he was having a whisky and a
cigar earlier than he should
maybe
but then by whose standard
and what did he care of someone elses
he did not
he would weigh out their
opinion
but
opinion was a far cry from fact and the fact of the matter was he wanted the
whisky he wanted the waft and inhale of
thoughtful tobacco that was handrolled by someone hed never meet and whose
skill he hadnt and whose skill any skill he did not possess he celebrated
he tipped his glass to the
unknown roller
he sipped his whisky and soda
the tickling of the icecubes
sounded like applause and affirmation clean and refreshing
then mused with another puff and
inhale of the cigar
the sun was on his back and its
embrace was reason enough to want and to enjoy
need be damned this
afternoon
it was nice to want when wanting rarely held sway over him
he received a letter in the mail informing
him that a long-ago friendship he often tried to rekindle with handwritten
letters and never received word back had died
his gathered letters were found
by his executor and the she took it upon herself to artfully compassionately
break the news to him
with sincere aplomb she related
his friend died several months earlier and she was terribly sorry that the
estate was significantly involved and stood between their communication
her letter was handwritten
exceptional
it was rare in his experience
that people took pen in hand and communicated any more
it was significant that she recognised said as much it would been brusk to reveal his friends death in a convivial a more convenient manner
conspicuously
she reaffirmed in him
someone else held his standard
he never assumed he set a
high-bar standard despite accusations and chastised he was out of step out of time
ease and immediacy seemed
warranted to-day
thoughtless ease and irredeemable
immediacy
he laughed cruelly
then mockingly
he tipped his glass and sipped his whisky again
acknowledging their perversity modernitys degeneracy the bane of on-line presences
after reading the letter in the blue curling trail of smoke from his
cigar sifting into the breathless sky -- maybe it held its breath – he saw his
friend
he saw again some of their youthful
antics
he smiled
death takes a body takes its
animating force covets the stolen memories
no one was truly dead however until they were no longer remembered
he
took pains to remember all his friends to his children and even his
grandchildren so their names despite their faces unknown aroused excited
recollection
they were their friends by
extension happy friends
when he finished his drink and
cigar hed call his family and let them know their friend had died
1338, Friday, 12 8. 16
