The air in 1960s Los Angeles had a distinct quality to it a blend of smog, ocean breeze, and the fervent energy of a city constantly in motion. For many, it was just another morning, but for one soul, it was the start.
Los Angeles Sunset Boulevard, Kaiser Permanente Sunset Hospital.
March 20 1960.Â
Delivery Ward.
"Dark. Too dark."
I thought as I opened my puffy eyes.
Bright light reflected into my unfocused eyes, and a fickle thought crossed my mind,
"Fuck, too bright, motherfucker."
What came into my distorted view was an ugly doctor holding me and my ugly toddler self in the doctor's glasses.
"The fuck? Why am I a toddler?"Â
The thought only lasted for a second before the doctor slapped me on the butt.
My natural reaction to that slap was to swear, but as a toddler, only tears and cries of anguish came out of my mouth, driving me mad.
"Fuck you baldy. I will find you and have my revenge."
While having such bad thoughts, a gentle and serene voice drifted into my ears.
"Doctor, my child."Â
"Let me see my child."
"What a wonderful voice," I thought while crying as I was passed to a nurse like a toy.
The nurse wrapped me in a cloth and presented me to my mother like food on a platter.
I saw a beautiful woman with scattered blonde hair and a face full of sweat from childbirth.
As she touched me very carefully and kissed my forehead, she named me Liam.
"Liam, as in Liam Neeson? Fuck, am I the future super dad?"
While having such random fickle thoughts.
I was taken to another room, given a bath, cleaned up.
later on placed in a bassinet next to my mother's bed.
Fast forward through the dark days of swaddling in the bassinet, then to a crib, from the hospital to a detached big house.
Still peeing and shitting in diapers, getting vaccinated, and crying for food with only monologues towards gods and fate.
"Why must you make me suffer?"
Fast forward three years into the future Baby, not back.
Los Angeles, 1963.
San Vincent Boulevard, Reynold Mansion.
Inside a detached mansion living room. A toddler was doing a Fortnite dance alone while singing weird stuff.
"I can talk, I can walk like a sassy looking mom, dropping verses like a thought."
"Retrospection time."
"Three-year old baby." I was Liam Reynold, not Liam Neeson. Sadly, goodbye to being a super dad.
I lived in this huge mansion with four bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, a terrace, and a front yard solely with my mother, Marie Reynold. My mother was wealthy and a music professor at UCLA.
As I was getting all giddy, the toilet door slammed shut, and my babysitter, Aunt Melanie, also a neighbor and old lady, came searching for the naughty brat.
As Aunt Melanie entered the room, her eyes scanned for the source of the noise.
"Liam, where are you hiding, you little rascal?" she called out, her voice a mix of exasperation and affection.
I giggled from behind the couch, trying to stifle my laughter, After seeing her struggle to find me."I'm here, Aunt Melanie!" I shouted, popping up from my hiding spot.
Aunt Melanie chuckled. "You're a handful, Liam. Now, come on, let's get you cleaned up before your mother gets home."
As she led me to the bathroom, I couldn't help but think about my life so far. "Three years old," I mused to myself."
"Time really is a bitch, It goes fast when we want it to slow down and goes slow when we want it pass by faster."
"I have discovered my golden finger."
It happened just few days ago as my mom took me to cinema to watch a disney movie The Sword in the Stone.
My mind was super but not my body.
I have super memory regarding anything realated to entertainment be it Movies, T.V shows, Books, Games, but there is an exception like a balance this super memory only applies to entertainment and basic common knowledge anything else is blank even my own identity in previous life is blank.
I realized the boon but still decided not to be over eager to exploit it and sacrifice my childhood.
I had 50 years worth of content in my head no need to be too hasty.
My mom would not want a freak of nature, especially considering my lineage coming from irresposible father.
"Quiz time."
"Where is my father?. Sadly, he went straight to hell. Yes, hell.
That bastard shirked his responsibility, when Marie got pregnant with me and ran away."
