A Novel
Chapter Summaries
Cast of characters
Grammar Rules
Rules Of Writing
The Girl with The Dog on the Porch
That's great, it starts with an earthquake, birds and snakes,
an aeroplane - Lenny Bruce is not afraid.
Eye of a hurricane, listen to yourself churn,
world serves its own needs, dummy serve your own needs.
An earthquake of sorts a strong swimmer after a subtle glimmer in ones eye. Maybe it ends with an earthquake. But listen to yourself churn.
Wire in a fire, representing seven games, a government for hire and a combat site.
Uh oh, overflow, population, common food, but it will do.
Save yourself, serve yourself. World serves its own needs, listen to your heart bleed dummy with the rapture and the revered and the right - right.
You vitriolic, patriotic, slam, fight, bright light, feeling pretty psyched.
It's the end of the world as we know it. (It's time I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world, as we know it. (It's time I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it (It's time I had some time alone) and I feel fine.
Forest Park shook somewhat as Seth finished his run. It just does that. Forest Park is a large oasis in the west hills of Portland. Miles and miles of tranquil running trails highlight it and when you are in the Park it feels like you are not in the middle of the city. They only problem with that is that Forest Park sits on a potential earthquake fault and experts say it will have a major quake in the not so distant future. Today the earth shook ever so quietly.
The refrain in this song got to him today. Seth walked across the fire lane contemplating today’s run and a return to a constant in his life. The trail runs where rain trickled down the end of his nose and his ankle. He felt whole again and completely ready to take on the world feeling drunk with endorphins but he remembers uncomfortably that it has been a struggle to sneak in this oasis part of his day that being a trail run. This run on an early winter day brought a near serenity to an already far too busy day.
Today was a day where he had completed practically nothing to his choosing. He certainly got everything done as he did on a normal day, It was a day which included the banal and somewhat comforting tasks of cleaning dirty dishes from the sink that had been somehow been left in the sink for the last 526 days since she had moved out. This regular activity is the glue tying one day to the next. To him there was certain finality in doing dishes and taking out the trash. For Seth, everything else was an ongoing project, with no beginning or end.
Seth had as always enjoyed his post workout buzz, as in earlier years, the post workout hum usually consisted of a few cold beers but at this point in his life, he was getting too old for that. He had real things to do and real places to get to but he had always enjoyed the ride home from his runs in Forest Park. While crossing the Fremont bridge taking in a rare late fall sunny day with a hint of a winter coming, he enjoyed the rare views of the cascades where it appeared they had received fresh snow the previous evening. This elevated sense of awareness was now slowly fading into obscurity right now.
As he arrived home to an empty house, Seth took a warm hot shower that removed the grime on his legs from his trail run. The shower felt wonderful and then Seth sat back in his bed and enjoyed the sudden respite from his sudden need for change only to stray in his mind to his constant yearning to seek the change that he had warned himself that he needed. It was an enigmatic struggle for him between the constant need for seeing and feeling things from a different point of view. These feelings were contrasted by chronic hankering to just get it right just this once. Seth wavered in has steadfastness just as he always has.
He surprisingly nodded off into a deep, peaceful sleep. He was never good at taking naps so he was alarmed when he awoke suddenly because of a weird rapping noise that he kind of recognized coming from the front door. He stumbled down the steps and he was surprised that daylight was fading and the sun was reflecting at sharp angles indicating that is was later in the day then he had planned. He could not recognize the stranger at the door and thought to himself that he should I actually answer the door but he was left with no choice as the visitor was right behind the glass window ready to knock again. He opened the door slowly and said, "How can I help you?" in as cheerful a voice as he could muster. Strangers knocking at your door usually are not something that usually ends up well.
Standing on the front porch was a young woman with a cheerful cautious smile. She had a leash in her hand and as he followed the line of the leash it was obvious she had his dog on the leash and he worried to himself how exactly his dog of many years had ventured out of the yard. He was sure that he had securely locked it. He did not recognize the leash she held in her hand. Does she walk around with a leash all the time? He glanced at the gate and nothing seemed amiss and he glanced back at the girl on the porch and she was heading back toward the street as his dog stood on the porch panting and obviously happy.
As she was walking away from him toward the busy street, he noticed she was wearing a long flowing dress that seemed too thin for this fall day. He was curious to know where she had come from and why. Without him saying a word, she turned and looked at him and said, “I am glad you have your dog back but I need to catch my bus.” Seth kind of in a daze responded with “Hey sorry about that my dog gets out often and I need to figure out how she got out but for now I am happy to have her back. Thank You Very much. It will not happen again.
She stood on the porch fumbling with the Beagles nametag she had just taken off so she could better read the well-worn inscription stamped on the tag. She responded through a half smile. “So am I.”
