Blaze

If it was his childhood, then Blaze's father was to blame.  If it was the life he lived after his fall, would it be his fault?

Blaze had a very difficult life.  But meeting George changed it all.  Although it did change, it wasn't from difficult to easy.  It was just from being alone in a difficult life to having someone share his already difficult life.  But hard as it is, he at least felt he belonged or let's just say, he had someone to watch over him; at his dumbest times, which is actually most of the time.

When George died, it never was the same... again.  Although George is still very much present with him.  Yeah, something like a ghost.  But ghost or not, Blaze wanted to fulfill George's dream - to get inside the Gerard's house, and probably even get into their nerves.

And Blaze did.

I thought he was tough.

But later on...

As most of us are, he had a soft spot.  So soft that it became the culprit of his doom.

He fell in love.

Those blue eyes, the soft skin, that cute grin, the smile, those [two] teeth.

He didn't want to let go now.  Not this time, not ever.  Not after all those he loved left him alone - alone and scared.

Although this time, he wasn't scared anymore.

He fought - and fought hard.

But he never saw those blue eyes again.

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My Rating:  ****

Image copied from Wikipedia

Image

Part of Blaze's childhood or youth was spent blueberry raking where they were sent for the rest of the harvest days at the farm of Mr. Bluenote.  Here, they lived with some girls from a correctional and some boys from some another end of the town.  This lasted for the season that began from the second week of July to the third or fourth week of August.  This went on until some guys from somewhere started to question Mr.  Bluenote's income and all.  I couldn't forget what Mr. Bluenote said.  I remember having thought of something like this way back.  I tried searching my blogs because I remembered I wrote it down [or thought I did] but I never found it.

But anyway, here's what Mr. Bluenote said [and something that I agree with; back then and now]:

All I want to do is show these kids what a good life gets you.  What they do about it after they've seen it is up to them.  Ain't none of you ever been stuck in the mud and needed a push?

This is so beautifully said.

Every kid needs someone to look up to; to show him what a good life is, to let him know that there is a good life out there, if we just work hard enough.  All we need, too, is an image to look up to to lead us to a life.  In this case, I think Blaze wasn't really into much of a good life.  He found an image that would lead him to life, but not an entirely good image after all.  But just the same, it's George who made him feel good; feel good that at least there is someone out there to remind him to cut his hair, to brush his teeth, and that his clothes need washing.  He needed someone for all these simple things.

And it made him very sad that George wasn't there for him anymore.

Blaze is now all by himself; again.

Hetton House

*image copied from Wikipedia

This is where Clayton Blaisedell, Jr. a.k.a. Blaze spent most of his childhood.

John was his best friend here.  So far, they've been through a lot together.  They became friends when John asked Blaze to save him from the bullies in exchange offered his help on his assignment and recitations, because Blaze is slow, especially in Arithmetic. "He had been able to get back the hang of adding two apples, but only with great effort, and a quarter of an apple plus half an apple was always going to be beyond him.  So far as he knew, apples only came in bites." You wouldn't believe how John thought of a way to get through with recitation through hand signals.  Believe me, I couldn't figure out how they did it and didn't spend time to figure it out.  At this point, I knew that somehow, Blaze got talent he only has to figure it out, to realize it.

Then, Blaze met George.  And his life was never the same.

Although George calls him stupid, I think he loves George more than anyone.  George reminds him of most of the things he forgot; until he died.  I think Blaze couldn't face this fact that's why George existed in his life all throughout.  I think he couldn't believe that he's capable of remembering and thinking because he depended on George on everything.  But so far, I know that Blaze has a talent, he just wasn't given a chance to discover it and be confident about it.

Probably to make George happy, he executed George's long-time plan of kidnapping Joe - the son of one of the richest man of their time.  I can't believe the tension and rush I felt as I read through how he was able to snatch Joe from their heavily guarded place.  At one point, when he got in the baby's room, my heart broke; but not for the baby.  My heart broke for Blaze that he was very amazed with the richness of the room of the baby.   That his childhood is trash compared to this infant's.

At this point, he's had the baby for only a few days.  But I feel that Blaze likes him.  I kinda feel sad that Blaze might be attached with the baby because he seems to bring him joy.  How long does this joy would last?  Would it be worth the $1 million ransom he is asking if he's going to be attached with the baby?

Probably not.

Probably yes.

As Wireman often  says to Edgar at the Big Pink, "Maybe si, maybe no."

BETWEEN THE LINES:

It was funny how little things could be so perfect and no one ever saw them.

It's funny, too - how your sense of things could change.

George is like the fox who couldn't reach the grapes and told everyone they are sour.

He knows the difference between what was dreams and what was real, but in the dark the difference seemed thinner.