Romeo and Juliet: A Vampire and Werewolf Love Story (7 page)

“Not the smartest thing to forget, cousin,” Benvolio laughed. “I like to know when I’m in the presence of someone who can shrink my head and use it as a golf ball.”

“What can I say? I trust the kid,” I looked at my two friends and said, “Why don’t you two stay? I’ll ask Friar Laurence
to let me off early.
I have worked late the last couple nights and I’m sure he will let me do it.
We can head over to Central Park and get our ducks in a row.
”

“
And
by ducks you’re referring to...‘Tequila,’ Benvolio asked.

“Yes, Ben. That is exactly what I mean. Juice of the agave and the worm at the bottom for one lucky duck.”

“You can go duck yourself, Romeo,” Benvolio smirked.

I made my way to the back and Friar Laurence
was going over the receipts for the day.
“Hey, Friar?”

“I heard, Romey.
Go have a good time. You worked hard this week. Even if you
’
r
e
eating me out of all my profits.”

“You sure?”
I asked, smiling at how cool Friar Laurence was.

“Yeah, I
’
m sure.”

I looked at Friar Laurence
and he was as much
of
a father figure to m
e as my own dad. So, I asked, “Friar, have you ever had
that weird feeling where you know something fantastic is about to happen?”

Friar Laurence
looked at me and said, “Are you referring to a girl?”

“Yes. Is it possible to find love in a place like this?” I asked.

“It is possible to find love anywhere. If two people are meant to be is a hard thing to stop. Once love is in motion, it is virtually impossible to stop it. It’s a cosmic force bigger than faith.”

I looked at Friar Laurence and no truer words were ever said.

“I’m tired, Friar,” I said.

>

“I’m tired of living
in fear of my own life all the tim
e.
”

“Son,
there hasn
’
t been p
eace around here in a long time. I hope whatever it is that you’re feeling that it turns out the way of your heart’s desire.”

“Something is out there, Friar. I know it.
There is a grand plan for me
,
and it
’
s not this!
”

“You don
’
t like your job?”
Friar Laurence laughed.

“You k
now I love you and this job
. I just know there
’
s more
,
that
’
s all. It is just ou
t of reach. I can almost see it.
I can almost feel it. It
’
s a
s
if it lives inside of me and is dying to break
out.
”

“You
’
r
e
a good boy, Romey. Don
’t change if things
don
’
t happen as fast as you like. Go have a good time. Who knows it might happen tonight.”

“Yep,
maybe. I’ll see y
ou Monday, Friar.
”

Chapter Seven

Mercu
tio, Ben
,
and I took the su
bway and got off at 59
^th
Street, Columbus Circle. We had a
spot at the
south
east
opening of the world-famous park
.

Some of our other cousins
and friends
w Fs Czen>
already
there
, drinking
and acting the fool.
Some guys were in
their
werewolf forms
,
wrestling on the ground.
Others were dancing around in costumes that ranged from NYPD police uniforms, to cowboys from the
O
ld
W
est.
These were my guys. My family. In all their absurdity, they were the best friends and family anybody could ask for.
They were a bunch of goofballs, but at the end of the day
,
every
one of them had my back and I had theirs.

“Romeo, Mercutio
, Ben! What
’
s up
,
fellas?
”
Abram
said as the three of us walked up.
He was dressed in a tuxedo with his hair slicked back.

“What on
E
arth are you suppose
d
to be?” I asked.

“I
’
m the guy who bangs your m
om when your dad is out of town,” h
e
said, laughing
.
“I have to admit, the broad has taste.
Mercutio
knows what I mean, don’t you, Mercutio?”

Mercutio gave him a dirty look because it was no secret that my mom had a secret crush on my best friend. What’s a guy going to do? The ladies dug him. Even rich, powerful, married, older women. My mom was a knockout in her day and my dad knew it.

“Hey
,
you know your aunt isn
’
t my ty
pe,” Mercutio grinned.
“
I like my gir
ls to have a little more on the backside, The lady has no butt.”

“Nice
,
Mer
cutio, I thought you were my best
friend,” I said.
I turned to Mercutio and punched him in the stomach. It wasn
’
t to
o
hard but he got the point. I focused my attention on Abram.
I didn’t like anyone talking about my mom.
“I
’
ll be sure to let your
a
unt, my mom, know that you
’
r
e
pimping her to whoever will have her.”

Abram looked at me and laughed.
“Do you want to
rescind
your statemen
t because the jokes are endless?
”

“That
’
s what people say when th
ey don’t have a good one to say,” I said, challenging his humor.

“Out of respect
for
your dad
,
w
ho is my favorite
uncle, I’ll keep my mouth shut,
”
Abram said and took a step back.

“It
didn’t stop your first comment,
” I said.

“Never get on Romeo
’
s mom, because
,
man
,
he’s a little bitch when you do,
”
Mercutio laughed.

“You
’
r
e
right,” Benvolio said.
“I was on her last night and I haven
’
t heard him shut up all day.”

“Seriously, you
,
too? My favorite cousin?
”
I said.

“Hey!”
a
ll my other cousins yelled out in protest.

“Hey, you guys know I love all of you,
” I said. “B
ut Ben here was born on the same day as me. We
’
re practically twins.
”

“Except you
’
r
e about ten
times
better looking than his fat ass,” Mercutio laughed, now he w Khedont>as mixing it up with Benvolio.

“Oh
,
that does it!
”
Benvolio said. He turned into a werewolf and leaped on
top of
Mercutio and they playfully wrestled on the grass near the sidewalk.
This was a typical night with Mercutio and
my cousins; just chaos
and barbarianism. This
wa
s the way we live
d. To be honest, this was what wa
s expected of us. Although it was fun, but at the end of the night
, w
hat d
id
any of it mean? We
were
just grown men who refused to grow up.

“Where
’
s your costume?
” Abram said to me
. “Are you going a
s yourself? Don’t get me wrong
. It
’
s a
great costume. ‘The whole guy with his head in the clouds.’”

“My head wasn’t in the clouds the other night. I was down to fight with you guys.”

“Why would you even have to say that?” Benvolio said. “That should go without saying. I am more worried that you feel the need to clarify it with us.”

“Why do you bring up crap? Abram? You’re a bitter little man servant.”
I had enough of Abram. And it
was one thing for all of my cousins to give me crap, but not someone outside the family.

Plus, my cousins and friends needed to be reminded t
hat I was the baddest mother among them. I turned into my werewolf form and leaped on top of Abram. Abram immediately transitioned. I know
that
deep inside
,
he thought he could handle me. We have a rule among the cousins
and our friends
. We don
’
t bite and we don
’
t strike. But we sure as hell wrestle. I pinned his werewolf face into the mud and made him cry uncle. But as a werewolf
,
he couldn
’
t speak. So he just yelped like a girl. I let him go once. I pr
e
yed my dominance over my cousin.