“Well thank you so very much for such a simple kind gesture. Thank you so very much hmmm…what is your name please you never told me.”
“Seth it doesn’t matter” she chuckled as she ran to catch her bus.
She did not want to answer as she had a hard time with the truth. She simply had a hard time telling the truth and she certainly was not willing to start today. He did not need to know that she simply walked in the back yard and took the dog for a walk. She just wanted a little company for her walk. He did not need to know that she was just lonely.
Looking For Jesus
Birds love to sit on benches that. Buses and mass transit systems have a unique way of collecting an odd assortment of strange people and sometimes this was UNIX’s main reason for taking the bus. She had a perfectly acceptable yellow Volkswagen bug of sorts that could get her from place to place and the gas wasn’t all that expensive but she hated to drive and she somehow loved the chance encounters that happened on the bus. Well to put it another way, she liked chance encounters in general but lately she had become more of a hermit and these chance encounters were just that. She had a little weathered note book where she would write down her recollection of these encounters mostly for her enjoyment. She would add some crazy little sketches to help remember them and she thought someday she would gather them together and somebody might want to read them. She especially enjoyed the drawing part of it. She wasn’t necessarily great at but the sketches were usually pretty funny.
She sat on the bus headed across town and watched as the dry autumn leaves swirled in the suddenly gusty wind. She sat quietly and started to make a sketch of Seth and his dog. Her long brown hair curled around her lips as she tried to actually remember what Seth looked like. She certainly remembered the dog as it was a brown, black and white with the warmest brown eyes. It was funny to her that she could not remember the dogs name but she could remember Seth’s. (Both names were on the tag) She could also sketch the dog from memory but had very little re collection of Seth at all so when she sketched them both she sketched the dog in detail and drew Seth as a cartoon like character that resembled nothing even human like. The sketch amused her as she pushed her sketch book back into her book bag and as she looked out the slowly fogging windows she realized that she had badly missed her bus stop. She was not alone on the bus, with an older lady who had a collection of bottles which it looked like she was taking to the grocery store for the nickel refund.. It looked like she had about four dollars worth of bottles in her bag. The lady wore a deep grey thread bare coat that was well worn at the sleeves. She seemed a bit agitated but other wise of this world as she drew little designs on the cloudy bus nirrors..
“Hi there” she said to the lady “she thought to herself I have to stop just talking to strangers one of these days” but she had already committed to this conversation and continued. “Where are you headed with that fine collection of bottles?” She had already somewhat known the answer but she still pushed forward and repeated the same question. “Where are you headed with that fine collection of bottles”?
--
The lady looked at her with what she perceived as sardonic amusement and simply said “I am looking for a modern day Jesus and a bottle of cheap wine.”
You know what lady on most days I am looking for the exact same thing. I do not care for wine all that much but I think I understand what you are looking for.
The old lady chortled somewhat under her breath “You think you are so smart and understand what a lady of my means is looking for?”
Yes I think I do. Unix responded carefully. “On certain days I think I do. Here I got a simple little deal for you. It looks like you have about 40 bottles there and in my world that comes to about four dollars worth. I’ll buy all those bottles from you for 10 dollars and I’ll take care of them for you.”
“That’s mighty nice of you young lady I would be foolish not to take you up on that offer.”
With that Unix shuffled through her purse and found 10 one dollar bills and folded them and put them into the old lady’s surprisingly warm hands. The old lady smiled just a bit and thanked her. “How can I thank you er ummm…I did not catch your name..”
“It doesn’t matter but if you find your modern day Jesus it would make me very happy” as Unix left the bus about a mile past her destination.
Unix for Dummies
Unix slithered much like a snake today. Unix decided to walk the last 18 blocks back to what she called home for now and for the most part she loved the walk and the crisp autumn air, but something she could not touch was lurking in the back of her mind. She loved the view of the city from the bluff in Sellwood. It was the quiet part of town that overlooked a bird sanctuary and if you looked a little farther you could see the roller lights of the amusement park. The water sparkled bright a dazzling blue with the help of the sun and a wonderful crisp breeze as the city, with all its metal and noise sat in the background, she kind of took the long way home tonight savoring her lukewarm reflection of enjoying the first contact with a human being of any sorts for the last few weeks. She had become a conundrum of sorts at least to herself.. Her life had become a short term mess oand she somehow rationalized that it was time to get out of this funk and get back to her basics and just meet people. It wasn’t like she could just turn on a switch bey she was determined to do so.
She has been mired in this bog of banality for the first time in her young life. Having never been here before, she did not know exactly how to get herself out.
