they did wake up nearly together he laid quietlywatched her sleep  she woke halfhourforty minutes after he

Good morning

she batted her big eyes

could swear he caught a breeze

                                   Good morning. You look wideawake.

Ive been up a bit

she blushed 

             You know how you embarrass me when you watch me

Tryanstop me 

               Besides  Im not watching Im admiring your beauty 

Stop.

      her blush deepened

Yare sweet he leaned over kissed her softly leaned away  Happy reggaefriday buckwheat                    

Happy reggaefriday, baby.                  

   Thank you 

                  So    Ya remember

I do she murmuredstill wakingrubbing her eyes with the heel of her hands  Verbatim.

Goin Latin on me

I’ll go Latin on you she chuckled 

                                      Verbum.  Word.

WORD   Lets hear it 

                      But before you do lemme say again I dig thaya know Latin without havingone to Catholic school

eyes closedfixed her head jauntily One of my many talents.

Awbaby I love when you talk dirty to me 

they laughed heartily 

                       So tell me an I get up an make us coffee  as a matter of fact Ill make you French press if yare verbatim  

You said bald skincancerscarred skullcap greasy dangling fringe squirrelly since Nam a knife fight with four Viet Cong.

BAM 

     Had no doubt  Asif you regurgitated it 

Wow, such a way with words, love your accuracy.

As much as you love me

More.  Somuchmore. 

                       she leaned to him kissed him deeply 

getting out of bed Stay put Ill bring you coffee  Toast bagel orange juice 

OH.

    There’s still orange juice, yes, bagel slathered with creamcheese.

Ill let you slather

You’re funny, you an your raw bagels.

                                        Please, before you go, would you give me my pencil pouch, drawing tablet, feel like sketching this morning an since I don’t have to get my ass out of bed I’ll play, work out some preliminaries I have for my canvas.

On it 

      he crossed the foot of the bed to her dresser pouch right above the pad an board leaning against it  Board too

propping herself up on their pillows  Yes please.

   Hereya go 

               before leaving he kissed her forehead lingered  smelled her hair  Cake Warm happy cake

You’re crazy.

Back shortly with your tray maam 

returning he placed the tray beside hershe was occupied 

                                                           absently without lookingup Thank you baby.

Yare welcome buckwheat 

                            an left to write

guy cameround the corner left swinging side to sideweaving

hed seen him roundtown born an raised there a troubled Nam vet knew his story as stories come to one inadvertently hearsay but the same hearsay out of other locals mouths 

he wasnt local 

               didnt mind being an outsider from the getgo he knew he couldnt fit if he tried he moved there to accommodate his wife

accommodated she died after their girls went off to college

she wanted desperately for them to come home after they graduated 

                                                                         I hope you can learn to accept it baby theyll visit but they aint comin back Theyll make their choices as we made ours 

man wasnt the same when he returned 

                                          as he understood from high school buddies a sensational athlete shunned collegiate scholarships wanted to test his mettle wanted zero-sum competition  May the best man win loser die 

   now homeless a bald skincancerscarred skullcap greasy dangling fringe squirrelly since Nam evidently a gruesome knife fight with four Viet Cong won  though so badly wounded was returned stateside honorable discharged 

couldnt no-how no-way be returned to compete 

he came swinging around the corner 

glancingup over the top of the book he read as he walked  reconnaissance catching the lay of the land obstacles  personnel 

           rarely peoplerarely pedestrians not in all the years he walkbout town despite it a small rural California town

he saw him approachweaving on the sidewalk ahead

canvas knapsack over his left shoulder right arm crooked held a cigarette

returning to his reading he estimated teneleven seconds before they converged

eight seconds he stepped left off the sidewalk high curb onto the bikepath then lifted his head to acknowledge his presence

          Howya doin 

didnt reply cigarette in his drawn mouth 

pointing with his left indexfinger

                                  Man, dares cars on the road run your sorry ass over.

Thank you

            striding past him Though not todaypreciate your concern he stepped again onto the sidewalk

he heard skincancerscalp didnt take kindly to strangersdidnt like lipliked to jump people

he heard his hardheeledhardsoled boots continue walkinway

wasnt to be jumped today

he had advantage knew his story 

                                    swore VC fingers ears he cut off slithered into the jungle like inchworms slugs before he managed to untethercould undo his trophy pouch and pick them up   

scalp had no cluebout him

or his time in Nam 

234preferred,  2sday,  30  5. 23

111preferred,  reggaefriday,  23  6. 23