he didnt know when the day began but after leaving the house the cats  walking reading meeting an old friend for coffee  they had edibles not an hour an a half later hed be three deep in It goes without saying3 deep

                                                                                                             he couldnt remember any other day where it occurred to him more than once now3deep he was up to his ass in it

his friend began a story he recognised

he found it curious that with every telling of itsince the first time how his friend didnt recognise or realise they were walking a wellworn path

as it happened he looked up at the round market neonlit clockface it had hands  probably why he liked having coffee in this small mart 

                it was 3:38 

Its threethiryeight 

                   he took a paper napkin from an mattblack metal dispenser and wrote 3:38 

                                                                                                  Thats a beautiful roundlooking number time isnt it

It is. Do you remember why I might like it?

he knew now4deep  he wasnt going to say he tried to muster a longdead fish vacancy in his eyes No Rooms Available

You remember why?

                      he wasnt having it the blank stare didnt discourage him Hell  he had just remarkedlaboured not ten minutes earlier about 3

                              You remember?

he nodded

Why?

he still didnt say anything he extended his armhis hand towards him gesturing Take it away.

Why?

they were both old enough to remember vinylremember what a broken record sounded like

he offered his other hand palm up

Why?

Christ  The number eight 

What about it?

Ya like it knocked off it pins lying on its side Lemniscate Infinite Over the Magicians head Strengths head fashionedjuggled between the Perpetual Pilgrims hands

In the tarot deck

No, not this time.

Bullshit 

          Every time

No. I was thinking two cubed.

You werent

             Ya bought enough time between your whys to catch yourself repeating your story

You don’t know that.

I do I absolutely know that You don swap horsesparticularly you  midstream

No.

    It’s what I was thinking.

Suit yourself

              For me Id love to see 338 emblazoned on a tight tshirt across a chicks chest Anif she was a 38doubledDduhduhduh excuse my stutter an spittle doubleD cup all the better

Sexist.

No Imaginative Appreciative   Freaking grateful

                                                     So save me the two times two times two Ya like 8 tipped on its side

turns out before they went their separate ways It goes without saying revealed itself twice more 6 times in a day Thursday April 21  a truly a memorable day 

                                                     or mebbe the edibles they ate uptitrated his languishinghigh from 4/20

what did he know

                    whad he know aside from the recurring ad nauseamy lemniscate story and an attempted coverup

 finis Latin  not French fin  334preferred,  ReggaeFriday,  22  4. 22

   it was exhausting

                       but terribly unlikely he was going to give in  submit 

they were talking politics over beers

he sighed loudly

That was quite a sigh.

Its getting old

Certainly is, but that’s what their hanging their hats on.

An understandable Its existential to them

                                             Were watching the death throes of certain white people men in particular  Theyve had their way longer than they should have so by hook or crook defamation lies they hobble  Its tiresome

It is.

Yes Unfortunatelyfortunately Ive expected as much I am imbued with the lowest common denominator

L C D.

LCD  Ya didnt hear me sighya really wanna exacerbate my condition with an acronym which ya know I despise On par with your ridiculous shorthand for couplesmerging their names antha among your other shorthands 

                                                                                                             Spell it out man

Please

LCD.  Lowest common denominator.

he emitted a thin sigh Thank you

You’re welcome.

                 he was polite  had to hand it to him

 

suddenly slapped him on the back a raw cackle breaking out of his throat

                                                                              Whowhowho har har

You're laughing?

I am Your LCDs tickling the hell out of me

                                           Listen up howbout this I take your LCD form an equationya like equations

toss in an equal sign anlet LCD equal MTG

 

  MTG? 

          Swing and a miss, I’m not following you . .

. . Yare gonna kick yourself master of shorthand

Let’s see.

           he tilted his head like a bird listening for a worm crawling under the soil

Hint

No thank you. Say.

Marjorie Taylor Greene

                         he took an index card a pen from his shirt pocket and wrote LCD = MTG  showed him 

they laughed

No no, how about this?

                         he took the index card and pen from him Excuse me if I correct you.

All eyes

with two quick strokes he augmented the equation it was better  LCD <=> MTG

Awman great glyph

Glyph? That’s not likely to play well with those who make up lowest common denominators.

Too fuckin bad  They can suck my lemon

333preferred to 1533,  Thursday,  21  4. 22

1143,  ReggaeFriday,  22  4. 22

MTG  https://www.npr.org/2022/04/22/1094273441/marjorie-taylor-greene-is-in-court-as-part-of-a-legal-challenge-to-her-candidacy

Led Zeppelin  The Lemon Song  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvCQ6ntgteQ

Do as I say not as I do  Dig  

a timehonoured aggregation handed down generation to generation a deviant demand

parents own it and the brightred cherry atop that sundae one magic word 

                                                                                 BECAUSE

his face flattened was confused then puckered asif he sucked a lemon

                                                                           Because?

BECAUSE Shorthand  For Because I said 

                                             Youll recallmaybe you wont as a kid when asking why  something  when I asked a perfectly reasonable question I was often told  BECAUSE

Then parents could legitimised Because because they had fourfive six children no way in hell could they possibly entertain or know all the answers to every question their kids asked  It was a perfect short cut 

I thought it was flimsy but it was certainly worked a real game changer   

Anfor that terse abrupt reply I made damn sureas did my wife when we had children as I expected we would I expected so because I was eldest of eight taking care of children was my lot in life our children would neverEVER hear Because come out of our mouths

Not ever?

It did not

          An that was despite my parents later badgering me when kids interrupted our conversation I had them pull up hold their tongues They could be patient I found it ludicrous to have to explain to them that the kids questions outweighed our conversation

Put a pin in it Back in five

                             Anif they couldnt remember what we were discussingI remembered then it wasnt terribly important  If they couldntdidnt fuck if I was going to say

Quite a speech.

It was quite an irritation For all intents and purposes I was middle management The least they could do was throw me a bone

So you hurt yourselfyour shoulder working out?

I did

And this was shortly after your girlfriend hurt her back on a rowing machine?

Yes shes been rehabbing her back but lately shed been really pouring it on

When she was younger she was an athlete?

Yes I like to think once an athlete always an athlete

Which is nice of you to think so, though I’d suggest you know many who had been but looking at them now one wouldn’t guess they were.

Unfortunately Yes

So you frame athletics athletes subjectively.

now he had that lemony taste in his mouth

                                              Yes Id admit yare correct

Okay. We agree.

                     And you told your girlfriend she should have backed off?

I did I offered it sympathetically

Then afterwards you injured yourself . . because you didn’t back offdidn’t take your own advice?

Yes Hence do as a I say not as I do

Eating some humble pie?

I am

Why didn’t you heed your advice?

Im a sceptic  Anbeing so Im a sceptical athlete

                                                  Why wouldnt I push myself

So you didn’t injury yourself.

Not in the cards but there is that Youll get no argument from me

                                                                    Ill heal then get back up on the pony again Been doing it all my life

You and your girl sound like quite the pair. 

 

edging near 4PM or call it Suntime,  Thursday,  21  4. 22

1029,  ReggaeFriday,  22  4. 22