It was their smoke break. They sat in the backsteps of the bar, by the alleyway. On one side, to their left, was Ocean Avenue, and on the other side, there was tall grass near a fence. After hours on their feet, bartending and waitressing, they looked forward to their well-earned smoke breaks. Resting their feet and catching the ocean breeze was a bonus. It was their chance to catch up with each other’s lives.
It was early summer, and the season was getting in full swing. Plenty of sunshine, beach, and heat equaled very hungry and thirsty customers. Soon, there would not be a minute to catch a smoke break. It was the season for burgers, shakes, fried hot dogs, and other delicatessen of the Standard American Diet.
In July, the Mug & Grill, bar, and restaurant resembled an ant colony. People came and went, food traits flew over people’s heads, loud clanking noises came from the kitchen, and demanding customers waved at the waitresses.
The Mug, as the restaurant bar was commonly known, was a typical Doo-wop structure fashionable in Wildwood, NJ, in the 1950s or 1960s. However, it still provided the cheesy, beach town atmosphere that every summer vacationer sought out and loved.
The Jersey folks looked forward to the summer with the intensity of farmers looking at the sky. They enjoyed a near-home, cheap vacation. Summers at the “shore” were a cultural tradition woven into the minds of Jersey residents. Other than the bottlenecks going in and out of the town, all was good.
As soon as the temperature reached the eighties, people from South Jersey flooded the Jersey shores. In a matter of days, with the same devotion of the pilgrims to Meca, the Atlantic City Expressway turned into a bumper-to-bumper pilgrimage heading south.
The saying goes, “They go on vacation but come back on probation.”
I
For Cherry and Alissa, Summer was the time to make their money. But as they got older, the work became harder on their bodies; the long hours standing while clocking more than twenty thousand steps turned their smoke breaks into a godsend. Their knees, feet, and ankles were grateful for it.
A nice cool breeze blew west from the Ocean. It was early July, and the inferno had not fully burnt yet.
“Do you have plans for this summer?” asked Alyssa, breaking their meditative silence.
“I’m taking Krysta to a water park…I can’t wait to go there.”, she continued before Cherry answered.
“Good for you… I’m staying put”, said Cherry. “Jimmy‘s father is again locked up…I haven’t gotten my child support money.”
“Really?” asked a not-too-surprised Alyssa. What did he do now?”
“Nothing”, said Cherry. “He just did not show up for his probation meeting… his probation officer got pissed off and brought him in front of the judge…you know how that goes”.
“Anyway…what did you say about a water park?” asked Cherry. She looked at Alyssa as if returning from a dream.
Alyssa told her about a newly opened water park and campground in P.A., “The Gray Wolf Lodge,” which was supposed to be exciting and affordable. She had already purchased a day pass.
“Tina told me about it. Do you remember Tina? She is my cousin Frank’s wife. She said that her kids really enjoyed it.”
Cherry and Alyssa were single mothers. Their friendship, which had outlasted years of heartaches, began in their early teens. Right out of High School, their paths crossed at the Mug. Cherry was a bartender, and Alyssa was a waitress.
Alyssa often told Cherry that she could not learn those drinks and preferred not to interact with drunks, “Better you than me.”
Cherry was in her mid-thirties, but she still had some remnants of her youthful years. In her prime, her black hair, olive skin, and very rare green eyes gave her an exotic, feline look. She had a lot of attention for years. But years of smoking one and a half packs of Marlboro Menthol, suntanning, and large sleeve tattoos were taking a toll on her skin.
Clearly marked lines now guarded her gracious smile of her teens. Worries and tension made room for frown lines by her eyebrows. Her eyes were also tired and hardened. The twinkled eyes and smile of her teenage years were replaced by an exhausted and disgruntled ‘resting bitch face.’
Her attraction to bad boys and their frequent encounters with the local cops hardened her spirit. Hanging out on the other side of the tracks was as stressful as riding a roller coaster. Drama was never in short supply when hanging out with these guys. In the process, like a rude awakening, she became skeptical of the opposite sex and sarcastic about their motives.
“Men are all the same…children in grown men’s bodies…They all want the same”.
Her son Jimmy’s father, J.D., for example, was a ‘great guy’ until she got in bed with him a few times. She found out that he rode with the Angels and, unbeknownst to her, he was selling Crystal Meth. No wonder he was always loaded and flaunting expensive rides. She admitted that her love for glitter, attention, and easy pleasures made her fall easily for J.D.
