It’s almost three-thirty as I sit on the steps leading up to the Humphries’s apartment. I check my phone but still nothing from Meylin. Where is she? I know I’m early but still…she should be here by now.
I take off my backpack, heavy with equipment, and place it on the ground. There’s a saying about professionalism in the entertainment business that Meylin obviously never heard of. I don’t get it. I sent her directions last night so she shouldn’t be lost.
“I’m early.” Meylin lies as she runs up to the opposite side of where I’m facing. Whatever. At least she’s finally here.
“Wow. You look pretty today.” Meylin says referring to my white blouse and red dress. Even though, she said it kind of sarcastic like.
That is when I look up and notice what she’s wearing (a Walk Talk t-shirt). What is she thinking? First, she’s late and now she’s trying to pull this off.
“What do you think you’re doing, Meylin? You can’t wear that. I’m not giving your favorite band any free publicity. This is for a documentary series, in case you already forgot.”
“Maybe you forgot that I’m not actually appearing on camera. I’m the director, remember?”
I’m not in the mood to argue, or admit that she’s right, so I grab my backpack and hit the buzzer to the Humphries’s apartment building.
“Hello…”
“It’s me, Mrs. Humphries.”
“That’s great. Everyone’s so excited to see you. Come on up.”
The best thing about interviewing Eric is that I can do it here instead of at the library. That means I have more freedom to make the shoot look as professional as possible. In fact, Mrs. Humphries already gave me permission to set up whatever I needed.
Oh yeah. In case you’re wondering, Meylin didn’t help me come up with any questions, at all. She said she was too busy. Yeah, right. Doesn’t matter. I thought of the questions myself and my parents really liked them.
The carpeted staircase creaks as we ascend towards Eric’s apartment. We should have taken the elevator as the weight on my back takes its toll (it’s hard to climb with all this equipment stuffed in my backpack). Meanwhile, Meylin is just going on and on about her game earlier this morning. I don’t really care but I don’t say that.
By the time we reach the apartment, on the sixth floor, I’m already sweating. Which isn’t a good sign. I mean, why aren’t the hallways air-conditioned? Also, Meylin could have helped me more instead of just talking.
“You mind knocking, Meylin? I have a lot of weight on my back if you didn’t notice.” I admonish her as Meylin just kind of stares at the door with little sense of urgency.
Meylin only has to knock twice as the door swings open to reveal Eric’s Mom, Mrs. Humphries.
“Oh my goodness. It’s really you. Autumn Blevins. I’m so honored to have you in my home.”
“Hi, Mrs. Humphries. It’s so nice to meet you. This is my friend, Meylin Arreola. She’s going to help me film.”
“That’s no problem. Not in the slightest. I…I can’t believe this but I’m, honest to goodness, shaking right now.”
She then shoves her right forearm in my face as if to prove it to me. And sure enough, it’s shaking so bad that I’m actually embarrassed for her.
“Do you remember that episode with the rich guy that was polluting the community garden? And one of the kids got sick. That really spoke to me. I was so angry I started screaming. The neighbors thought I was having a domestic dispute.”
“I really love that episode. Did I tell you that my daughter cried because she thought the sick kid was going to die?” Mrs. Humphries asks while articulating wildly with her arms. “I loved how you guys exposed the bad guy at the end where…”
“Um, great. Glad you liked it. Is Eric home?” I ask.
“He’s right in the living room. He’s been waiting all week for this. We’re all so excited.” She then leads us into the aforementioned living room where Eric is sitting on the couch. A coffee table is placed before him.
Okay. If Mrs. Humphries can just grab a chair for Meylin and she…
“Lexi. Lexi. Lexi.” Two little girls rush me and place their arms around my waist.
“That’s right, girls. It’s really her. You’re a real life superhero to them.”
The girls have such a tight grip that I have difficulty breathing. Moreover, the lack of air conditioning doesn’t help matters.
“Thanks.” I manage to squeak out while extricating myself from their embrace.
“Can you call Spirit Scribe here? We really want to talk to him.”
Great. She didn’t explain to her kids that it’s a work of fiction. That means I have to play along. This always makes me feel so stupid, especially since I’m not being paid.
“Uh, I would but he’s sleeping right now. He’s exhausted from our last case.”
“Where’s Jason or Ronnie? Are they coming over too?”
“They can’t. They’re busy right now. I’ll, um, tell them you said hello.”
“Can we take a selfie with you? Please?”
“Of course you can.”
Each girl takes a selfie with her own phone, which drags out the process. Hopefully, that’s the end of it and the mother will intervene now. Nope. She’s still standing there with a dumb grin on her face and completely oblivious.
“Where does Spirit Scribe go when he’s not helping you?” One of the girls asks.
This is going to last forever unless I put a stop to it. I didn’t come over here to entertain some little kids.
“It’s been nice talking to you but I have to interview your brother for a special project. We can talk more another time.” I say as gently as possible while looking at the mother. Hoping that she gets the hint.
“Okay, girls. Play in your room while Autumn does her thing.”
“We don’t wanna. We want to play with Lexi.”