Life had always been handed to her throughout her childhood. She was the that girl who got to go to the private schools and then ended up not following the rules and getting sent to public school. When that didn’t work out as planned. she was nearly forced by her parent to be sent to a military school and her parents gave in to her and let her prove herself at another high school that she all of a sudden found somewhat to her liking. The school was big enough to provide structure but also perfectly big enough to afford her the freedom of being somewhat invisible. . The quirky bird at school that was always in her own little world but whom would somehow get her art work displayed in the schools west wing. She readily admits she had actually purposely flirted with the her art teacher so that he would propose the idea to whom ever made that decision. But she really did not care as all she wanted was for people to see her art and she felt proud every time she walked past her displayed work. She inwardly thought that she do not need to do all her school work when she could easily paint to make people happy.
She was not exatly disconnected from her parents as a constant in her life. Her parents had suddenly split while she was in her senior year at Portland State. It was mystery to her how two people whom had always been together had drifted apart. It saddened her more than she would let on to but she still despite what she considered large odds she survived and graduated with relative ease. She could somehow put these little episodes in her life into tiny little compartments. Well so her counselor said.
Her entire disconnect with her parents was a lot of her own doing. She would never tell them the truth. She told them she had a boyfriend and she was in a long term relationship. When they came to visit the boy friend was never there. She told them she was doing great financially but when they visited, she usually had little food and on one visit she actually had no heat as she did not have the money to fill the oil tank. She just told them that the furnace needed repair. She said it would be repaired in the following week. Her parents had offered to help her and she always refused. Her parents knew the only person who could help her was herself.
She thought for a few seconds about the lady on the bus and in a subtle way it dawned on her that she could be that lady on the bus in 30 years or so. But she didn’t see anything wrong with that.
Googly Eyes Lose Dog
A propeller aeroplane flew over in a drone that sometimes isn’t even noticed. Seth could not see this coming, but he had at some point completely lost interest in what he used to over indulge in, that being his job. Everything that once had existed in his job that he found interesting and challenging had been shipped overseas many years ago. He dreaded the never ending polishing of the terd that never seemed to get polished and somebody always ended up unhappy over. The things he did at work he felt like a secretary pointed in the right direction could do and they would be probably like it 100 times more. And tomorrow he had a handful of meetings as well as his official one on one yearly review with his condescending boss. It was already getting dark on this the first day we turn the clocks back in the fall and the sudden earliness of the dark startled him and he realized his weekend was for all practical purposes over. This saddened him a bit but he decided he would take Beetle for a walk even though his dog had decided to go on her own little walk just a few minutes earlier.
Walking through his neighborhood made him feel like he belonged somewhere. He had lived in this house longer than anyplace he lived before and he has grown a certain liking to where he lived. The park in the neighborhood had large pine trees that indicated a park in the Rose City. The moon was a silver sliver that was racing toward the horizon rapidly on this tranquil fall night. The quiet was almost deafening tonight. Seth enjoyed this quiet as he left Beetle off her leash. Beetle looked quite content as she smelled what she was going to smell devouring almost every scent on a scentless night. He sat on the park bench for awhile and watched a Black Lab and a weird looking pug join his beagle on the soccer field. As he felt himself starting to relax he forget about tomorrow’s drudgery Seth had the distinct feeling that he was not alone and this was suddenly confirmed as he heard a females voice with almost a screaming whisper mouth the words “Rodger get over here” .
This startled Seth at first, but when the voice had fully entered his cognitive thought process he loved the sound of her voice. It echoed brilliantly on this cool clear fall evening. In the four words he heard ““Rodger get over here”” he had picked up a foreign accent and something else he could not put his finger on.
He looked to his side and saw her in a pretty brilliant light considering how quickly the day had gotten dark. Much to his surprise she walked over to the park bench he had been sitting on with looked like a bag which he presumed contained doggy cleanup in a public park. The idea of a woman carrying a poop bag may be a symbolic metaphor for future failure to many but for Seth at this time in his life it brought this beautiful voice down a level to where he was comfortable and it also served to give him his voice. .Which may or may not have been in his best interests today.
“Are you talking to the Dog” Seth weakly lobbed this non sentence into the night air.
“Are you talking to me” echoed the voice from the night air.
And Seth took in the voice and for some reason noticed the fog that came from her voice and essence. It was a real thing how that sentence hung in the crisp autumn air and a somewhat literal view as the heat from her voice actually emitted a shadow of sorts in the night air. It hung in the air without tension. Actually it kind of sparkled.
Hi my name is Emily. Sorry to have interrupted you on this fine evening I am just getting my dog and I will be out of here.
Seth reached out his right hand to shake hers but no handshake was even hinted from her.
“It’s no problem” he meekly replied. “I know that it is dark but I believe we have met before and I am pretty sure I know where”
“You might recognize me as I sometimes tend bar in the little British pub on 42nd avenue.” She answered almost to quickly.
