|
Fall 2011
Rhody Leyman was hanging out in his college dorm room after a bad day of classes. His roommate came in later that evening, since he was just done with class for the day. “Rhody, you okay?” His roommate asked him, when he noticed Rhody was wrapped in a fleece throw blanket on his bed. “Not really,” Rhody replied. “No? Something wrong?” “I had an anxiety attack today, and I had to go to the nurse’s office because of it.” “Oh shit,” his roommate remarked. “Yeah, my vitals are normal now. But I almost ended up going to urgent care,” Rhody stated. “How come?” “My anxiety went through the roof today. I still don’t know what happened exactly or what caused it.” “Are you gonna get it checked out?” “I’ve had anxiety since I can remember.”
0 Comments
Summer 2009
Rhody Leyman had just recently graduated from high school and was about to head to college and study mechanical engineering. He was dealing with all kinds of depression due to having issues with his biological mother. He needed to have some time to himself, so he walked over to a nearby church and found his way in. The door was unlocked, so he made his way into the quiet sanctuary and sat on the pew. He stared straight ahead and couldn’t calm his mind. He had way too many thoughts running through his head. He wanted to know why his biological mom left him, his older sister Jayne, and their dad. Although he has always loved his stepmom, he could never figure out why his biological mom couldn’t stand her when she was rarely in the picture. He had also done some things in the past that he regretted, and he was starting to feel sorry for himself. Rhody kept quiet and tried to calm himself down. He tried to fight back tears as much as he could, and he managed very well. He sat on the pew for a good hour and tried to be in tune with himself. Suddenly, he heard the door open, and there were some people coming into the church, very likely for afternoon mass. And a few people noticed him, even though they didn’t know who he was. “May I help you?” One of the churchgoers asked him. Rhody tried to respond but couldn’t figure out what to say. His throat was very dry. “We have mass starting soon,” she responded. He took this as a sign that he needed to leave, as he was starting to feel pretty unwelcome there. Rhody headed toward the door, his face beet red. When he came home, he went up to his room and closed his door. He still needed time to himself. Summer 2019
Rhody Leyman and his friend, Graham Maggliardi, Kevin’s older brother, spent an evening on the rooftop of Graham’s Brooklyn, New York apartment building. They brought their lawn chairs and a few beers out and decided to contemplate life for an hour or two. It was just the two of them for the time being, so that was nice. “My heart has been beating very fast recently,” Rhody remarked after a few minutes of silence between the two of them. “You alright?” Graham asked. “I think it’s my anxiety and all. I’ve dealt with this most of my life, and of course my shrink knows about it. There’s one thing I’m not sure you all know about.” “What is it?” “I actually have two last names. I usually just go by Rhody Leyman, but my real name is Matthew Bacaluso-Leyman. Those are my dad’s last names as well,” Rhody remarked. “I like it,” Graham replied. “How are you feeling right now?” “I’m alright now. It happens every few hours. This afternoon, my heart was pounding so hard that I almost threw up because of it. I’m gonna tell my shrink about this when I speak with them again.” “You gonna play rugby tomorrow with everyone? Boyfriend Ayaan wanted me to ask you.” “I hope I’m up for it. Depending on how I feel, of course.” “Yeah, just let me know. I’ll hang out with you if you don’t.” “You got a deal.” June 2019
Levi Cranston and Kevin Maggliardi had just finished a run along the Charles River in Boston. They sat along the river to catch their breath and regain their composures. “Did I tell you the story about when Jack, Rhody Leyman, and I came home from an impromptu trip to Milwaukee?” Levi asked Kevin. “I love Milwaukee, and no. You may have told me this story, but I don’t remember,” said Kevin. “You’ve met Rhody before when he was here. The light brunette loud mouth.” “He’s such a cool guy, though. I introduced him to my brother, Graham. Since they both live a block from each other in Brooklyn. When they both first met, they hit it off so well, and they acted like they were best friends.” “Yeah, he’s pretty great,” Levi remarked. “So, about this trip. Remind me what happened,” Kevin said. “It was during the summer when Jack and I were going to be seniors, and Rhody just graduated. So, ‘13, I think. We spent a weekend in Milwaukee and were supposed to come home Sunday night. There was so much going on our way home, including traffic, that we didn’t get home until about 4 am. So instead of us going out separate ways once we came home, Rhody let us spend the rest of the night at his place. And the three of us didn’t wake up until at least 4 o’clock in the afternoon.” “Yup. I remember that story. Similar situation with me and my two brothers. My sister wasn’t with us since she had a prior commitment. It sucks not coming home when you want to.” “Yeah, we were super super exhausted by the time we came back,” Levi said. “Why didn’t Asad and Savino come with you?” Kevin asked. “I honestly don’t remember.” Summer 2018
