Relentless by Author

Author:Author
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-12-11T16:00:00+00:00

Frank Edelman

My mother would say, “Frankie, you could do anything you want if you work hard.”

As long as she had her vodka and her ciggys, she was happy and would love you to death. She was the type that would massage your feet after a twelve-hour day or hear you come in at two a.m. and wake up saying, “Honey, you sit down and I’ll make you something to eat.” That kind of mom.

My mom went out a lot. She used to give directions around town completely by using bars. You’d say, “Mom, how do you get to the store?” She’d say, “Well, you take a left at the Glo-Worm, take a right at the Rendez-Vous, go all the way down to the Gold Cage and then right along there, you’ll find that place, honey.” All in the Oklahoma accent. That was my mom.

When I was around eight, she’d bring me with her to the bars on Saturday or Sunday. She’d go in and I’d go out in the alley in the back with my baseball glove and a tennis ball. I played nine-inning games against the wall while my mom was in there having a cocktail. Or I’d take my Nerf football and a hairspray cap, which I used as a tee to kick my football off the walls.

I did try to play Pop Warner at one point. Must have been ’70 or ’71, and my buddies and I rode our bikes over to Red Morton Park to try out. We showed up with our long hair and who knows what kind of shoes and pants, but I’m just a tiny little kid. After two days, Frank Guida—the coach in charge—comes over and says, “Boys, take a knee.”

We’re like, “Yeah! We made the team! This is so cool!” Instead, Frank says, “Boys, time to go home. This isn’t for you.” That’s kind of the way it was back in those days. We were the hoods. Showed up, no parents, just running around. I think I was heartbroken a little bit, but we shrugged and moved on.

I remember a basketball court one of our landlords made for me on Second Avenue and how I’d shoot free throw after free throw out there. I also was playing some baseball and getting pretty good at that. But I was just like Jules, so small. I was born in November, so that late birthday meant I was very young for my grade, and I was small to begin with.

My brother Jeff was ten years older than me and a real good football player at the School for the Deaf, and he taught me how to catch. And it’s funny because I have these like really skilled hands and fingers, and you know why? Sign language! My fingers and hands were all about sign language. So I got that soft touch all from sign language.

I was so little and I was so fast, like Julian, but I had no coaching and no team, really. I could compete, no problem, but I wasn’t the best.

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