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January 2020
Rhody Leyman just came home to his apartment in Brooklyn, New York after having minor surgery to put tubes in his ears after a few ear infections over the past eight months. He could have worked today, but he thought it would be best to rest up for the day. His friends, Graham Maggliardi and Allen Harris, stopped by to check on him. Rhody spent the day on the couch wrapped in his fleece throw blanket with his orange tabby cat, Topaz. He had a cotton ball stuffed in each ear. “Hey Rhody, how you feeling?” Graham asked. “Not as bad as I thought I would. I was pretty nervous about this one since I knew I’d be awake during it,” Rhody replied. “My ears are pretty sore, and I’m exhausted, but otherwise I’m doing alright.” “That’s good. How many times have you had tubes put in?” “This will be my fourth time. I’ve always had issues with my ears and fluid buildup. And we all thought that was resolved when I had my tonsils removed.” “When did you get your tonsils removed?” Allen asked. “I was like sixteen, I think. And this is the first time since then. They checked my throat and my nose, and my tonsils and adenoids haven’t grown back. And everything else came back clear,” Rhody replied. “No other problems?” “No. And the ear infections I’ve had recently weren’t awful, like I could still work and live a normal life. My ears were just sore.” “In case you were wondering, we got you a smoothie while we were out. Wanna hang out here, and we could get pizza for dinner?” “I’m totally cool with that.”
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Summer 2020
“So my parents have decided to move to their house in Rhode Island for the time being, since Covid and Evelyn Maeve graduated from high school,” Levi Cranston said to his friend and old neighbor, Rhody Bacaluso-Leyman, on the phone. “Oh nice. So you guys still have that house as well?” Rhody asked. “Yeah, my parents have had that house for years. They own like 2-3 other houses as well. Two in Valpo, one in Chicago, the one in Rhode Island, and one in Connecticut.” “My parents only have the other house in Chicago that they go back and forth to. Now, since Jayne and I don’t live with them anymore, about 75 percent of their time is spent in Chicago. They stay not too far away from a couple of my friends who live in the Gold Coast, but technically they’re in Lincoln Park.” “Fair enough. I’ve actually been thinking about the house in Rhode Island recently,” Levi remarked. “Many fun times were had there,” Rhody replied. “Especially that one year when you brought me with you. Jack, Asad, and David had plans with their families, so it was just the two of us. And we were sick with the cold during the whole trip.” “Best and worst trip ever honestly. It sucked since we were both so sick, but we got out of some family stuff, which I appreciated. I remember one day when everyone else was out doing things, you and I watched cartoons for the whole day.” “And we had so much tea that day. We had a tea party.” “Yes, it was indeed a tea party. And everyone came home to see us passed out on in the common area.” “Did Mackenzie ever join you?” “Mom wouldn’t let me take her.” Christmas 2015
Jayne and Rhody Leyman were back home in Valparaiso, Indiana for the holidays. They were celebrating with their dad and their stepmom, Estrella. Rhody was living in Wicker Park, Chicago at the time with a couple friends. Jayne, his older sister by two years, was living in Grayslake, Illinois with her girlfriend, who was currently in LA area visiting her parents. Rhody fell asleep on the couch in the living room while watching TV. He was so sound asleep, that when Jayne tried to wake him up, he wouldn’t budge. His head was turned to the right, into his pillow, and his breathing was very steady. Jayne lay on the couch next to him, and, out of curiosity, placed her ear against her younger brother’s chest so that she could listen to his heart beating. Spring 2022
“How’s your girlfriend, Shanti, doing? I thought she had talked about going back to nursing school soon,” Rhody Bacaluso-Leyman asked his friend, Kevin Maggliardi, over the phone. “She’s doing well, and yes she went back to nursing school after taking a couple semesters off due to Covid. Before that, her classes were online, but she also got super busy with work,” Kevin replied. “It will be nice for her to go back since I know she is super interested in becoming a nurse.” “Yeah, it’s really cute how passionate she is about nursing.” “Is she still friends with India and the other girls that she met during clinicals?” Rhody asked. “Most definitely. She is still friends with them but hasn’t always had a chance to chat with them since a lot of them travelled a lot during the pandemic to work contracts. Do you still talk to India?” Kevin asked. “Yes, we do. She is that girl with the dirty blonde hair that I have had a huge crush on. She and Shanti are basically the same person.” “You dated India for a while, right?” “We dated seriously for a year. It was hard since I live in Brooklyn, and she lives closer to you guys. But yes, we’re still pretty good friends. She had a contract in Brooklyn a few months ago, and she actually stayed with me for that time.” “Yeah, Shanti has known them before nursing school. India and then were the ones who really encouraged her to pursue a degree in nursing.” 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. November 2019
