he whipped up a liver sausage sandwich onion slabs ground mustard greens kale an spinach multigrain sourdough laid it in a graniteware pie tin  beside it placed garlic pickle spears and root chips opened a cold beer poured three fingers of Klontarf and went into the livingroom sat on the sofa to watch Swept Away a film by Lina Wertmuller 

he watched it in Italianread the subtitles

not five in he stopped

he set his sandwich down took a pull from his beerthen a sip of his Irish  then he killed the film  

he thought he could watch it

he was mistaken

he left the sandwich half eatenleft the pickles and chips

he stared at the blackened screenlistened to the electronic static

the film wasfilm is transistional   it locked him in a time warp that didnt budge TimeStandingStill

he took his girlfriendlater to be his wife to Swept Away  one of their first dates

he immediately became engrossed enmeshed absorbed by the film he didnt notice if she was enjoying it or not she didnt know of his capacity to singularly focus on film he went off in its world traipsing across the screen as a minor characteran aside a ghost a spook  dates before had left him in theatres films then were twin bills he wasnt aware they were gone until at the first films endcredits running he turned to talk with them during the intermission

he took that time then to go into the lobby and telephone their homestalk wth their parentsusually their fathers to confirm they were home safe Yah, she called, I came and picked her up. So what the hell? he thanked them curtly without answering their What the hell he had told his dates what the films were that they were going to see if they didnt want to see the filmsexperience them they should have said No. said Maybe another film, some other time? 

he anted-up gas money their tickets their popcorn or candy their soft drinks  and they slip away on him 

hell  maybe that was a test    mebbe

afterwards he didnt approached the girls who left him in the theatre to call Mommy or Daddy

if they yapped about him at school it stayed in their cliques  which meant nothing to him

Cece didnt leave he she drove she could havecould have left him high and drynot that he would see it as high and dry he always twisted thingstortured them into a better light had she left him she would only have inconvenienced him a little

actually she would have given him an unexpected experiencehe relished unexpected 

he usually bullied unexpected

unexpected didnt expect him either

Swept Away was shown in a camp Art house in Coconut Grove 

she did watch itshe talked to him of its sociopolitical awareness its frank humourous sexuality  

American films werent there yet they were Shoot em ups! Bang BANG YOURE DEAD because thats what Americans did Vietnam all these many years later was finally petering outon the ropes its fat cats were either losing money or not making enough  JesusChrist pull the miserable plug  Lets fuck with Latin America  Gold in dem der hills

when he asked her out for another foreign film she said  No thank you. Maybe some other film, some other time. she knew he was going whether she went with him or not which he did 

later that night she picked him up at the Art house and took him across the Rickenbacker to Key Biscayne

they had chilled Pouilly-Fuisse snacked on chicken slices of papaya off the trees in her backyard 

they smoked a joint  played on the blanket  held the beach until the sun rose

as he killed Swept Away he recognised that another film he wouldnt watch by himself was the farcical remake of Journey to the Center of the Earth (aww yeah  in 3D  No) Brendan Frasers -- later of Mummy fame – coming out vehicle he resented when film became a vehicle  remakes left him cold  only sex had sequels however his invitation was titillating  Spike had accepted she was coming Spike was the tongue-in-cheek nickname a mutual friend had given her thats another story he was very attracted her thats why he acceded despite their mutual friend touting heof all people had amended his way and conceded to see the remake

if Spike wasnt in the mix he wouldnt have gone anywhere near the theatre

then as it was they watched an altogether different film from everyone else as they sat side by side in the small town Art Deco theatre enjoyed something on another planein an alternate reality thrilled in a psychic commentariat that they took turns whispering from beginning to end  they irritated everyone sitting around themtook Hushes Would you be quiet?  but they couldnt help themselves if they tried    

he went to many films he wouldnt have if it hadnt been for Spikes presence and film by film by film he became more enamoured with her

finally Spike boned up and wondered how they might get in touch if they wanted to spend time together separate of the group secretly he almost swallowed his tongue Spike asked him for his number he obliged and as he wandered awayhe had a bus to catch she asked him if hed like her number duh he was that smooth

they were inseparable since

only recent circumstances illnessesfamily illnesses  put them at a physical distance

they made what time they could to spend time together

you learn to be happy with what you have

not with what you want

odd couples

Swept Away

a remade Journey to the Center of the Earth

hed never see either again 

his memory burned holes through them

1101,  Day-between-Two-Ts,  25  4. 18

1520,  Thursday,  26  4. 18

Siegel – Schwall Band  Do You Remember  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dp2JXchVv8