“Yeah that’s certainly it” Seth replied.
Seth was a little bit secretly deflated as he would venture down to the Sixpence once in a while and certainly liked when she tended bar. She certainly was a girl he found rather attractive and she always seemed to know a little bit about soccer when he talked about it, Or so it seemed to him. It was certainly a pleasure seeing her out of context as he thought about why he liked to visit that particular watering hole. She was certainly one of the reasons.
She clapped her hands a few times to get Rodger to come over to her but the gloves on her hands made the clap basically ineffective so Seth offered a few gloveless claps of his own and the dog happily scurried between his feet. Seth tickled him between the ears and the dog quickly spotted its owner who promptly put his leash back on. In the mean time Beetle was doing her own little thing, being a beagle, and had disappeared into the dark of the night.
“Damn that Beetle is really pushing his luck today. Here we go again” Seth said as the useless leash hung from his right hand. He loved his dog but sometimes he questioned his decision as Beagles just can’t stop being Beagles as they blindly follow their noses.
Seth just stared into the cold fresh night air and he could sense her breathing and the air between then hung, well maybe lingered filled with low level electricity. Or maybe Seth had misperceived the moment and because he had to do something soon despite not wanting to leave this moment. He liked being in the here and now instead of his constant fear of the here and tomorrow.
Emily suddenly struck from the cold night air. “I do not have a plan but we should find your dog now.”
“Okay I will head over toward the swimming pool”, Seth dead panned.
And Seth sped out into the cool night air
“Okay I’ll search over near the school” Replied Emily in a less than enthusiastic voice as she was uncertain what she was getting herself into. Emily slowly walked with her dog toward the school as the park was somewhat lit by street lights and the low cloud cover seemed to illuminate the night. Whistling was never a skill that she had mastered but for some reason her whistle was much louder than she remembered. She circled the school a few times and there was no sign of the Dog for that matter there was no longer and sign of Seth either. She now called his name and once again there was no response. She was a bit confused as what to do next because she certainly wanted Seth to find his dog and she did want to know that Seth was coming back or if in fact he went home for the night as it was starting to get late. By instinct, She slowly took the cell phone out of her pocket but she realized it was futile as she had no contact of him. She and Rodger slowly walked the five blocks home all the while calling out Beetle’s name and of course no response was forthcoming.
Meanwhile Seth’s search for his ever illusive dog pretty much ran the same course. He actually ran around the neighborhood like it was his daily workout and he even stopped by his house and got on his bike and continued the search. His dog was fast and he kind of realized the attempt to find his dog would be futile so headed for home hoping that somebody found the dog and returned it to the address listed on the collar. He for a second doubted whether this information was actually on the collar but he did remember that this happening before and somebody always seemed to call him. His dog was kind of locally famous for being captured on the street and taken in for awhile until Seth could be contacted. Seth was hoping this night would end in a similar fashion and rather quickly but when he arrived home chilled from his running and later a bike ride he was simply cold. It felt like winter was moving in and there was no sign of his dog.
A Foggy Day
Unafraid as Lenny Brace, the alarm woke Seth out of a fitful sleep of sorts and he rolled over and for once shot straight out of bed. The house seemed so much different with out Beetle in the house. She was usually right by the back door ready to make her rounds in the back yard when he had ventured into the kitchen. He checked his cell phone briefly for any messages from people who may have found his dog. The only thing on his phone was a text from his boss that said his early meeting had been moved back an hour. He certainly hated that his boss would contact him via text message but he was also happy for an hour reprieve on this cold foggy morning. It felt like snow today. He still felt like he had not shaken the cold from last night despite a long hot shower. When he rechecked his cell phone he also noticed that he was up way too early. Apparently he had not reset the clocks but of course his cell phone did that automatically for him. It was almost enough time to hop back into bed but he was wide awake on this particular morning so decided to tackle some chores just so he could relax after his dreaded day at work. He remembered last night and he thought it would be a good idea to venture down to the British pub to at least see what had become of Emily.
He decided he was going to take out this week’s recycling so it did not have to be done tonight. He was somewhat embarrassed by the number of bottles of Ale that had accumulated this past week and at least if he set them out this morning the local homeless people could snatch them out of the bin and collect the dime deposit. He thought to himself some homeless person may have enough to but himself a fine bottle of wine or maybe even two bottles of the fortified stuff. He also lamented the fact that he was too lazy to actually take them to the store himself. “I guess it is my own little non tax deductable gift to the local community.” As he reached the front porch he looked down and then looked down again and there on the porch was Beetles collar but it had no name tag. He thought for awhile did somebody actually put the collar on the porch or had it fallen off when he stood on the porch with that girl who never gave her name. He really had no idea. He surmised the tag was in the bushes somewhere but a quick search revealed nothing.
