Mask
1974.
Glendora, California.
At the grocery store
just north of the 210
on Grand Avenue.
He blinked.
I said, "Holy shit!"
"You'll get used to it.
I had to. So can you," he replied.
He was right.
We laughed together
and we introduced ourselves.
If you knew
Rocky Dennis,
you also know
Eric Stoltz's makeup
was almost perfect.
By the way, Rocky had a great sense of humor, but his mom didn't look like Cher, who played that role in Mask. His actual mom was much rougher. She was his staunch advocate. Not sure whether you remember this part in the film, but the scene that included the school principal who Cher confronted about Rocky's inclusion into the school's student body was (by many accounts) a verbatim depiction. Like the bikers she associated with, she was very protective of her son but expected him to make "normal" adjustments to situations he encountered. She also discouraged others from making exceptions or feeling sorry for her son. He was an amazing kid . . . funny, philosophical, friendly . . . and he loved cruising the neighborhood on his bicycle. Personally, Rocky had a great deal to do with my concept of what normal means. As exceptional as he was, he was also normal.
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