Wake-Up Call. Joaquin De Torres
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their disorders. They don’t turn it on and off like a light. Doogie seemed to do just that. When he turned to speak to me, his stutter was very pronounced; but as soon as he looked at the stars, his voice changed; tone, inflection, clarity, and speed rate were of an entirely different person-a normal person. And what about his physical features? When juxtaposed against photos from five years ago and those I actually took with my cell phone, it was obvious to me that his face had changed. His eyes were not droopy; he had no lazy eye staring in a different direction—they were clear, forward-looking, shifting and blinking like normal eyes. His mouth, or the right side of it, is similarly enigmatic. Once drooped and pulled down halfway towards his chin, was horizontal. Once stretched and thick, his lips were as perfectly shaped and proportioned as any other 25-year-old young man. Savants don’t have self-healing or physique-altering abilities; everything they do or can do, comes from the recesses of their minds. These questions continued to grate on me when my cell phone rang. It was my secretary, Linda.
“Good morning, Linda!”
“Honey, where are you?” Her voice sounded strained with a mix of anxiety and annoyance.
“I’m approaching the Coliseum. Just about 12 minutes away now.”
“Get here quick. You have a guest.”
“A guest? Who is it? Dr. Livancic?”
“No. I think he said his name is. . .Doogie?”
“What!?”
“He’s asking for lumpia!” Linda’s voice sounded like she couldn’t believe what she had just said. I laughed out loud.
“Linda, do we have any more lumpia from Charles’ birthday party?”
“Yeah, tons of it! There’s also sandwiches and stuff in the staff kitchen.”
“Great! Warm it up and let him sit in my office, just clear off the coffee table. Let him eat there. Give him some juice, too.” My heart was beating like a jackhammer, and a huge smile pulled across my face. “Linda!”
“Yes, I’m right here!”
“What time does the Goodwill on Franklin Street open?”
“I think at 8 o’clock.” I looked at the car clock and saw it was already 8:45.
“Okay, I’m going there now. Hey, take a look at him. With your trained and ever-skilled eyes, measure him.”
“What!?” Her shriek made me laugh again.
“Measure him, Linda! Visually. For clothes.”
“Okay! Okay. Okay.”
Flores’ long-time, close friend and secretary Linda Baba, stood up and walked around her desk taking the phone with her. She eyed the young man who looked at her suspiciously.
“Okay, Javier, you still there?”
“Yeah, go ahead.” I pulled out a pen and pad from my briefcase.
“He’s got about a 45-to-50-inch waist; 28-short pants length; double extra large shirt; and about a size 9 shoe. I can’t tell because his rain boots are oversized. That’s it.”
“Great job! Thanks, baby. Now, just let him eat and I should be there before 9:30. You gonna be okay?”
“Yeah, Charles just came back from his rounds. He’ll stay here to help me out.”
“Fantastic! I love you, Linda; but don’t tell Charles!” She giggled and hung up. I threw the cell into the briefcase, shaking my head with a huge grin on my face. What luck! I thought I’d have to wait at the park, but he just SHOWS UP at the office! This was turning out to be a great day already! I saw some lanes thinning out in front of me and floored it, feeling absolutely elated about what more this day would bring.
Chapter 5
A Fresh Pair of Eyes
The Contra Costa Homeless Project is a six-story, converted Oakland police headquarters; but you’d never know it with all the renovations we made to the building’s exterior, windows, room décor, and outer grounds. People often confuse it with an outpatient health clinic instead of a community mental health center, and that always gave me a warm tickle of satisfaction. I’m friends with one of Kaiser Hospital’s interior designers and he gave me a great price to remodel the office spaces, front lobby, rehab common areas, and patient treatment rooms. Even the old holding basement that had barred cells were converted into a recreation area and computer center for the staff. I paid for all this with the book advance I received from one three-part techno-thriller deal.
My office is on the third floor, and after I greeted associates and colleagues on the first floor reception area, I ran up the stairs as fast as I could with two large sacks. I reached the top and saw Linda at the filing cabinets inserting a stack of documents and folders. I gave her a start when I jumped out from behind one of the multitudes of standing plants that decorated the floor. She screamed at the sight of me and splashed the papers on the floor.
“JAVIER! You scared me!” she yelled jovially, then laughed.
“You are the best, Linda!” I gave her huge kisses on each cheek as she giggled.
“Is he in my office?”
“Yes. He just loves Asian food!”
“Don’t we all!” I walked swiftly down the corridors to my office and entered my spacious office. I found Doogie just finishing up his meal which included several party trays of Filipino, Chinese and Japanese dishes. He was brushing off the last of the lumpia tray and washed it down with a liter of Diet Coke; and from what I saw of the empty bottles sitting on the floor, it was his third liter.
“H-H-H-H HA-V-V-V!” he bellowed with a huge, greasy smile. He wiped his mouth with one of the napkins stacked in front of him and stood up to greet me. “L-L-L-L LIN-N-NDA G-G-GI-V-VV M-M-ME L-L-L-LUM-PIA!”
“I can see that!” I responded with a huge grin. I was so happy to see him, like a long lost friend. “Did you leave anything for me?” I joked as I dropped the bags I was carrying on the couch. I saw him pointing to my desk. I walked over and saw that he had prepared me an entire plate of food, including at least five rolls of lumpia.
“Thanks, Doogie! We have an appointment today.” He was still smiling yet his eyes shifted nervously. “We’re going to go visit a good friend of mine. Is that okay?” He nodded apprehensively. I noticed that he was wearing the same clothes as yesterday. “How did you find this place?” He reached into his chest pocket and retrieved my card. He showed it to me.
“Did anyone help you?” He shook his head. I was amazed. From the park where we were to this building was a good six miles. “Did you take BART?” He shook his head. “A bus?” He shook it again. “Did you show anyone this card?” He nodded emphatically.
“L-L-L-LIN-N-N DA!” I chuckled and looked at him with disbelief. He actually walked all this way without anyone’s help, so his knowledge of the city was astounding. But how can that be? How did he know what direction to go?, what streets to follow?, and what turns to make? Six miles of metropolitan city and he got here before me. My eyes drifted to the bags I sat down.
“Before we go to visit my friend, you’re going to change your clothes. I bought you some. Is that okay?” He looked at the bags and nodded. “But before you wear the new clothes, you’re going to take a shower. Is that okay?” He hesitated. “Don’t worry, Doogie. Come with me.” I led him to our large patient shower room that was adjacent to the physical therapy wing. It looked like a normal gym shower room, partitioned into large stalls with non-slip floor tiles. I brought the clothes with me and found that the shower area was empty. I pulled off the price tags and hung the clothes on the hangers. From another bag, I pulled out liquid body soap, a sponge and a large towel, and put it all in one stall. I took the excess trash and put it in the trash bin; when I turned around Doogie was already naked and under a showerhead with the water shooting out full blast. He was showering himself, his