J.D. ended up completing a ten-year ‘flat’ sentence for possession of CDS. – She was six months pregnant with Jimmy when J.D. went into the big house. – Soon after that, she was evicted from their apartment and had to go back with her mother.
Now released from prison, J.D. struggles between construction work and probation violations. He does not see their son much, if at all. He even missed Jimmy’s ninth birthday. The child support money also arrived unpredictably, like the summer storms.
Alyssa had no attraction for danger or overwhelming emotions; she had her father’s easy-going manners. She had a calm demeanor, docile, and an ever-pleasant smile, the type often displayed by people of an agreeable nature. She had what she needed, and her daughter Krysta was her life.
Alyssa was grateful that her guy, Gus, stood by her during her struggles with pills. He became a father for Krysta and “stepped up to the plate.”
In her early thirties, Alyssa learned that she had ‘an addictive personality.’ She fell trapped in Oxycodone and Xannies for seven years, which almost wrecked her life. Over time, she cleaned up, but she sought comfort in another addiction: food. Her recovery was successful, and she still had left the luster and her sunny disposition of yesteryears.
Cherry kept on thinking about the “Grey Wolf Lodge.” It would be great for Jimmy. He had not been himself lately.
“It sounds good…I just don’t know if my car will make it there… also, the child support thing… I don’t know… hopefully we get a good season”.
They continued their animated 15-minute chat when Nicopoulos Tsafaros, Nico, the nasty, fat, greasy restaurant manager, walked him on them,
“your guys arre gonna come in, orr whatt?… it’s getting busy heerre”.
Nico had lived in America for more than thirty years but still could not figure out how to soften his thunderous voice and raspy accent—not that he cared anyway.
“The only sound I care about is the sound of the coins.”
He replied whenever “the natives,” as he called the American-born, remarked that he did not sound right or, altogether, pretended not to understand him. Cherry and Alyssa usually fought him and let him have it, but they needed the money.
II
Bikini Bottom shined in the summer months. The water was intensely blue, and banks of fish drifted from the north, looking for warmer water. The town got busy, and the Krusty Krab business burst with activity. But with the summer, the weather also worsened. The unpredictable storms made the waters treacherous. They often needed to go into deeper depths in search of shelter.
Today, the weather in Bikini Bottom was cold and a bit cloudy. The forecast called for showers and high wind, and even stormy weather was probable. Spongebob Square Pants, a very conscientious little fellow, paid close attention to the weather forecast. He foresaw the road would be difficult to navigate, and he might not make it to the Krusty Krab.
“You will lose your pay,” said Mr. Krabs.
True to his nature, Mr. Krabs was a mean-spirited, crabby, and unrepentant penny pincher: greed was his creed. He was not concerned with his employees’ well-being or SpongeBob’s safety but worried about the money he might not make if the Krusty Krab closed.
In his mind, the Krusty Krab needed to be open even in the middle of a storm or if he had to flip the burgers himself.
It did not escape Spongebob’s attention that Mr. Krabs was uncaring about his employees. He was upset and complained to his friend Sandy Cheeks, who often waitressed there.
“Don’t worry, Spongie. All is well. Tomorrow, the sun will shine. You’ll see”,” Sandy said.
Spongebob was surprised. He did not know that Sandy Cheeks was so understanding. He only knew her as an adventurous, even thrill-seeking gal.
On the contrary, Spongebob had a more settled, cheerful demeanor. He enjoyed other people’s company and was known for being an “empath.”
His cheerful, sunny disposition was his gift. Often, others, like Patrick Star, would look for his comfort. He was always able to calm Patrick’s tempestuous moods. He could not see one of his friends or a stranger sad or in need of help and not to help.
“What we need to do this summer is go up,” said Sandy Cheeks. It gets really nice up there; the sky is beautiful, and the fish are shinier.”
SpongeBob was still not willing to try such an adventure again. It was too risky. On their last trip to the surface, they were caught up in the middle of a storm. He still trembles whenever he thinks about it.
The next day, Sandy Cheeks was proven right. The weather was clear, so he rushed to work. He was in a sunny and bubbly mood as he rode the boat to work.
“Good morning, Mr. Krabs…what a wonderful day!” Mr. Krabs, already in a bad mood, responded,
“What’s so good about it? There’s no customer yet.”
“I know,” said Spongebob, “but you will see, soon all the tables will be full.”
Mr. Krabs was not paying attention; he grumbled some unintelligible remarks on his way to his office to indulge his consuming obsession: his coins.
