22.3.25


he had more spiders than you could shake a stick at

his granddaughters askedsneering Why don’t you get rid of them?

   Why donya go home
Jeez, Dad.

Sorrybabe My house my rules my spiders
                                               Asya know I have a deep abidingaffection for them
Even blackwidows you lose your shit over  kill

I didn't want the girls getting bit.
When they were young
                         Theyre old enough to discern a widow an can give it wide berth outofdoors

Indoors
         Yacoud remove them rather than killem

My house my rules.

Touche
         Your house
he turned roundanround in the livingroom
                                              My house
You're fast becoming a curmudgeon.

Actually Im a pleasant old man if someone doesnt fuck with me
                                                                    Youre not fuckin with me

   No.  I’m not.

she stepped out onto the front porch where the girls escaped
                                                                Grampas rules.
We have to sleep in there? chorus

Grampa sleeps here every night. The spiders stay up to the corners of the ceiling; we’ll be fine.

This is a nightmare come true. said the eldest

Grampa has a truce with them.

Truce?

An agreement.

With spiders?  incredulous

If anyone can strike a bargain with arachnids, they’d be him.

I’ll sleep in the car.
Me too.

No.  Neither of you will.
                          To the best of my knowledge he’s not negotiated with child abductors, gypsies. When a little girl and I crossed Gramma and Grampa they’d say keep it up, you keep it up and you can pack a bag and go with the gypsies.

They offered to help me pack.


   Is he crazy?

No.  Not at all.
                 He’s a devotee of spiders.

What’s a devotee?

A fan.


in the morning he made them his World Famous handbeaten waffles butter pats powder sugar maple syrup the real deal thickcut bacon fruit berries to have with or without Greek yogurt
                                                                                they forgot they survived the night  

1830ish,  Saturday,  22  3. 25 

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