Blanche:
Hey! [He turns back
shyly. She puts a cigarette in a long
holder.] Could you give me a light?
[She crosses toward him. They meet at the
door between the two rooms.]
Young Man:
Sure. [He takes out a
lighter.] This doesn’t always work.
Blanche:
It’s temperamental? [It flares.] Ah!—thank you. [He starts away again.] Hey!
[He turns away again, still more
uncertainly. She goes close to him.]
Uh—what time is it?
Young Man:
Fifteen of seven, ma’am.
Blanche:
So late? Don’t you
just love those long rainy afternoons in New Orleans when an hour isn’t just an
hour—but a little piece of eternity dropped into your hands—and who knows what
to do with it? [She touches his shoulders.] You—uh—didn’t get wet in the rain?
Young Man:
No, ma’am. I stepped
inside.
Blanche:
Blanche:
In a drugstore? And
had a soda?
Young Man:
Un-huh.
Blanche:
Chocolate?
Young Man:
No, ma’am. Cherry.
Blanche [laughing]:
Cherry!
Young Man:
A cherry soda.
Blanche:
You make my mouth water. [She touches his cheek lightly, and smiles.]
I said that I was in another world then, a world as real, even more real than my everyday world. I was, and absolutely. It was all unfolding before me. The feeling of being with someone feral, who could have her way, but what was it? What did she want from me? She touched me once, on the shoulder. I could see her face so clearly, her smile. I could smell her perfume. Then she touched me on the cheek. I was at a complete loss. Was I supposed to stay? Could I? And then....
I said that I was in another world then, a world as real, even more real than my everyday world. I was, and absolutely. It was all unfolding before me. The feeling of being with someone feral, who could have her way, but what was it? What did she want from me? She touched me once, on the shoulder. I could see her face so clearly, her smile. I could smell her perfume. Then she touched me on the cheek. I was at a complete loss. Was I supposed to stay? Could I? And then....
Kind of like life, eh?
ReplyDeleteWithout the boring parts.
ReplyDeleteOnce, I saw a woman on the subway in London. Morning commute to the office. There was a moment. Both of us standing, but on the opposite sides of the car. We both looked at one another. Neither looked away. No smiles or gestures. Just looked at each other. Car stopped. She left. Car started and stopped. Then I left. The next week, same morning commute, it happened again--exactly the same way. I said to myself that if/when it happened again, I was going to test out the morning and see if we'd get off the cars at separate stops or at the same one. Never saw her again....and I was really looking. :-)
ReplyDeleteCarpe diem, Roy. Did you know there used to be a whole page on the back of the Village Voice with ads of people who had the same experience. "Saw you in the A train this morning. You have blonde hair....You got off at Fulton Street...." Now, they do it on cragslist.
ReplyDelete