His daily routine was to open his coffer and, in a state of trance, admire his coins. He could not help but exclaim “aah” in awe and admiration. His pupils grew huge. The shine of his coins hypnotized him. Mr. Krabs valued people only depending on how many paddies he could sell them.
He returned to the hostess area and saw Spongebob standing idled with a wide, silly smile.
“Spongie,” he said, “you’re a fool.”
Surprised, Spongebob replied, “Why Mr. Krabs?”
Mr. Krabs stood and paused for a moment, then faced him down.
“For you, the Sun is always shining…one of these days, you will see.”
“But Mr. Krabs,” Sponge Bob tried to reply. “Not buts! Enough conversation; go and prep the paddies…”
Spongebob, still surprised by Mr. Krabs’ comments but not by his attitude, headed to the kitchen whistling a popular tune: “In the sea, life is sweeter.”
III
Their shift at the Mug was over. They counted their money and split the tips. Cherry walked out with three hundred twenty-seven dollars, which was not what she had expected, but not all was lost, considering it was not the weekend and her “regulars” were not around.
In the bartending world, a good female bartender is a part mother, a crying shoulder, a counselor, and a spiritual advisor. Cherry was now a seasoned bartender and a natural. She had her loyal customers. Whether for reasons of familiarity or the bartender’s personality, guys like getting trashed in the presence of their preferred bartender.
Getting drunk was the best way to commiserate and drown in sorrows and self-pity after years of poor decisions and heartaches. Cherry’s ears and soothing words were a healing balm: the best treatment for guilt, remorse, and regrets.
Some of the burnt-out, divorced, hated by their children, near-retirement guys found emotional support in Cherry. She always understood; she also had an absentee father. Others, the deluded ones, however disgusting their looks, secretly hoped to get in bed with Cherry—one of those self-sustaining fantasies that alleviated their suffering.
The traffic was light, so she made it home quickly. She saw Bill’s truck.
“He did not call me,” she thought. “He’s probably drunk”.
Bill was a good guy—at least he did not have a criminal record—but his drinking often was a problem. He could not hold his beers and turned stupid whenever he felt a buzz.
He was watching T.V.
“Hey, did you fix anything to eat?” she said. He did not answer.
“You know I don’t like Jimmy eating so much junk.” He still did not answer.
Then, he gave her an angry look. From that point, it all went downhill.
“What am I?… your bitch”. He replied. She was right; he had been drinking. There were a few cans of beer near the couch.
“Why do you have to be like that? You can be a dick, you know?” she said.
They traded insults for a few minutes. Cherry hated it when he was drinking. He turned suspicious and irrational. So far, he had not assaulted her.
Jimmy was in his room. He was startled by their argument. There was no way to avoid hearing the commotion—the house was too small. The bickering and f-bombs flew unrestrained, and it was getting to be more frequent. Jimmy feared that Bill would end up like the previous boyfriends, putting their hands on his mother. Cherry would then retaliate like an enraged Panther, and then, again, the police would knock on their door.
The fights were tormenting to him; he was upset. His chest was tight. His stomach was in knots. His need to go to the bathroom grew stronger. He had an urge to pee. He was now chewing his nails.
“Why can’t they stop?”
Bill was lucky. Cherry was too tired and not in the mood to deal with him. Besides, he was good with the money.
“When good, he’s good.”, she thought.
He also helped Jimmy. Each time she had to deal with his drunken stupidity, she kept replaying her mother’s comments about her life’s choices in her head.
“You know how to pick winners, don’t you?’.
Her mother, Brenda Lee, was relentless. Her chain-smoker, retired waitress mother was good at making her feel lousy, but as irritated and offended as she was, Cherry could not argue against the truth.
“You better keep this one. At least he works, and he’s not a criminal”.
These days, she had major things to worry about. Jimmy was not his usual self. Since his father was locked up, he had not been the same. He was a funny, loving kid, very close to her, a quiet mama’s boy. He had no choice. For most of his life, it was only the two of them and the sporadic “boyfriends” that she had to fight and get locked up.
However, she noticed that Jimmy changed after her last major domestic confrontation with her previous boyfriend before Bill. That guy was particularly violent whenever loaded.
After a couple of bruised ribs and a black eye, she was finally able to get a permanent restraining order. Jimmy did not take it well; he started wetting the bed and crying while asleep. He was five years old.
Again, she worried. Jimmy was not fully present; T.V. and video games just consumed him. His answers were simple: yes or no.