Today already seemed like it was progressing in fog like quicksand like way, but unfortunately that was not to be said for the time. It was time to head to work and he got this massive pit in his stomach.
Painting Playing Hooky
There Unix sat in the eye of the hurricane. Unix was up and about a lot earlier than normal today but she was painfully aware of why that was. She had turned her clocks ahead last night. She was really happy in the home she had bought with the help of her parents as it had hardwood floors and a back yard that has plenty of wild foliage everywhere. She lived alone in a mostly family leaning neighborhood in Sellwood. A calming electrical waterfall, she had bought on Craig’s made the yard feel like a jungle or sorts mostly in the summer time. But of course she loved the summers here as they were predictable and warm, but this morning was rather cold for her liking. She still found a perfect beauty in the way the fog surrounded her house on this particular morning.. Her two roommates, another Craig’s list find, were away for the week headed out of town, probably, for an alcohol filled snowshoeing trip down to Mt. Bachelor, and this allowed her to spread out and truly enjoy her passion in life.
She had called in sick for her morning appointment as she was in that mood again. She found herself laying out her well cleaned brushes in order of the width of the brush and her paints on a side table where she could see them. There was no need to put them in any particular order as she liked to paint with whatever color moved her. She could pull off a sky of crimson and bright pink even though it never happened in nature and it would come alive on canvas and would be her interpretation of her own little world. The tea kettle in the kitchen whistled and she moved to the kitchen and happily put together a pot of tea that warmed her and kept her moderately stimulated. Maybe it was the tea or maybe it was just the simple sound of the tea kettles whistle that made her put paint to canvas.
She painted at a frantic pace. She loved mixing the colors and blending the land to the water and loved filling in the details that made the clouds sparkle in a certain way, but for today she was in the mood to paint her much loved interpretations of the sky and the land. But for today she had a certain edge to her that had not been around for awhile. She was in the mood to paint real people who had entered her life. Maybe this was just an effort on her part to chronicle that she was breaking out of her abyss.
The last couple of weeks had been a struggle for her and today she seemed to be more like herself. She literally hadn’t talked to anybody in the last four weeks with the exception of the clerks at the local grocery store and the people at her so called job. Yes ironically her job as a clerk and customer service representative at a plumbing store over in the Hollywood district across town kept her minimal expenses paid and fulfilled one of her axioms in life. That axiom she held close to her basically said in her life there needed to be a true separation of her work life and her real life, Her clerk job at A Boy Plumbing served that purpose exactly. It was so unreal for her but also an anchor for her sanity. She worked in a man’s world of technical questions about the correct amp rate needed for an extension cord needed to run an in house electrical source to other non technical question from the mostly male staff that as to the color of underwear she had she worn to work. It bordered on harassment but she really did not care as she had little connection to her co workers. For the time being, she was perfectly capable of answering both questions with an equal amount of bullshit and bravado. She worked to live not the other way around.
But of course she had called in sick today and she was attacking the canvas with more passion than she could remember as she painted the lady she had met on the bus the day before. She remembered somewhat the look in her eyes. She had the eyes of an owl and she painted the eyes of an owl. Her face was that which resembled the face of Mr. Ed. That is one thing she remembered is she looked a little bit like an older version of that girl who played in Sex in the City. She never ever remembered the names of famous people because they were not from her realm. She remembered the faces just not the names.
She painted with passion. For some reason it was a passion that overtook her many times in her life but today she was passionate with the desire to create. Her roommates were gone and she decided subconsciously to take her pants off and just paint some more. She certainly didn’t want to stain her favorite jeans. She just wanted to paint. The rendition of the old lady on the bus took up most of the morning and well into mid afternoon but she only felt like she had worked on this painting for days.
She was a mess like she had always liked when she was painting. She could care less what was happening around her when she painted and she never really stopped to look at her work until days later. But today she actually walked to the refrigerator and opened a nice cold bottle of local seasonal ale and she took a quiet minute to inspect her work. She didn’t care that much if she liked it but something inside her loved what she had painted. She stood there in her long shirt and paint stained once white underwear looking at what she had painted. And she liked it even though it nothing at all looked like the Lady on the Bus. It was whom she wanted her to be.
She stood and looked some more and she was suddenly broken from her artistic spell as her home phone rang and since she had an old fashioned cell phone and she did not have the technical ability to screen calls she picked up the phone with less than obvious cheer..
She picked it up and the voice on the other end said
“Hi there I have your dog”
She quickly sorted through her life and politely responded. With, “I don’t have a dog.”
“I know because I have your dog”
The phone went blank.
