he saw him around time to time always in townapproximate. POP. 27000 

first time they methe introduced himself  was at an art show the watercolourists held  a one-man show at the City Public Library realist flowers  landscapes   no portraiture

the painters name

                scratching his memorys scalp hmm David   seems to him it was David 

since they met those many years ago the artist acted if he didnt knowdidnt recognise him

that put him off

an artist a writerhe was a writer were an observant lot no he wasnt a flower or a patch of ground treeline seascape mountainscape  escape

they met

the artist chose not to acknowledge him

if it was the simple matter of not remembering his name manopen your fucking mouth Ive had to apologiseIve forgotten names no shame in forgetting a name he had but he hadnt qualms about admitting it whats to qualm hur    

the watercolourist he didnt think hed fall back on the fact that he didnt paint facesdidnt do portraits  he wrote he perhaps had an eye for faces really  a painter didnt have an eye for people

Naw the watercolourist shunned him shunned him as had politicians religious monkeys  those righteous buffoons he either challenged face-to-face or on the local newspapers editorial page 

it was a greasy Conservative town its upper crust consistently provided him a bone to pick

often his wife told himreminded him he ought to be more considerateought to recognise that his children could be affectedsuffer fallout meant for him

Children can be cruel she said

                                 Fallout baby Theres no fallout having a different view airing it in conversation or published as an opinion piece  Anif some kids got a bug up their ass to challenge our girls he held up his handsmotioned come an get it with his fingers Im confident they have the wherewithal to rock ignorancestand on their own hindlegs Theyll hand them their sorry ass so they can run back cryin to Mommie an Daddie anif Mommie or Daddie really want their hands full  they can contact me

Im in the book

he passed on the artists left as he unloaded his groceries from a shopping cart into the trunk of an old tan BMW 

he purposely passed him uncomfortably close 

the old man felt his presence and looked up

he nodded to the artist

                        nothing

the old man waited for him to walk past and when it was apparent he wasnt a threat to him he continued blandly to unloading his cart

                    nothing

not a noda word an acknowledgement one human being would provide another

                                                                                    nothing

he acted like he didnt know him as he always acted as all the other towns Mickey Mouses actedpulled on him

not one of them knew him

they did

but this old towns ignorance ran that waymaybe they thought they werent hurting his feelings

they may haveprobably thought they were by the simple gesture of not acknowledging him

they werent

             this old man weathered thin

he was coming apart like an old paintbrush that hadnt been used in years

what a pity

utensils are made to be used

text,  1351,  Sunday,  23  12. 18

2314,  Saturday,  29  12. 18