“How was your 30th?” Levi Cranston asked his friend and former neighbor, Rhody Leyman, on the phone. “It was fun, but definitely could be better,” Rhody responded. “My friends and I got sushi, but I couldn’t drink because I’m on antibiotics right now.” “For another ear infection?” “Yes. Admittedly, I’m pretty frustrated because this is the fourth ear infection that I’ve had in eight months. So it’s pretty evident the meds aren’t really working.” “How do you feel right now?” Levi asked. “Right now, I feel fine. A little less energy than usual, but otherwise I’m okay. My ears are also a little sore. I am going in for an MRI next week to check my sinuses and Eustachian tubes. My doctor is thinking I may have an issue with my Eustachian tubes. I thought this was all over since I had my tonsils taken out,” Rhody said. “I would have thought the same thing.” “But I got my tonsils removed due to a separate issue. If I need to get surgery to get my Eustachian tubes dilated, then I’ll go for it. That’s what I think they may recommend. Or getting tubes put in my ears again.” “How many times did you have an MRI?” Levi asked. “For this issue? Or overall? This is my second MRI overall. I had that karate accident when I was 20, and then this one that’s coming up,” Rhody said. “I had one when I was in that car accident a few years ago. So much fun…..not.” “It wasn’t bad. The worst part of it is not being able to move much for a few minutes.” “Which procedure do you prefer?” “I don’t really care either way. Whichever one works better.” “That’s fair. How’s your hearing?” Levi asked. “Surprisingly enough, I can hear pretty well. When I had my most recent ear infection, I could actually hear my heartbeat in my ears, which was pretty annoying. Out of all the ear infections I’ve had in my life, this was a first,” Rhody replied. “I can’t imagine.” “What’s even more frustrating is that I’m overall in really good health. My ears are, at this point, the f*cking bane of my existence.” 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. “Also, my whole life, I’ve been struggling to accept myself for me. I think my biological mom is to blame,” Rhody said. “I kinda know the story but maybe not to that extent,” Graham replied. “Yeah. So I have three brothers on my dad’s side from a previous marriage. They divorced, and my dad quickly got with my biological mom. She had a story about where she couldn’t get married or she would lose her assets, so technically Jayne and I were both born out of wedlock. Doesn’t bother me so much now, since a lot of people go through that, but it somehow did a lot growing up.” “If you really want to get technical, all four of us kids were born out of wedlock also. My parents got married a few years after Kevin was born.” “Nothing wrong with that. As long as your parents are happy,” Rhody remarked. “Two completely different personalities, but yes they are,” Graham said. “Same with my dad and stepmom. They both mean the world to me, and were the ones who tried to convince me that I was not at fault for my biological mom leaving us. When I was a kid, I had myself pretty much convinced that I was the reason why she left. I had to go through countless rounds of therapy, and it still didn’t work.” “Do you know where your biological mom is now?” “Who knows? Last time I was curious, she was in rural Louisiana. Chances are she’s not there anymore. Jayne and I decided to do a DNA test to see if there was anyone else related to us other than this girl named Caitlyn, who we don’t know at all. And it turns out our biological mom has six other kids with five to six different guys. One of them is a year older than Caitlyn, who I think is 25 or 26.” “How did you react when you found out?” Graham asked. “I threw up. I spent the next two to three days just feeling so sick to my stomach. Jayne didn’t feel much better than I did,” Rhody responded. “Do you know where the other kids are?” “All over Indiana and the south. And I checked their social media because I was curious, and their lifestyle pretty much matches my biological mom’s.” “At least you’re in a way better place than they seem to be.” “I wouldn’t go that far, but yes I’ve done a few things with my life that they haven’t. Estrella, my stepmom, has been more of a mother figure to me than f*cking Miranda ever dreamt of being.” 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.” Spring 2019
“What was the weirdest thing that ever happened to you?” Kevin Maggliardi asked Rhody Bacaluso-Leyman. They were watching TV in Kevin’s apartment that he shares with a few of his friends, and they were waiting for everyone else to come home from the nearby coffee shop in Cambridge, Massachusetts. “Oh boy, here’s a good one,” Rhody replied. “When I was a junior in college, I was at a bar with a few friends. There was a girl who thought I was really cute who randomly asked if she could feel my heartbeat.” “Wow, I’ve never heard of that one before. What was your response?” “I played along. I let her feel it, and then she gushed over how cute she thought I was. And honestly, I probably had enough drinks in me to be cooler about it.” “A lot of girls thought I was cute all through grade school and even in college. I met my ex at a party at another school,” Kevin responded. “Oh yeah. I also met my ex at a party. Now what was the weirdest thing that ever happened to you?” Rhody asked. “Well, a lot of strange things happened to me when I was younger. But a month after I had my tonsils removed, I had a pretty bad cold. So that wasn’t the best summer for me.” “How old were you when you had your tonsils removed?” “I was twelve or thirteen. I don’t quite remember.” “I actually had mine out about a year after Levi had his removed. There was one day when my throat was so sore, and I was in a very bad mood. I tried to eat ice cream, and it had melted enough that I didn’t want to eat any of it, so I threw the whole container out the window.” |
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