the winter mist outside sifted
like fine vague sand
its grit softenedsoftened to
gauze and silver and slivered and sparkled with the rising sun
no birds this morning
that was hard to take
they must have been holding tight to
their roosts or nests feathercuddling
this morning reminded him of a
morning years ago on the Wisconsin river a Summertime jaunt with a buddy
who became his brotherinlaw briefly
who emitted a big GULP when he showed at the house one evening and was there to see
his sister
Wha . . when did this happen he didnt wait for an answer
No matter
Cool Kool
later on another Wisconsin River
trip at an Indian barthe bartender told them You white guys got to beat it by Seven when
my regular clientele shows
Saywha
Your sister is pregnant.
EXCITEMENT
then doused in cold waterSTUPID he knew betterhe knew about the birds and
bees heteros homos and lezs lions tigers and bears he knew about flowers and trees and the moon
up above and a thing called Love
XCEPT
aint no loving without a rubber
Ya fuckin stupid it
escaped his mouth Yatwo aint married asif married had anything to do
with conception or fuckingettin knocked up
Ya fuckin stupid there
must have been an Echo hiding in the bar
then
sternly
he said Whadaya talkin about
I got your sister pregnant.
Whadaya two thinkin
We’re going to get married.
Married
Yeah.
Why
Why?
She’s preg . .
. . YOURE PREGNANT
She aint
pregnant by herself Your child Youre pregnant To Marry Why You havent said word one
about love Ya discuss options
Options?
Abortion
Abortion? You want us to abort your niece or nephew?
Abort the fetus aint blood til its born Yareally wanna fuckup three lives when two
can be restored Healed
their yipping and yapping took
them past Seven
the bar slowly filled
they were oblivious
on stools at the bar they were a cancerous
bubble bleeding all over the sawdust floor spoiling Running Deers Black Bears yamida yamidayamida Red Feathers boots
pausing for a breath he saw the
bartender eyeball him Hey Chief he called him that during the day he believed he was in fact a chief Two whiskies please
You go. You boys settle up.
Go. Leave, as I asked you earlier.
he looked around
he saw men not Indians
thing about it was that Indians saw
two white men spoiling their barintruding on their space
Chief was keenly aware Settle up.
drunkenly he said Moneys on the bar Plenty for two more whiskys
No. Settle. You go.
FIREWATER PLEASEsuddenly there
was no air a crush of bodies he became buoyant could see over his toes
roiled snatched from his bar stool his buddy floating on his belly five feet in
the air then WOOSHsilence airborn hurled bodily through the swinging door
clearing the porch into the dirt in a heap No thats my leg
they slowly stood weaved back
and forthback and forth
their pockets were turned inside
outwhen did that happen Indian magic
his buddy finally said Real sharp. Firewater?
Yah I couldnt help myself
then his buddy recognised their
pockets were turned inside out
he must
have been really loaded Fuck. They got
all my dough.
All your dough Yabrought all your dough with ya
I did. he looked up at the bar the swinging doors were still swung outward I aint going back in.
Nah Me neither Chumpchange
Chumpchange? That’s all the money I had.
All the money you had Yafuckin kiddin me
What? Leave money in the tent?
Not in the car
What?
The car You an asshole
Why would I leave money in the
car?
Good question
Because you
wouldnt leave it in the tent
Shit.
Sounds like youre really prepared
to be a father he stroked the air with a finger Tally Abortion
I wasn’t thinking.
Christ Seems not thinking is your forte
then over it
he dusted himself off
weaved over to his buddys ChevyVega leaning on it he pulled off a boot reached down inside it and
extracted a thin fold of bills three
Benjamins
he said And asshole Ive more money in the tent Were
safe and sound
the silvered morning reminded him
of a rowboat lazing towards him as he bathed naked in the shallows
he had a bar of soap washcloth a towel in a tree overhanging
the river
a woman pulled at the oars
he recognised her from the
haphazard beach down from the lodge and bar that ran the campground his tent was
in
two days earlier she wound her
way down from one of the cabins on the bank overlooking the river couldnt have missed her
he caught her as soon as she came
outdoors
she was stunning stunning in her brightwhite knitted
bikini peekaboo
they had quite the conversation
before her boyfriend joined her
she had placed her blanket beside
his HELLO
THERE
her boyfriend didnt join her as
much as encourage her to leave the beach he thought a DUCK ride would be fun
a
DUCK a World War Two – era Dells Army amphibious vehicle
she
wasnt impressed she said
so he impressed upon her he wasnt
asking
the slight looked like it hurt
she winced
she was facing him so her
boyfriend didnt see
Maybe she said quietly we’ll run into
each other again.
THAT WOULD BE COOL
her boyfriend eyeballed him but it was possible the black eye he was wearing
from the Indian bar let things ride a pitiful eyeballing
if he was him he wouldnt have
been a cunt about her being on the beach
but if she was with him hed be damn
sure she was occupied and happy her
hands too full to try and juggle yet one more thing
Crystal
her name was Crystal
hed met other Crystals since but
none held a candle to her
she was effervescent a sunlightenedblonde rare
a blonde attracted him attracted him like a moth to light her body could have graced a centerfold he knew what he
knew
her peekaboo bikini at first
plagued him he didnt want to be rudetried hard to maintain eye contact
then he quit peeking
she was bronze everywhere
Hey! Crystal let the oars down across her legs and
waved to him
HEY he waved backkept low in the water
Nice to see you again! Lemme come
to you, catch the rope. she didnt wait
on his reply immediate dug in with the oars pulled on them her
back to him
she threw errantlythrew like a
girl
the water moved quick in the
shallows
the rope unfurled and beganaway
from him
he drove after itswam hardtwelvefifteen
feet
the rope grasped firmly he stoodthe
currentthe sifting gravel and mud underfoot made him stumble he caught himself thrust a hand downgripped the sandbar the water now much shallower
the boat tugged at the rope and
swung downstream
he had her
OhMy! she said as she eyed his nakedness Well, good
morning.
Morning he replied as he pulled
her in towards him hand over handpaying the rope into water behind him
Crystal smiling
oogling him brightly said Care for a boat ride?
he smiled and eyed her white blouse unbuttoned halfway cut off bluejeans a plaid blanket at her feet Dont mind if I do
Need a hand getting in?
A hand yah Getting in nah
Oooh the noise in her throat This ought to be fun.
A barrel of monkeys
0804, Twosday,
14 1. 20
1329, Monday,
25 5. 20