The caller probably was not being rude or melodramatic. As far as she knew it wasn’t a ransom phone call or anything. Her phone simply had not charged and for now she had no idea where her charger was. But she was pretty sure she didn’t have a dog
Pub Fare
Seth listened to himself churn as the train pulled into the station right at 5:23 like it had done on most of his commute’s home. Seth took the long ride home on the Max train sitting next a family who was obviously from the suburbs or visiting from out state. Seth listened to them talk about how crowded the train was he could tell by their body language that they were out of their element. And for today the entire work day experience was out of his element. Seth used to write computer programs all day long and really enjoyed the creative freedom it afforded and he always like the idea of people coming to him to solve problems. But that part of his work had been out sources. He now spent most of his days preparing documents he could hand pseudo over to somebody from most likely from India so they could write the code to his specifications. He felt he could simply write the code and save the company some cash by avoiding this process. His career had come to that, as he had been taken out of work that he had always done and he had become quite adept at. He now wrote documents all day long.
He wrote these documents per the established time frame that his project manager had established. He then presented the paper back to the developers and his peers of his code so that could pick his analysis to pieces. He hated the process and today he failed at it miserably today. His analysis lacked detail when he presented it. Off course it did because he now lacked passion for the job that he did. But he still wore his heart on his sleeve and every presentation that did not go well tackled his confidence. It showed in his swagger as he excited Max train in the Hollywood district. He wanted so much to just walk the six blocks home and enter his empty house and sit and relax. He wanted to do nothing, and he wanted a lot nothing. He walked down 42nd Avenue with little conviction and on his right was the little British Pub that he liked so much. But as he approached, he had remembered Emily from the night before. He also remembered that Emily still worked there and she might just be working as he had never touched base with her last night. He also festered within himself. He remembered himself not quite making a great impression while having a real life opportunity to just sit with her outside the bar scene. He had always longed for this possibility but when it happened he remembered that he had become awestruck in her presence. HE BLEW IT.
But for the time being he had become a lucid rational human being. He was truly enjoying the walk from the train station. The air was crisp and cool and the dark was just that. It came way too early and it surprised him much like cold water on his face.
Seth simply wanted to go home so he walked the last two blocks with purpose. He knew he should be at the Bar with insane reason, but he realized in the short term he some how had to get on his way with finding his dog. His Beagle named Beetle was always there when he got home from work and he internally rationalized that he did not want to put up with that emotion right now. His head was spinning way too fast right now and for some reason out of his control he did a u turn and walked back to British Pub down the street.
He entered the pub with some trepidation as it suddenly dawned on him that Emily just might not be working right now. What would he do then? Well forgetting that for now he walked through the bar and toward the tables on the back porch. It was a decent enough day where people might want to sit on the pub’s large and friendly deck. Seth spotted Sonia whom he had talked to somewhat over the years but he did not know here well enough not skip being formal.
“Hey Sonia”, Seth yelled louder than he expected.
She replied despite Seth’s Terse tone., “Hello there, how can I help you.”
“Yes You can.
I have one real quick question, Is Emily working today.
Sonia replied crisply with a bit of sarcasm in her voice. “Yeah she works today but she doesn’t come in till around 730. Seth thought for a second and said. “Hey I lost my dog last night would it be okay to put a Lost Dog Notice up on the message board.
Yeah Go for it Dude. Just bring it around and we will get in on the bulletin board. Emily had mentioned last night when I talked to her something about a lost dog but she seemed like she was really in a hurry.
Oh did she? Sonia looked up with a knowing grin and kind of giggled in a way that made her sound and look a lot younger than she actually was. Do you two know each other? To which Seth responded sharply and with little emotion. Hey I come here quite a bit and I of course talk to her when I come in so in that sense yes I know her. I know she has a dog named Rodger so that how well I know her. Hey I am going to skip the beer for now but thanks you have been a big help. I am going to get home as I have a lot of things to do and I have sudden urge to do them.
Good Luck with that Seth, she said as she slowly walked toward another table and she gave another slight grin.
He looked down on the table in front of him and there sat a fully poured beer that looked like the beer he usually ordered. He could recognize his beer from all others as it was a deep chocolate color with a reddish brown foamy head that dripped ever so slightly from the pint glass. How many times had he seen this before? He felt a bit like Pavlov’s dog. He noticed a note next to it that been hand printed on a white coaster which a hand drawn beer sitting on top of a crudely drown house. Its on the house he mumbled to him self. That is kind of cute.
