A story. Enjoy.
The date was September 26, (ironically the same date that the author of this amazing blog was born. DESTINY!!! hahaha)Marty Casey's 87th birthday. The busty nurse who was in charge of his daily sponge bath was actually some what gentle on him today.
"Mr. Casey, today is your eighty seventh birthday, isn't that amazing! The staff here at Wayward Son nursing home are throwing a birthday party for all the residents who have birthdays in September! After we are done getting you all cleaned up, I am gonna wheel you down to the activity room for the party." she said as she lathers up the sterile white wash cloth with the warm vanilla scented soap that his son leaves wit them every month. As she brushes his freshly dyed blond shaggy hair, she asks, "Mr. Casey, do you want to go for a smokier effect for your eye makeup today? It is your birthday."
"That would be great, I want to look my best." Marty said, trying not to be obvious as he watched how the nurses gigantic breasts swayed back and forth in front of his face as she applied his foundation.
"Your son and family will be by in about an hour. He dropped this outfit off for you, saying that you talked about wearing it on your birthday," she says as she shows Marty Casey the outfit.
"It, it, it's my old outfit!" Marty says, fighting back tears as gazes upon the freshly pressed black and red pin striped pants, black long sleeved button down shirt, silver vest and red tie.
"Oh, geez, it looks like your son gave you a choice, he included a second tie. This one is red, white and black striped. Oh and here is a studded belt and a zebra scarf. This looks really really expensive, the kind of scarf that one might give to a person who writes a flattering blog about them (wink wink nudge nudge) He really thinks of everything."
"The other tie, I wear that in the back left belt loops on my pants. And yes, he does think of everything. He is an a amazing boy."
"You can say that again. You should be proud!"
"I am, truly. Now, off to that party! Onward!" he says as he climbs into his wheelchair.
When they reached the activity room, they were greeted with a rainbow of balloons on the walls, tinsel covered tables and streamers hanging from the ceiling. A large LCD screen flashed HAPPY BIRTHDAY! There were about 7 people in wheel chairs and about 10 people sitting at sporadic tables throughout the room. Marty glanced around the room and saw a woman surrounded by two young children and a younger man in his mid forties and a very dapper older man who looked about 70. The lady in the chair had a sort of glazed over expression and the youngest of the children was snuggled up in the chair with her. The family seemed very close and Marty guessed that it two was her birthday from the balloons tied to the back of her chair and the crays paper crown on her head. The young man looked strangely familiar to Marty, as if he had seen him somewhere before. His nurse dropped him off at a table, gave him a noise maker and a glass of sparkling white grape juice in a plastic champagne glass.
Marty could not shake the thought that he knew the man from somewhere. He looked over again and realized that the man was walking over to him. He sat up as straight as he could and smiled sheepishly at him as he approached. "Hello." he says.
"Hi, this may seem like a strange question, but would your name happen to be Marty Casey?"
"Yes, in fact it is. How did you know that? Let me guess, your parents were fans! How wonderful.
"Ha! You could say that my mom was a bit of a fan."
"Aw, that is really nice. I love to know that my music touches people's lives. But I can't seem to shake the feeling that I know you from some where. That probably sounds strange."
"I get that a lot. People say I look exactly like my father, he is the man standing over there, holding my mother's hand."
"I didn't catch your name. You already know mine is Marty. What was yours?"
"Zac Efron Junior."
"Your father is Zac Efron?"
"Yes, Zac Efron is my father. The same one who was named world's best looking person of the century. That never gets old, because like I told you, I get told I look like him. But I have always been more proud to have my mother, it is her birthday today too."
"Wow! That is pretty incredible. So Vanessa Hudgens and I share a birthday? I never knew that. Small world. I used to know all the words to all the songs from High School Musical. Don't tell anyone. I have never even told my band or anyone about that. Christ that seems like forever ago. So That is Vanessa Hudgens over there? I love that Gabrielle and Troy got married and had babies. Disney sure knows how to write the future huh?"
"Um, my mother is not Vanessa Hudgens. My mother is far more well known. She has 100 best selling novels, 10 tony award winning plays, 5 academy awards, a Grammy for spoken word, thirteen golden globes, a Nobel prize and an honory doctorate from Harvard"
"WOW! You have me at the edge of my seat. I guess I have been out of the loop. I should have paid more attention to the news. What is your mother's name?"
"Sarah Hitt Efron."
"Sarah Hitt?"
"yes."
"Your mother is Sarah Hitt? Sarah Hitt? The Girl Who Faked It Sarah Hitt? And she married Zac Efron? How come I didn't know any of this. With that level of fame you would think I would have heard something about this before. That kind of success doesn't go un noticed nor does it happen over night."
"Yes, and together they had me and my sister Zangelina Eflie. They really loved the Jolie-Pitt family. You see, my mother goes by a fake name when she writes, I am not really sure why. You may know her has Alanis Spacey Casey."
"HOLY SHIT! I always thought that was a fake name, I mean it was always too strange. I have to be honest Zac Efron Jr. I am kinda taken aback by all of this."
