This is the story I wrote 2 days before I received an email to watch and listen to the New Tenors. I was stunned that my story has my character, Donnie , as an ending doing what the tenors do and more. The same song IN Italian, the same ability the tenors have. It darn near frightened me. Would love to know your thoughts.
It’s easy to see, recognizable immediately. His mongoloid eyes betray him. Donnie waits near the men’s room or the elevator or at the revolving door. He is an idiot, a wonderful, happy, helpful idiot. His big smile makes me want to hug him, be nice to him but this boy wants nothing except to do little things for the world.
Today he recognizes me before I come thru the revolving door. He leans in and pushes hard making it faster and easier for me to get my small brief case through. One step out and there he stood, erect like the soldiers he sees on Tov. I don’t give him a chance to ask for my brief case. I just hand it to him. He salutes me and walks me to the elevator. A few times I’ve seen his loving mother bring him a brown lunch bag or a few cookies in a zip lock bag. When she leaves, he gives the cookies to the first child he sees.
My friend, Irma, and I ask Donnie’s mother if we can take him to lunch and buy him a sweater for his birthday. At first she says ‘No,’ then changes her mind and asks Donnie if he wants to go with us Saturday. His joy is complete. He claps his hands and lets his head wobble like the Groucho Marx doll on his daddy’s dashboard. ‘Yes, yes! I want to go!’
At 10 a.m. Donnie and his Mom are waiting for us Macy’s . Donnie smiles, salutes us and wants to carry our purses. We draw the line but wait for him while he goes around the revolving door three times.
We head to the sweater department and he runs around picking up hangers that have fallen on the floor, talking to a little girl in a stroller who is drinking from a baby bottle. He pats her belly very lightly and tells her to be a good girl. Donnie looks at the piles of sweaters, slip over, button down, turtle neck and decides he likes a red turtle neck. When he tries it on, he likes it so much he doesn’t want to take it off.
He sits down on the floor and won’t budge. The clerk needs the sweater to record the sale but Donnie is adamant, won’t give it to her. She brings a small scissors and cuts off the tag. We are all happy.
‘Ready for lunch, Donnie?’ ‘Yes, Miss Irma. May I have a pizza?’
We head to California Pizza, wait in a long line, keeping our eyes on Donnie who wants to take customers to their tables. At last he settles down and asks if he can stand and sing a song. Irma and I tell him that would be nice even though we only expect ‘Row, row, row your boat.’
Donnie holds on to the back of his chair, straightens his back, tossles his rich black hair and opens his mouth. Out comes a rich ‘che bella nosa na jurnata ‘e sole.’ ‘Irma and I recognize it but don’t understand the words. It is the beginning of ‘O Sole Mia.’ The diners around us stop talking, applaud and ask Donnie to sing the whole song. He tells them his pizza will get cold. ‘Maybe we can come back tomorrow and I will sing for you.’ Wow, wow. What is this phenomena? Not another word is said except to the waitress. ‘May we have our check please?’ We get it and leave.
Near the escalator is a grand piano. When alone I always find a comfortable seat and just listen to a few melodies the pianist runs off without music in front of him. He is playing ‘Moonlight Sonata’ as we pass. Donnie doesn’t ask us, he just walks over to the piano, sits down next to the pianist and starts playing the high keys. Silence reigns around us. The solist gets up and Donnie plays thru the entire piece of music. A crowd gathers. There is surprise. There is applause. Donnie salutes everyone and is ready to go home, show his mother his new red sweater. At his door, Irma and I just bubble over, tell his mother how Donnie sang, played the entire Moonlight Sonata without music.’ Mrs. Adams glows until I think she must explode. ‘People call my boy an idiot and he is a Savant Idiot. He can do many wondrous things. Next Tuesday he will be on the Today show, 9 a.m. ‘Thank your friends, Donnie.’
He does and we thank him back.
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