Seth did not think about who wrote the note, but he did what he thought was normal that being he sat down and started to unwind. The small note of kindness had suddenly elevated his mood for the day. He sat there and though how had been through a range of emotions today that were quite stunning to him upon reflection. Before he had sipped his beer the angst he toward his work had quickly disappeared and he felt somewhat giddy. But that was also a part of Seth that he could not figure out about himself as since his break up with his ex-girl friend of seven years he noticed that his moods were sporadic and mostly based on what had happened to him last. Every day seemed like an emotional roller coaster. It was the reason he and Kendra has broken up. He could not take her magical mood swings. He had always heard that women are just like that but he could not deal with not being able to predict of even how to control her mood swings. They had given up the relationship with not much of a fight as he guessed that was the mood of the day and she wanted to also move on. He literally had not talked to her at all after their rather unceremonious break up. But now he had become her and sitting there sipping his beer he understood her a little. Sometimes mood swings are not under the control of those who have them. Sometimes they can be dictated by what’s going on around them. For Kendra it must have been him that accelerated the mood swings. It had to have been. He was in Love one day and just going through the motions on others. It moderately frustrated him that he could connect the dots sitting here in the Moon and Sixpence and he could not do it seven months ago. Why did it matter today and not seven months ago?
Hermit leaves shell
The world serves its’ own needs. Unix was tired and she for the first time in a long time the tiredness had felt good. She had spent the day exactly how she loved just putting paint to canvas and letting her self get lost in her day. Her house had grown somewhat cooler and she slipped on her tattered blue jeans. She noticed that her knickers had paint all over the fronts and sides from the various colors that she had been using. The pattern was pleasing to her eye and she decided to hang them on a hanger in her closet and she put on another old frumpy pair. She had mixed feelings as newly tie dyed pair was her favourite knickers the ones she pulled out of the wash as they were comfortable and she felt they made her look good. They made her feel pure and right with this world.
She sat on the sofa once again and pondered her situation. She concluded that she was happy to have painted today and she has another odd yearning that being just to talk to somebody. She had basically talked to herself all day long and could not remember if that was all in her head or something that she done out loud.
But where would she go tonight. She had recently lost contact with most of her friends and she had not been out for awhile so it did not come naturally for her.
So she did what she seems to always have done. She just hadn’t done it in awhile, but by pure instinct, she picked up the phone and hit speed dollar to her friend Anthony. If there was ever a person who would drop everything at the drop of a hat it was certainly was Anthony. Anthony was a happy go lucky guy who had stayed in Portland after his family had all moved to Dallas Texas, where their family mostly lived. Anthony stayed behind to continue his education at a prestigious school that had an excellent program in Hotel Management. But Anthony also worked at a local hotel chain as a jack of all trades. If Anthony could get the time off he would be a good bet to lead a good time and was the most unlikely to try to get her into the sack. That was always what had always comforted her, but lately that was not all that important to her. She wanted a simple night out and she suddenly was somewhat saddened that she really did not have a female friend that she could go out with.
She picked up her old Kelly green telephone and looked up Anthony’s phone number and hit the proper keys to dial his number.
Anthony picked up the his cell phone on the very first ring and had to talk quietly as he was checking out in the Grocery Outlet and as she listened in the background to the clerk counting out change in some cryptic way and she heard Anthony say meet you up on Freemont in 90 minutes and we will decide what to from there. Got to run, he said and she sat on the bed and thought about not having much said in the matter but she was happy to get out and just be with people tonight.
Her plans with Anthony were vague to say the least but,” so what”, she said to herself. As she was so intent on getting herself out into the world and doing something, She also remembered that she could not really make it a late night as she really had to make it into work tomorrow at 9:30 having missed all of today’s work day. She thought to herself all the time that this economy for the rich and well to do had made every body worry about their job everyday. She had done the semi homeless scene and she knew she was a few meager paychecks away from doing the homeless scene again. She didn’t relish that thought at all. Nobody that she knew now really knew about that part of her. But then again she wondered who she really knew.
She took the city bus as she always did and she briefly looked a round for the old lady who was looking for her own personal Jesus. She was surprised the cast of characters on the bus tonight were either the urban trendy types with oversized wooden glasses or professional looking people who looked liked they had mostly worked late and were happy and resigned to be on their way home. As they ascended the hill on 42nd.avenue and were ready to make the turn on to Fremont she spotted Anthony headed to the bus stop. Anthony entered the bus absently and fumbled with his bus pass and settle into the seat in front of her. She thought to herself why he can’t walk the last five blocks. No wonder he seemed to putting on weight.
She kind of pincher herself and made a mental note that she was determined to be less critical of other people.
She was somewhat annoyed but thought she would play the perky card and she tapped toed him on the shoulder and whispered. “Hey there Bus Pass Man, are you headed my way.”
Oh hey that’s funny Anthony blushed funny meeting you here I was just headed to a buddy’s house and then I was going to meet you and damn you are already here.
