he quietly recognised as he set
his book down on the flight table that the words he was reading he wasnt
comprehending
he flipped back page after page of
Walkaway until he recalled what he last remembered reading of the plot a zotta father using mercs to kidnap his
daughter and keeping her locked away in a safe room beneath their residence for
her protection
slipping a bookmarker between the
pages he closed the book and turned off the overhead reading lamp the cabin was dark people were sleeping or
trying to sleep his had been the only seat illuminated
he turned his head and look
passively out the small window where his coppery reflection tried to read over
his shoulder while the lamp was lit
he sat ahead of the wing so his view
of the darknessthe softly lighted beaded networks like critical neurons or planetary
galaxies twinkled 35,000 feet below was unimpeded sliding past like a slomo
film as he slid forward by the minute to Chicago Illinois
he always said Chicago Illinois and
almost always was asked why he just didnt say ChicagoEveryone knows where
Chicago is. I dont like abbreviations or
acronyms I like things to be recognised by their full names That’s a waste of time. I differ Thats respecting time an individual a place
their names Someone or many took the time
to consider what to name them I respect
that process usually an unintelligent Huh followed he hadnt been refuted or maybe they just didnt want to waste their
time
then the window faded to black
something flickered ghostly faintly reappeared soft unfocused motion
soundless
it had his rapt attention
he watched as the moving image sharpened blackandwhite and sharpening even more hues and colors presented still soundless then seeing he smiled then the images
blurredwere blurred by his tears his hand to his mouth muffling his grief
I didn’t want to buy your ticket,
Dad. I kept putting it off and putting it off. Because I knew, I’m telling you
I knew, I knew as soon as I bought your train ticket for Labor Day you weren’t
going to be able to use it. So I held
off.
Then I did.
Knowing you weren’t going to use
it.
I suppose in a way I got the ball
rolling.
maybe his daughter did
or maybe his
granddaughter did when she drew and coloured a birthday card for her Great Aunt in Chicago Illinois his daughter held it up for
him above a photograph of where his sister said she wanted her ashes scattered their similarities the whitewater at the left
the waterfall just offcenter right the stony mountain path leading to them at
the extreme right the birthday card
emulated the photograph his granddaughter had not seen physically had not seen
maybe
he didnt believe that No love the ballas you say Babes mine
yours have been rolling on the face and contours of the
intersecting planes we exist on You happen
to be extremely sensitive Im sure you
felt it But you didnt get the ball rolling
she didnt get the ball rolling
any more than the flatblack screen of the aircrafts window ran bits and pieces
of his memory of his sister
when he closed his eyes they played on the back of his eyelids
when he closed his eyes they played on the back of his eyelids
2123 and 2234, Day-between-Two-Ts, 29 8.
18
1143, Thursday,
13 9. 18
