Larry Sr. & Larry Jr.
Twin Brothers from different mothers...Issue #17
ifOnlyi…will never forget how privileged I am to be able to say I had this wonderful experience in my life, because life is about the good and bad experiences as well. Woo Wee !!!
Let me introduce you to the two Larry’s that hugely influenced my life!
Larry Sr owned a hair salon near us in a local village shopping center, and we often went there for our haircuts. Suppose you could imagine what Warren Beatty looked like in the movie Shampoo, that was the 6’6” Larry Sr. His son, Larry Jr, and I became close friends.
With Indian blood and excellent skin tone, women loved Larry Sr and were always around him. I thought this was cool; I want to be just like him.
Larry Sr. left the Southern Cal life and hair styling to become a pottery maker, growing his fruit and vegetables and living a simpler life in Canada with his then wife and stepson, Ken.
My friend Larry Jr didn’t want to leave the beaches of SoCal, the magnificent waves, and surfing, which was his passion, so he stayed behind to live with his Mom.
One summer, we drove all the way up to Canada in a rented motorhome with my Mom, sisters, and my Mom’s sister Karin. We went from Palos Verdes, California, to Qualicum Beach, Canada, where Larry lives.
Something happened on that trip that I will never know about, but shortly after we returned home, Larry Sr. visited us in his van. Maybe it was around 6 months later, I’m not sure.
By then, my Mom & Dad had been separated for some time, and Dad had moved into a new home. When Larry pulled up, it looked like he was moving in. Larry was in love with my mom, and I could see for sure that she was head over heels for him as well.
The fun times they used to have when Mom came home from the office made it evident that Love was in the air. Mom would cook beautiful dinners, and they would drink wine into the early hours.
Every Saturday & Sunday, Larry would go to swap meets, not to exhibit or sell, but to shop for really anything and everything; he just loved being out and about. I often went with him on the weekends when I wasn’t working, and we had fun.
It was a different kind of fun than I had with my father. Joking, laughing all the time, and bonding with Larry Sr., I even used to copy the way he dressed with his swagger, and it worked for me.
I recall skiing with Mom, Larry, and the sisters up to Park City, Utah. On this trip, a situation caused damage to us both.
Skiing down the mountain, picking up speed, Larry on the right, me on the left, and flying. Then we both decided at the same time to turn inwards towards the center of the hill picking up more speed, and by the time I saw a 6’6” man hauling ass, and he saw me it was to late
Yes, it happened, we both opened our arms to say, " feck, this is it, now hug goodbye, it’s over! When we woke up, neither one of us had our skis on. Googles, gloves, hats, ripped pants and torn up ski Jackets were everywhere. We didn’t find our botabags, which was a bummer.
We both needed help, and the ski patrol was there instantly and took us to the hospital to get checked out. Broken fingers, bruised ribs, and more, but I can’t recall which ones on whom.
We laughed about that crash for a long time. Once we got back to the chalet it was time for Swedish Glogg, my Mom’s delicious winter punch that will instantly ease any pains one has and we had a lot. . Egos were gone and done with for sure, at least on that trip.
Back in sunny California, I was back in school. I would come home at the end of the school day, and at least 8-15 Senior high school girls were all standing and laughing and flirting with Larry, who was up on a ladder cutting our trees to look like large versions of Bonsai.
Larry spent weeks and weeks in the front yard cutting and pruning; he was a chick magnet for me. I would come home and ask, “Anyone for cold drinks”? No, thank you, they said. What, for real, no one ever wanted anything from me. As soon as my Mom pulled into the drivewa,y these girls were running, until tomorrow
Larry eventually moved on, sadly. He kept promising he was getting that proverbial divorce that never happened, and my Mom, one of my sisters, and I were devastated. I think in a way I took it as hard as my Mom did, crazy as it sounds, and I believe it was partly because my middle sister never could gel with him that he left. My Dad was not happy at all; he knew Larry had hurt his ex-wife and never forgave him for this.
When Larry was around, my middle sister no longer had all the undivided attention given to her as Mom’s favorite child. It had become all about Larry now, and he felt her disdain. He thought it wouldn’t work because she disliked him, even though three of us loved him. Ultimately, when he left, it made for a miserable home environment. He was gone, and Mom had no one.
Larry Sr. had a son named Larry Jr. So original; thought you would like that hehehe! Larry was the same age as me. We were both left-handed, born in the same year, the same day, even the same hour. Larry Jr and I were born just 9 minutes apart.
We met many years earlier when I was getting haircuts with his Dad, and we quickly became close friends.
Larry Jr was an excellent big-time surfer, and I played tennis endlessly. We didn’t play the same sports, but loved the same music. He introduced me to what became my absolutely favorite musician, Neil Diamond. I still love this rock star today.
We did not go to the same schools, so I used to bicycle to his home often, about 45 minutes away, pedaling. We became very close friends, he loved the same things I did which made our friendship more enjoyable.
We would often go down the cliffs of PV, where he would surf and I would watch. Believe me, this was not a beach you would take anyone to or vacation at. It had rocks everywhere, and it was dangerous. Not only to walk on but to swim out to catch those awesome waves. People from all over used to come to this beach just for the surf.
That’s one sport I’m glad I never did take up, as students in my high school would ditch class if the surf were up and they would go and catch a few waves. If I did this, talk about a lifetime punishment there would have been for me, I had a few of those punishments, but not for ditching school.
Wherever Larry Jr was living during our younger lifetime, we remained friends, and he spent many, many weekends at our house.
I’m pretty sure he introduced me to my first puff of pot. I’m not 100 percent sure, as I’ve tried for years to remember who, where, and when, but it never came to me. I hope I’m not just throwing Larry Jr. under the bus, even though in our younger lives, we did our fair share of smoking together. I know, not good as it leads to other things, I was around the age of 17.
My friend Larry Jr. had one sister, Lori. She was gorgeous, and I dated her for a while. Not only did I believe she was beautiful, but many others did too, so our dating was short-lived. LOL
Beautiful Lori, whom I always still admired even after we broke up was an avid water- skier and sadly on one of here frequent water skiing sessions, when she fell into the water, the flagman wasn’t playing his vital part, that is paying FULL attention and raising their flag to warn other boaters that there was a skier in the water.
Another boat driver, whom we learned later had been drinking, didn’t see Lori in the water or any warning flag and crashed right into her, paralyzing her for the rest of her life.
Lori’s Mom Jenny, younger brother Larry Jr, his wife, and children moved in to care for her with a team of other helpers. Larry took care of the house, the yard, and repaired her wheelchair many times. Lori said she felt safe having them with her.
She lived the last 30 years of her life as a quadriplegic, ventilator-dependent, but she loved life, always seeming to be more upbeat than many healthy folks. She never felt sorry for herself and never wanted anyone else to. She lived her life to the fullest, ensuring her carers did her hair and makeup daily.
My wife and I were blessed to visit and spend time with Lori and Larry Jr., back in 2000 when we were still living in California. Sadly, Lori, who was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, passed away in 2015. May she rest in peace.
Today, her father, Larry Sr., is 88, still making beautiful pottery, and even with the health issues he has endured in the past few years, he is staying positive and living his best life.
Sadly, my kindred spirit, Larry Jr., I have been told, has gotten into the devil’s den of drugs, too deep for help. Tears happen for me every time I think of him and the winding road he went down after his sister passed away. May our great God continue to watch over him and keep him safe.
ifOnlyi…. short stories are published chronologically, and follow my life growing up in California from 4 years old. If you’ve just found me, the stories will come together when you start reading from….Issue #1
good 🌹🌻🌸💐💚💛💜❤️🌼😍🥰