IV
Jimmy was a wiry boy with dark brown hair and freckles. He took more from J.D.’s side of the family. But he was quiet. He loved drawing, reading comic books, and watching the Cartoon Network. He did not inherit his father’s bluster and impulsivity.
At school, Ms. Benwald worried about him. She dreaded that other kids, being that he was so quiet, would pick on him. Ms. Benwald knew firsthand that school was no longer sacred grounds. The teachers were not allowed to discipline students. Period. And they were sandwiched between the Administrators and entitled parents. Most of her peers fell into two categories: the teachers who felt too defeated to care and assumed a “do my eight hours and go home” stance and the other teachers who were just counting the days until their retirement.
Jimmy was also known to the school counselor. Mr. Flanagan had already suggested to Cherry that Jimmy get an appointment at Cape Counseling.
“I am not a psychologist, but I think he’s depressed.”
The most recent note from Mr. Flanagan was “urgent.” It said that he needed to have a “serious” discussion with her.
Cherry hated going to the parent-teacher meeting because she felt that she was always judged. She resented that the teachers wanted her to do all kinds of things.
She often lamented to Alyssa, “They don’t know what I have to deal with to make a living.”
“Thank you for coming”, said the Counselor.
He said that he was concerned about Jimmy. His teachers reported him as “sleeping in class” and isolated. “And…” Mr. Flanagan stopped for dramatic effect.
“There’s the drawing…”
Cherry frowned.
“What about the drawing?”.
He handed her a piece of paper with red, black, and blue markings. It was a portrait of a boy seemingly drowning, with blood dripping from his chest. Artistically, it was commendable. He had an instinctual sense of light and shadows, especially the light filtering down the water.
Thematically, it was the work of a suicidal child.
Cherry could not help it. She started crying, sobbing inconsolably. “I am an f…ing failure,” she thought. “I need to get it together”. She should have followed his advice and sought professional help for her son.
She tortured herself all the way home, between cigarettes and tears. She could not stop crying. She felt trapped; Jimmy needed her attention, and she needed to work. Bill was not his father, and J.D. was a piece of shit. Asking her mother to help was out of the question. “You made your bed; you sleep in it,” she said in the past.
On her third cigarette, while driving, she decided to have a heart-to-heart with Jimmy. “I’ll get to the bottom of this,” she said.
She wiped off her tears, stopped the car, and grabbed her son.
“Jimmy, honey, you know I love you, right? You can tell me anything, you know”.
Jimmy whispered, “Yes, ma.”
She explained to Jimmy that Mr. Flanagan told her, “You sleep in class. Are you okay?”
He did not answer. He looked at his mother and broke down.
“it’s all my fault”. Now, they were both crying. “Oh, honey, why are you so sad?”
Jimmy spoke between tears and sobs.
“Nobody likes me, Mom; not even my dad likes me.” He then told her that he hated his life, all the fights, and the mean boyfriends.
“I am so sorry … I’ll do better “, Cherry kept on repeating.
V
The Summer in Bikini Bottom was in full swing. The Krusty Krab was filled with customers. Mr. Krab was static with joy, often whistling Spongebob’s favorite tune, “In the Sea, the Life is Sweeter.” He could not stay away from his coin coffer.
The staff at the Krusty Krab, however, was stretched to the max. Now, it was Sandy Cheeks who was upset. She had waited for so many tables, so many days in a row, that her lower back and ankle ached.
“Spongie, I’m exhausted…I need a break. I don’t care if Mr. Krabs fires me”, said a frustrated Sandy.
Spongebob, in full swing, therapist more, replied.
“I know, Sandy. It’s been busy. You’ll see; tomorrow will be a better day.”
He looked at Sandy and realized that perhaps words of encouragement were out of place. He quickly rectified his error.
“I agree, Sandy; we need a break.”
The next day, they debated back and forth because Spongebob could not overcome his fears. But Sandy was persistent, and with the help of Patrick, they finally agreed to go up, as Sandy Cheek had previously suggested. They decided to surface and enjoy the sight of the corals, the fishes, and a blue sky.
Sandy Cheek, who had gone upward several times, made all the necessary arrangements. She contacted her friend Dolphin Mario, who had taken her on his back a few times before. They all would fit comfortably on his back.
VI
Cherry was desperate; she had no one to turn to but Alyssa. At least, she understood. Unlike her mother, Alyssa would not add criticism and hurt to her plight.
Going out of town to the Great Wolf Lodge was out of the question, and she was desperate to spend some time with her son. She needed to demonstrate to Jimmy how much she loved him and to distract him from his negativity.