"Highway to hell, literally. As it says, three months after running away from home, he got caught in a traffic accident on the highway and passed away."
After my bath, Aunt Melanie dressed me in clean clothes and we headed back to the living room.
"Now, let's find something to keep you occupied until your mother gets home." she suggested, rummaging through a box of toys.
I picked up a toy car and began rolling it across the floor. While playing with the car trying to appear as normal kid, no prodigy stuff here bro.
I wanted a sweet loving childhood no mess and over eager to make money and fame bullshit.
None of that stuff is as precious as a good childhood.
Especially with a single mother.
Just then, the front door opened, and my mother walked in, her face lighting up when she saw me.
"Liam, my little sweetheart!" she exclaimed, dropping her bags and scooping me up in her arms.
"Mommy!" I cried, wrapping my arms around her neck.
"I missed you!"
"I missed you too, sweetheart," she said, kissing my forehead.
"Did you behave for Aunt Melanie?"
I glanced at Aunt Melanie
who gave me a knowing look. "Yes, Mommy,"
I replied, trying to sound as innocent as possible. Marie laughed, setting me down.
"Good boy."
"How about we have some dinner and then you can show me that dance you've been practicing?"
"Okay!" I agreed eagerly, running to the kitchen. As we sat down to eat.
I couldn't help but feel grateful for the life I had been given. It wasn't perfect, and it certainly wasn't
what I had expected, but it was mine.
As the days turned into weeks, I settled into my routine with my mother and Aunt Melanie.
Life in the mansion was a mix of exploration and introspection.
My mother's music filled the house.
"Mommy, can I play the piano with you?"
I asked one evening, my eyes wide with curiosity.
Marie looked at me with a gentle smile.
"Of course, Liam. Come sit with me."
I climbed onto the bench beside her,
my small fingers resting on the keys.
"What should I play?"
"Let's start with something simple." she suggested, guiding my hands.
"Try to follow me."
I tried to play and was failing miserably.
It was just me pushing random keys with my chubby fingers,
nonetheless my mother praised me
"You're doing great, sweetheart."
This sparked something inside of me.
I wanted to become good at playing so that my mom would feel proud and started seriously learning piano.
I soon discovered a damning fact. I was no genius or prodigy.
Still working diligently as a kid, my skills on piano became more refined,
I successfully transformed from pig on piano to cat on piano.
One year later, I could at least play some simple songs and scales on piano and read and write music.
Fast Forward two years as a Six year old the inevitable thing happened school time baby.
To be honest not really looking forward to attending school, high school maybe but elementary school.
The first few days at elementary school were a whirlwind of new faces.
As I walked into the classroom on my first day.
I felt a mix of dread and apprehension.
"Good morning, class! I'm Mrs. Thompson."
our teacher greeted us with a warm smile.
She was a petite woman with glasses perched on the end of her nose and a kind,
welcoming demeanor.
"Let's all introduce ourselves, shall we?"
One by one, the kids around me shared their names and a little about themselves
"I'm Tommy, and I love dinosaurs!" said a boy with a mop of curly hair.
"I'm Sarah, and I have a pet hamster named Peanut!" chimed in a girl with pigtails.
When it was my turn, I stood up and said, "I'm Liam, and I like music and movies."
The first few lessons were basic, focusing on reading, writing, and arithmetic.
For me, they were tedious.
I had already mastered these skills and I found it difficult to stay engaged.
During recess, I made my way to the playground, hoping to make some new friends.
I saw Tommy playing with a toy dinosaur and approached him.
"Hey, Tommy, that's a cool dinosaur." I said, trying to strike up a conversation.
"Thanks, Liam" he replied, holding out the toy for me to see.
"Do you want to play with us?"
"Sure" I agreed, joining in their game.
As the days passed, I began to settle into the routine of school life.
My classmates were friendly, and I started forming bonds with them.
Sarah, with her ever present hamster stories and Tommy, with his endless dinosaur facts, became my close friends.
As the weeks went by, I continued to balance my school life with my passions for music and film.