Rhody Leyman, Graham Maggliardi (Kevin’s older brother), and a few mutual friends went to a movie theatre in New York City on a nice summer evening. It was a later showing, and somehow they all had the whole room to themselves. Before going to see the movie, they all ate dinner. About thirty minutes into the movie, during when there was silence for a few seconds, one of Rhody’s and Graham’s friends let out a loud fart. Everyone died of laughter for several minutes. This kept happening for the rest of the movie, and Rhody especially fell out of his chair and laughed so hard he almost threw up. Because of this, they didn’t really get a chance to see the movie. And since then, they have associated this movie with their friend farting. Spring 2019
Kevin Maggliardi was walking over to Levi Cranston’s and Jack Andrews’ Boston apartment. He was tired after an intense workout, and he didn’t want to do much. Jing Hao, Mike Wong, and Asad Prejesh were going to Cambridge. Levi, Jack, and Kevin weren’t up to joining them. When Kevin walked into his friends’ apartment, he noticed that Levi was sleeping. Jack was watching stupid cartoons on TV. “Hi Kevin,” Jack said. “Hi Jack,” Kevin replied sleepily. Levi was sleeping on one couch. Jack was sitting on one end of another couch. Kevin fell asleep on the couch within ten minutes. August 2012
Rhody Leyman was hanging out at his neighbor and friend, Levi Cranston’s house for the afternoon. He was going to be a senior in college, and Levi was going to be a junior at a different school. Levi’s friend, Jack Andrews, and girlfriend, Mackenzie Burbanks, were also hanging out with them. “Rhody, how are you doing after being back in the States?” Jack questioned. “I’m so tired still, and it’s been a week,” Rhody replied. “Where all did you go?” “First week in Munich. Second week in Dublin. Third week in London. And last week in Paris. My buddies and I had a blast.” “You went with a few friends from college, right?” Jack asked. “Yup. One of them graduated this past year. The other one and I are graduating together,” Rhody said. “Sounds like you had a blast.” “Yeah, it was the fourth time that I traveled internationally. We did a shit ton of partying and drinking on this trip.” “Where did you go the first time you traveled internationally?” “When Jayne and I were little, my dad and Estrella took us to Barcelona, London, Paris, and Tokyo.” January 2022
It was around New Year’s Day, and Levi Cranston and his friends had spent the holidays in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where they live. His good friend and old neighbor, Rhody Leyman, was going to visit them for New Year’s Eve, but his trip to Valparaiso, Indiana was extended to another week because he was hit very hard with the flu. “Hello?” Rhody answered the phone on his end. “Hi Rhody,” Levi responded. “Hey. How are you doing?” “Not bad, sad you’re not here. How are you feeling?” “Well, I could be better. I’ve been throwing up pretty much the whole day for about two days. My flight to Boston has been pushed back to next Monday. Hopefully I feel better by then,” Rhody said. “Better late than never,” Levi remarked. “You’d drive from Boston back to your place in Brooklyn, right?” “Right now, that’s the plan.” “How are your dad and your stepmom, Estrella?” “They’re fine. Jayneley and her wife stopped by. You know they live in Grayslake, Illinois now. Right?” “Yep. I guess they live right by my older half-sister, Louise. My other half-sister, Elizabeth, and younger sister, Evelyn Maeve, live in Boston as well. Olivia lives by you in Brooklyn. And Victoria and her little family live in Plymouth, Indiana.” Summer 2019
Rhody Leyman and his friend, Graham Maggliardi, Kevin’s older brother, spent an evening on the rooftop of Graham’s Brooklyn, New York apartment building. They brought their lawn chairs and a few beers out and decided to contemplate life for an hour or two. It was just the two of them for the time being, so that was nice. “My heart has been beating very fast recently,” Rhody remarked after a few minutes of silence between the two of them. “You alright?” Graham asked. “I think it’s my anxiety and all. I’ve dealt with this most of my life, and of course my shrink knows about it. There’s one thing I’m not sure you all know about.” “What is it?” “I actually have two last names. I usually just go by Rhody Leyman, but my real name is Matthew Bacaluso-Leyman. Those are my dad’s last names as well,” Rhody remarked. “I like it,” Graham replied. “How are you feeling right now?” “I’m alright now. It happens every few hours. This afternoon, my heart was pounding so hard that I almost threw up because of it. I’m gonna tell my shrink about this when I speak with them again.” “You gonna play rugby tomorrow with everyone? Boyfriend Ayaan wanted me to ask you.” “I hope I’m up for it. Depending on how I feel, of course.” “Yeah, just let me know. I’ll hang out with you if you don’t.” “You got a deal.” |
Archives
April 2023
About my BlogMy blog contains anything and everything one should know about my books. Aaaaand a lot more as well. |
RSS Feed