukkun associate with a 7-year-old he had standards damn it.
Did that kid just lean over the side of the wall and stick out his tongue at Chunlukkun? There he did it again! Chunlukkun ran and grabbed his water pistol, the cheap ones you get from the previously mentioned ice cream truck, fill it up and waited for the kid to stick his head out again. He didn’t have to wait very long; he squeezed off a round and let loose a stream of water.
Squirt! Squirt!
The water flew through the air for about two feet and the plummeted to the ground short of the intended target. the kid seeing that he was out of range of the cheap water pistol promptly stuck out his tongue and let loose a volley of his own… in the form of a raspberry. It was war! Chunlukkun garbed some wadded up tissues and wet them down so he had some palm sized spit balls. He threw three in quick succession and in quick succession the kid dodged all three. He was preparing to wad up some more tissue an idea crossed his mind.
He lit the wadded up tissues with the stove walked over to the window and threw his first fireball at the kid… which flew wide and caused the kid to laugh. He then lit two more and threw them at the kid. Both missed but the damn kid finally ran off and the battle was won. The victor being Chunlukkun master of the fire ball, or great fireball hurling warrior Chunlukun! Hmm … Master Mage Chunlukun yea that sounds awe… why did he smell smoke, oh shit! He ran out to join the group of neighbors forming a bucket brigade to put out the fire that was blazing along the dried grass. The kid was among those who where helping putting out the fire along with the line of neighbors who would glare at him and mumble to themselves. The fire was put out and Chunlukkun’s parents made apology after apology and thanked the the owner of the apartment complex for not filing charges against their arsonist son. They also gave him a sound talking to, which was followed but a vigorous spanking.
His family move to a new home shortly after that, and Chunlukkun decided he rather be called Chuck shortly after that too.
Chuck is the name he went by and preferred to be called, but he was born Chunlukkun. He followed his parents to America from Thailand when he was just 5 years old; well he really didn’t have a choice in the matter. He didn’t pick up his new name until he was 12. So for 7 years he had to put up with people butchering his name or having creative versions of it spoken instead… Chupacabra… ChunLi… Cuntlicker to name a few of the favorites people have called him. He didn’t legally change his name because his Thai name had meaning and was a gift from his parents. So he just ended up picking up an Americanized nickname and requested that people call him that, less awkward for everyone around. So yes, he prefers to be called Chuck and if you are wondering his name in Thai means… I love you.
His name maybe the cause of a multitude of future sessions with a therapist, but his problems didn’t stop there. When life doles out hardships it doles it out in bulk. His left eyelid drooped lower than his right, which gave the appearance making one eye bigger than the other and gave more ammunition for the bullies to work with. His growth spurt… sputtered and kept him shorter than his peers for most of his youth. His metabolism was ran rampant and kept his physique thin as a rail. From his fist 5 years spent in tropical climate of Thailand and an abhorrence for clothing (which thankfully he outgrew… somewhat) he received and a full-bodied dark tan. Top of his head with a mop of untamable mop of curly black hair and then stick in a foreign land… presto you then have a bully’s wet dream. A small weird-looking foreigner; who would have little chance of fitting in.
Bullies come and go, even though they are at the forefront of our childhood nightmares we end up forgetting them and they just become nameless, faceless assholes of our past. Their actions did not get them immortalized in Chuck’s mind. He would rather immortalize those who matter.