“Well, let’s go to Long Beach Island for a couple of days,” suggested Alyssa.
“I heard it’s very nice there…we may get an Airbnb a few blocks from the beach”.
Cherry would have preferred going to the water park, but LBI was the easier choice.
They decided to leave for a three-day weekend. Nico will have to find a replacement. They were fed up with him anyway. They had worked for three weeks in a row and were past exhaustion.
Almost by a twist of fate, by the time Cherry, Alyssa, Jimmy, and Krysta were on their way to LBI, Spongebob, Sandy Cheeks, Patrick, and Squidward were near the surface of the Ocean.
Spongebob was very pleased by their journey up. The waves were smooth, and the Ocean was clear. No mean creatures were around. Not that they would dare to mess with the Dolphins, but he would rather not witness deadly oceanic confrontations.
Mario was a playful dolphin who loved drawing circles as he navigated the Ocean. It was in his nature to entertain, and all his passengers were in a great mood.
From Cherry and Alyssa’s vantage point, it was paradise. A long trek of white sand; the Ocean was a beautiful block of shiny blue waters, caressed by soft, bubbly, foamy waves, and there was not a single cloud in the sky. The temperature was in the high eighties with very low humidity—a perfect day to enjoy the beach, one of nature’s greatest free offers.
They planted the big umbrellas and bathed in sunblock.
They sat not too far from the Lifeguard.
The young man enjoyed his sense of mastery and importance as he sat solemnly above the beachgoers. Every so often, as the beach crowded, he reminded them of his authority. His whistles ruled the roost. He was important given the recent sighting of sharks and the perennial rip currents this time of the year.
Mario, the Dolphin, finally arrived.
He remained just below the surface, not to attract the humans’ attention. He enjoyed their attention, but he was sure that his passengers, especially Spongebob, would not. Humans can be intrusive and aggressive.
As they dismounted off Mario, Spongebob could not avoid but exclaimed in awe.
“Sandy, you were right, it’s so beautiful up here…look up! how blue the sky”.
Jimmy smiled for the first time in weeks. The sight of the water brought joy to his heart. Cherry teared up at the sight of her son’s happiness. She was not such a bad mother after all, she thought.
As he entered the water, Cherry yelled
“Don’t go too far, honey; stay near Krysta.”
Jimmy entered the water, and his body felt the embrace of the planet. The soft waves, the most powerful healing agent, moved him back and forth. He tried floating, which is loved by all kids. He then tried swimming but did not know how. Krysta gave him some pointers.
To everyone’s surprise, Spongebob was overcome by curiosity and ventured further up to the surface of the water. He must have been no more than twenty-five yards away from Jimmy.
Jimmy walked further into the water after he saw a shiny object, what seemed to him a starfish. He felt that it was talking to him. His voice was friendly and inviting. Jimmy was so hypnotized by the sight of Spongebob that failed to hear the Lifeguard whistles. He walked near the buoys demarcating the rip current warnings. The water was reaching his neck.
Cherry was also yelling, but even as Jimmy heard all the noises behind him, he could not pay attention. He was talking to Spongebob, who, with his keen sense of the suffering in others, felt Jimmy’s plight. Spongebob was telling him how much fun Bikini Bottom was and all the good times he and his friends had.
They were enjoying each other’s company when suddenly, Spongebob felt a strong drag under his feet.
Jimmy also felt unsteady on his feet. Then, he felt the salty water filling his nostrils. His eyes burned. At first, he was scared, but it all happened quickly. The rip current took him deep down the water.
Mario and the rest of the crew, familiar with the Ocean’s mood, knew they were dealing with a rip current. They headed further down to catch Spongebob and Jimmy.
The Lifeguard tried to grab Jimmy, but the rip current was too strong. Jimmy was already over Mario’s back and Spongebob and his friend’s care.
Cherry collapsed after the last sighting of her son. To everyone’s terror, a rip current claimed him. When Cherry arose, she saw the commotion around her. Alyssa looked at her with the saddest look; she was overcome by the compassion of one mother to another and could not stop crying over her friend’s tragedy.
Cherry knew then that her son was gone. She felt that was gone as well. No one ever survives the death of one’s child.
Spongebob was very happy to have a new friend. He would make sure that he had fun with them. Jimmy wished he could tell his mother that he was fine and finally happy.
“In the sea, life is sweeter.”, he said.
P.R. Thompson
August 23, 2024
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Oh…I don’t think I remember that episode of Spongebob…