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