“How about this? I’ll say goodbye when I’m finished and you can show me your room. But you have to let me work. Deal?”
“Deal.” The girls shout in unison as they hug me a second time before heading off to their rooms. I’m finally able to relax when I hear their door slam shut.
While all this was going on, Meylin quietly unpacked the equipment, microphones and things like that, and placed them on the coffee table. Most importantly, she’s getting me organized for my interview with Eric.
Look, I know I was complaining about Meylin today, but she’s pulling through now. She’s really putting in the effort to make this thing work. I’m sorry I doubted her.
“You ready, Eric?” I ask him.
He nods but doesn’t say anything. I hope he’s a lot more talkative when the actual interview starts.
“Okay. I’m going to have you come in at the halfway point and you’ll just talk about being Eric’s Mom.” I advise Mrs. Humphries. “Until then, you’ll be off camera so just stand next to Meylin.”
I give Meylin a knowing glance but I’m not too worried. We’ve talked about this incessantly for over a week now. She knows what to do.
I then hand her my phone before sitting down next to Eric.
“Don’t be scared, Eric. It’s not a big deal. Just say whatever’s on your mind.”
Meylin counts me down from five.
Five…Four…Three…Two…One
“Hello, everyone. My name is Autumn Blevins and this is the first episode of Special Friends. Now, my first guest is actually a classmate of mine, Eric Humphries.”
“Eric?”
“Hi.” Eric says.
“Eric is in my special education Math class. For those that aren’t familiar, special Ed classes are designed for those with learning disabilities. It’s where those students can learn at their own pace.”
“You like learning at your own pace, don’t you, Eric?”
“I guess.”
“Is Math difficult for you?”
“No.”
Okay, he’s not taking this seriously. It’s time to call in his mother earlier than expected.
“That’s great. If it’s okay with you, Eric, I would like to bring in your Mom now.”
“I…”
“I’m glad you agree. Mrs. Humphries?”
Idiot misses my cue as Meylin points her towards the couch.
“Oh. Hello, everyone.” Mrs. Humphries then sits down next to Eric.
“So, tell us a little about Eric’s diagnosis (if you don’t mind)?”
“You want to know that? Wow. Well, Eric has ADHD and is a slow learner. Don’t get me wrong, he can learn. It just takes longer than with a typical child.”
“What’s the easiest way to be Eric’s friend?”
“That’s a good one. I would say just talk to him. Include him in activities. Make him a part of the group.”
“What are your aspirations for Eric?”
“He’s going to grow up to be a teacher or a doctor or something. I just…I believe that at the bottom of my heart, despite his obstacles.”
“Okay, back to Eric now. And I’m going to ask you the same question I asked your Mom. What’s the easiest way to be your friend?”
“Play video games with me.”
“Right. You love video games.
“When somebody sees you, what do you hope they think?”
“I hope they think…I never thought about that before.” Eric confesses.
“Okay. Last question. Do you want to be my friend?”
“I thought we were already friends.”
“Just say yes, Eric.”
“Yes.”
“I’ve made a new friend. Isn’t that awesome? Well, thank you so much for your time. I’ll see you all next time.”
“That’s it?” Mrs. Humphries asks.
“Yep. All done.” I then get up and grab my phone back from Meylin.
The interview itself wasn’t bad but I have to tweak some of the questions. It’s important that I receive better responses in the future. I also need to do some editing on it, particularly the part where I instruct Eric on how to answer the last question. However, on the whole, I’m very proud of what I accomplished.
“Okay. We’re leaving now. Thanks for everything.” I stuff all the equipment in my backpack before hoisting it on my shoulders. Meylin then opens the door and we’re off.
By the time we reach the street, Meylin stops in her tracks and gives me a weird look.
“What? Is it about the interview?” I ask.
“Didn’t you tell those girls that you were going to talk to them some more before leaving? That you wanted to see their room?”
“So, I lied. Who cares? Little kids have short memories anyway.”
Meylin doesn’t say anything but I can tell she’s not too happy with my response. Oh well. She’ll get over it.
The only concern I have right now is getting home to begin the arduous editing process. Then, hopefully by tomorrow, it’ll be ready to post. Paving the way for more videos to come.
Related Articles:
Being Special, Chapter 1: https://baltimoreraven87.medium.com/being-special-chapter-1-b5e175dc0d00
Being Special, Chapter 2: https://baltimoreraven87.medium.com/being-special-chapter-2-4c622095b4e9
Being Special, Chapter 3: https://baltimoreraven87.medium.com/being-special-chapter-3-9515c777c14
Being Special, Chapter 4: https://baltimoreraven87.medium.com/being-special-chapter-4-d9f850a08edd
Being Special, Chapter 5: https://baltimoreraven87.medium.com/being-special-chapter-5-d7160ad484ca
Being Special, Chapter 6: https://baltimoreraven87.medium.com/being-special-chapter-6-f7045cc44661
Being Special, Chapter 7: https://baltimoreraven87.medium.com/being-special-chapter-7-fb4e7af04c7b