"I kinda thought you would be, that is why I came over here. My mother always speaks so fondly of you. I want to ask you Marty, if you would come over and say hello to my mother? You see, she always said that she has something very important she needs to say to you, and well, since you are here, will you go talk to her?"
"Of course, anything for the girl who faked it."
"I need to warn you, my mom is really frail. She is in her eighties after all and she doesn't talk much anymore." and with that, Zac Efron Jr. wheeled Marty Casey across the activity room of Wayward Son nursing home towards Sarah Hitt Efron, Zac Efron and their grandchildren. As they approach, Marty noticed the expression on the face of Sarah Hitt Efron was blank and a sadness built in his chest. This was not the vibrant girl he remembered from fifty years ago at Hammerfest 2010.
"Dad, this is Marty Casey." Zac Efron JR. said to Zac Efron SR. "I brought him over to say hi to Mom."
"It is really nice to finally meet you Marty, after all these years I feel like I know you. My wife always said that you two would meet again some day when you are old, and hey, I am not really that shocked that she is right."
"Oh, ha. Thanks, and can I say that it is really nice to meet you Zac. I was telling your son that, even though nobody knew it at the time, I knew all the words and dance steps to all the songs from High School Musical."
"Dude, seriously? That's kinda gay."
"Is that Marty Casey?" Sarah Hitt Efron uttered from her chair.
"Yes, baby, Marty lives here too." Zac Efron answered his wife. "Zac jr. brought him over so you can talk to him. Zac." he said motioning him to place Marty Casey's wheelchair next to his wife.
"Marty, I have waited 50 years to say this to you..." Sarah uttered softly leaning closer so her face was inches away from that of Marty Casey.
"Yes?" Marty managed, anxious and nervous as to what she was going to utter. He did notice that she was making the confused face that she had always given him and the discovery reminded him of how strange he found her.
"It is time. Marty. After all these years, it is time."
"Time for what?" Marty's heart was pounding, he feared his old ticker wouldn't be able to take it.
"It is time for a dance off" and with that, Sarah nudge her grandchild off her lap, removed the afghan blanket from her legs, took her salt and pepper hair out of the pony tail and swung her head slowly yet confidently from side to side making her hair wild. "Bea Arthur, will you help Grandma and lift her foot peddles for her?" she says to her older granddaughter.
"Sarah, woah, your granddaughter's name is Bea Arthur Efron? Never mind that, you can't be serious, we are in our eighties and in our nursing home." Marty said, completely terrified at the prospect of having to stand, let alone dance in the outfit he was wearing.
"Sweetie, I don't think you should be pushing yourself, I mean you haven't taken a step on your own in the last 2 years." Zac says to his wife.
"Love, I knew that I was getting old, and that if I exerted too much energy, Marty Casey would win this dance off."
"WAIT! I am 87 years old, and this is fucking crazy. There is no way I can do this. Wheel me back to my table. My family is going to be here soon. It was nice to meet you Zac and Zac Jr. And Sarah, again, a pleasure. Happy Birthday."
"HIT IT!" Sarah said, and with that, the lights in the activity room go out, disco balls lower slowly from the ceiling and a hidden smoke machine begins pumping smoke. Then it started, the beginning to Ratt's Round and Round. Sarah stands up and struts over to Zac Efron and plants a huge wet kiss on him, turns and walks to the front of the room and starts dancing like no woman in her eighties had ever danced before. The other residents and nurses cheering and hooting and hollering while Sarah's body moved around the makeshift dance floor. After the first verse the music stops and all eyes turn to Marty. You could practically hear a pin drop and then something magical happened.
From behind him, his son says, "Wait, Dad. You can't do this. Not with out this." He walks up to his dad and places a fedora with a quail feather on the side on his father's head. "Make us proud Dad" he whispers in Marty's ear, and walks over to where his mother and wife and children stood.
In the silence of the room, Marty Casey rose from his wheelchair, closes his eyes and raises one hand in the air and points two fingers like a gun, "It's on." the music starts and Marty started to dance in the way only he can. Jumping as if on a trampoline, crouching down low and slowly pointing to everyone in the room. Then the signature move, the conducting of the imaginary orchestra. The room went wild.
Not to be out done, Sarah struts over and kicks and spins and throws her long hair around. The two danced and danced until the song concluded. Panting and laughing, their eyes met. Nobody knew what to expect next while these two mega stars stood exhausted in the silence under the disco ball. Then, they both started laughing, turned to look at the stunned crowd, and held each other's hand up and took a bow.
Sarah leaned in and whispered in Marty's ear, "Let's not wait another 50 years to perform together. I still think you are hilarious, even if you aren't trying to be. Happy Birthday Marty." and with that, she hugged him and walked back to her family.
Marty walked to his wife, kissed her and hugged his youngest grandchild. Looked back over at his fellow birthday celebrant and smiled. "Happy Birthday Girl Who Faked It." and sat down and blew out the candle on his chocolate cupcake.
El Fin.
Phew!
And now for the Marty Casey love for the post,
the first words Marty Casey ever said to me were "I heart Zac too" and it was right before I took this picture with him. He made me laugh and it has been all down hill from there.
