Chapter six

Boyhood

Zeke was getting older, and Ben’s expectations of him had started to grow. He was becoming more and more disillusioned with his son. Zeke had no interest in cars or garages or anything that was even remotely considered macho. In Michigan, hunting is commonplace, particularly deer and elk, but he was not fond of such typical manly activities that he termed “barbaric,” which was an odd choice of words for a child his age. He preferred looking after plants, caring for animals, and feeding birds, and he didn’t like the idea of anybody hurting them. He loved planting seeds and trees and caring for his little garden, a quality he undoubtedly inherited from his mother.

The Tartal’s neighbor, Lydia Copeland, often visited Mrs. Tartal with her one-of-a-kind analysis of Zeke. “You have a strange little boy there, Audrey. He never ceases to amaze me. A unique and sensitive chap, I’ll say. He’ll cry over the littlest thing. He must have been a buddha in a past life.”

Audrey had also realized by then that her son was an extremely fragile and sensitive soul. Leia, on the other hand, loved the smell of car paint and motor oil. She would often open containers of automotive grease and smudge her face, or she would hide in a stack of tires. She hated being with her siblings and spent nearly all her time at Tartal’s Garage, watching the mechanics repair damaged cars or detailing them.

Maya, who wasn’t as fond of the garage and its smells, had a different view of automobiles. She looked at them as works of art. She would collect pictures of cars, especially antique ones, and try to learn about their different styles. She was growing into an eloquent speaker, and whenever her mother, her schoolteachers, or even her friends asked her what she loved doing the most, she said, “watching different cars drive on the road.” She happily announced she would become a car dealer like her father one day. The older she got, the more eloquently she began describing colors, features, and models of cars.

Mr. Tartal was upset about most of the things happening in his house. He was a man of rigid beliefs and a singular dream. He had no interest in becoming a part of Zeke’s little cosmic revolution. He had nurtured a simple wish to name his garage and his dealership “Tartal and Sons” one day. He would cringe at the thought of naming it “Tartal and Daughters” of all things. He felt as if the whole universe was conspiring against him, trying to sabotage his dream. Why else would the women in his house end up behaving like men and the only little man act like a woman? Sometimes he just felt like running away from his own home.

• • •

Leia and Maya did love cars differently, but Leia had begun to develop some strange quirks that worried her parents. She often ended up picking up fights and beating up neighborhood boys. One day, she even tore off Gael’s shirt and beat him up. For some strange reason, Gael feared her and would not fight back. Mrs. Copeland, always warned by others to keep her son in check, finally had a chance to complain about someone else’s kid for a change. She told Mrs. Tartal to get a grip on her daughter.

Audrey had to apologize on her daughter’s behalf on more than one occasion. Seven-year-old Leia managed to earn herself an ironic title. Kids started calling her “Princess Leia,” or just “Princess” as Gael would call her, even though she looked or acted nothing like a princess. This had the makings of a love-hate relationship from the beginning, and everybody knew it.

Gael and Kai’s sister, Nora, was in high school now and had no time for the neighborhood kids. She was mostly busy with her studies and her high school friends. Zeke thus had little company left in his neighborhood. It only left him more time to think about his purpose on Earth and his childhood crush — Nora Copeland.