the afternoon started out
innocently enoughhe wasnt looking for trouble for love not nothing
but things often have a way of rumbling
on in a deaf dumb blind physics of their own
sweeping up or engulfing whatever happens to be in their way caught up in a maelstrom a riptide a
revolving door with a sense of humour that
recalls a motion picture clip of a white rat running inside a treadmill whitewater pushing a mill wheel perhaps the rodent hadnt sense enough to step
off however the glee it enjoyed was that
it knew human beings had the sense not to go around and around and roundbut it wasnt going to give them a chance
round and round it goes when it
stops nobody knows
it was so terribly pleased with
itself
a small brewery opened in the
neighbourhood several months ago and he delayed going in order to share the
experience with his girlfriend
unfortunately one thing had lead
to another and she was unable to come
with no apparent end in sightshe couldnt
say he leaned on her singlemindedness which he admired he admired her temerityfrankly encouraged it though given its on-an-on-an-onness he
finally threw in the towel and called brotherinlaw asked him if hed been to
Dead Oak yet
Dead Oak Oh yes
No I havent Im curious why not
Then great Care to join me for a beer
You free Thursday afternoon
Im free
his brotherinlaw Fourth Quarter called his
eldest son and invited him
his nephew called a buddy he
was familiar with who recently returned stateside from Afghanistan
when he and his brotherinlaw met
for a beer they called itrather his brotherinlaw called it a putsch the great Beer Hall Putsch happened in Munich
in 1923 end result was Hitlers
imprisonment then him writing Mein Kampf a deaf dumb blind
physics of its own
he figured that Sam despite his recent
military service wouldnt be a Nationalist
he was a best friend of his nephew and his nephew despite his service
skewed left
their clutch arrived simultaneously
from four different ways
very auspicious
though not as suspicious as after
having ordered beers and taking seats that his nephew and Sam sat with their
backs to the entry the plateglass frontage
that they would concede having their backs to door surprised him
hence his first point of
discussion Why would sit with your back to the door
the seating was arranged by rows
of long tables and benches parallel to the frontage
Sam said he took a seat across
from him and his brotherinlaw because they sat first
If I were you he countered I
would have sat at the bench behind us and turned on it so the four of us were
facing out
Perhaps Though thats not really conducive to
conversationnot face to face
All conversation needs are mouths
and ears not faces We aint solving any
world problems or crises todaythen almost as if to punctuate the moment over
Sams shoulder through the glass window a young woman appeared she wrestled with an A-frame sign for the
baby boutique next door that was tormented by a rising wind at the head of an oncoming storm
what initially caught his eye was
her hair bluestreaked a colour as if looking out off a board through the crash
and cascade of an ocean curl
it was thick an long an swung
with her movementswas whipped and disturbedfrantically fingered by the air
he considered helping her but suddenly
the wind lifted her hair and revealed the rest of her he was arrested she was petite he didnt expect shed be statuesque her breasts moved like pair of playful
puppies under her sweater
come on now chivalry isnt dead
his was being patient
he didnt want to step into the
fray unnecessarily impugn her efforts
he would wait
if she looked desperate
then hed be chivalrous
after a minute more of wrestling
she collapsed the sign down on itself
obviously frustrated but
not desperate leaving it on the pavement
her expression through her blue
hair was fetching
then standing upright she ran her
fingers through her hair cut a fantastic imprint on their collective mind and
exited stage right returning to the Baby Babble boutique he managed to read that from the
A-frame during her struggle
he returned his attention to his
beer their conversation his comrades and realised nothing was being said theyd been as attentive to her as he had That was unexpected he remarked
Yeeah was conceded
Boys your necks okay
Theyre young their necks are rubbery
yet Fourth Quarter said
the boyslater than he turned
back into their touted face to face rubbing the right sides of their necks Couldnt say something to ushuh just looked past us
I didnt say because you could
have been facing the window too
You know her
No If I did I probably still wouldnt have stood
to help That was too good a show Id only have been an interruption an I would
have had to throw away my male chauvinist pig card I dont know if you two ever got heat for being
pigsbut nevertheless were all pigs to one degree or another a deaf dumb blind physics of its
own
I wish I knew her said Sam
Shes next door
Nah Couldn’t do that
Couldnt admit you watched her
struggle but really liked it My names
Sam
Nah Not at all
he turned to his brotherinlaw Whats that old lineyouth is wasted on the young
I think thats it
There you have Evidence Youth is wasted on the young Take
a shot You miss every shot you dont take
Nah That’s a little too ballsy for me
Ballsy Arent you the same guy who volunteered for the
military and did tours in Afghanistan
I am
But you havent balls enough to go
next door and introduce yourself
It’d be forced
through the window he saw the wind
had backed off and Baby Babble Blue had returned to the signyanking it up from
its layspreading its legsher breasts getting in the way
he didnt say a thing
by the time the boys turned she
had stomped it into position and was returning to the shop
Still not a word the boys chorused
Still sitting with your backs to
the door
Well if you mooks are going to sit tight Im going
next door to say hi Be back in a minute
his nephew laughed My brother calls our uncle the Silver Fox
they turned on their bench and watched
him go out through the door the A-frame
shivered
a
deaf dumb blind physics of its own ensued
late Thursday
afternoon, 15 3. 18
1150, Monday,
26 3. 18