Hey why don’t we walk over to my buddies house and them lets grab a beer at the speak- easy down the street. Anthony kind of rambled his words and looked skyward as he just made it up on a whim. That’s kind of how Anthony rolled, living for the moment but sincere in every moment he lived.
Unix didn’t initially like the idea of heading to a strangers house, but she was still on was a bit of a high from today’s panting sessions that she simply replied, “Sure Why Not.” She and Anthony walked of the bus up near 46th and proceeded with horse play punching each other in the arm and doing fist bumps as that is what either of the knew. They enjoyed each others company but they liked the convenience of this formality as it provided distance. They strolled three blocks down 46th and Anthony veered left at a small bungalow that was surrounded by many tall pine trees. The trees dwarfed the house making it appear like a house with in a forest. It was out of place and somewhat hidden. While walking to the front door she noticed the curtains were old beach towels and she only noticed this because the lights behind then seemed so bright.
Anthony stopped suddenly and said to her “I am just going to run in quickly and say hello and take care of some quick business, Ill be right back out.”
Anthony I want to go in also and meet your friends.
He looked at her and with a bit of a what one describe as puppy dog eyes, cocked his head to the right and said, “No You Don’t’.
No new good news is bad News
Seth never noticed how the time had gotten away from him. He had sat on his own little picnic bench on the deck of the Moon and SixPence and twittered away the last few hours. He had not intended this for the night but it really suited his mood. He drank his beers rather slowly and having one free one in his belly made him think that he could have spent the night in a worse way. He had grabbed a Willamette week and just sat there and read like he enjoyed it, He took in its political articles and its un-canny take on the new owner of the local soccer team. He was happy to live in a town that embraced soccer the way it does. It was getting close to nine o’clock and he really had to walk the two blocks home and get some real things done. But as he was getting up he noticed that Emily was now waiting tables and she did not seem to notice that he was sitting there reading. Then again how should she have had, as had spent most of the night absorbed in his reading.
He looked up and course he recognized her as a waitress at the bar tonight as opposed to the girl in park last night. For the time being to him they seem liked two different people in two different worlds. She wore her customary faded blues jeans and white turtle neck that seemed to serve as the perfect top when moving from the inside bar area to out door seating space. She looked a little more tired than usual but as she walked by he looked up and said “hey there stranger.” She smiled at first and then recognized him from last night and sat down next to him with a hurried look in her eyes and face. Her job never afforded the luxury of sitting down with the patrons but Monday’s where a slow night and they probably had some business about a dog to discuss.
Hey what happened to you last night as we got separated and never found each other? As Emily spoke she looked out of the corner of her eyes seeing if any customers needed her attention but all seemed pretty quiet tonight. Seth kind of retraced her same path of vision seeing what she could possibly to seeing just to gage how much of his attention she actually was capable of but he got no real indicator.
“No sign of the beagle last night and I still have not found her, but of course I am more than curious if you had any sign of her.” As he finished his sentence he realized that she did not had not seen any sign of the dog or she would not have asked the previous question and she would have told him she had found Beetle. His heart sank for a moment and he thought to himself that himself all of a sudden as to why he was so delusional and had not taken the most obvious route that being calling all the veterinarians and rescues in the area but of course he was in the middle of a lot of self doubt. Here has talking to a woman he had admired with the crutch of a proper pint and then again last night as her voice resonated in the autumn air. But still he somehow found his true voice to speak in pretty much the same autumn air as last night only it was on the deck of a British Pun right down the street from his house.
Seth, that is your name right? She said in such bad grammar without a hint of sarcasm.
And he responded dryly and with more pomp and circumstance than the moment required as he reached out to feebly shake her hand. A handshake with out conviction but it was as good as it was going to get as he once again was in awe of her or something. “It is very nice to meet you.”
He looked at her awkwardly and then looked at himself a little more awkwardly as he realized that he had probably had a little more beer than the situation warranted especially since he had somehow skipped dinner all together.
“Sorry about my communication snafu. We just headed off in different directions and in our haste we never made a plan to get back together.”
Yeah I usually have to be in here by nine on most nights and Sunday night was not exception. Yu probably have found your dog by now and if you have not you probably have figured out that I did not see it. felt almost detached to herself when she said these words as she literally found nothing and had very little information. But as she looked at him she actually thought he would be sadder and from this scant information she nay had internally decided that he had probably found his dog.
Seth with much emotion at all replied “Nope no sign of her on this side, Did you have any sign at all of her.
“No, Not really. Are you sad? Have you started making phone calls.”
No Not Really.
Trash Cans At Risk
“What the hell is that outside going through our trash cans right now? You would have thought the city would have taken care of that.” Mujibar was slowly getting used to life in the United States. The houses were so much bigger and more available than in his native India, But he still had not got used to how life in the states was so much different. Even in this upscale somewhat quirky neighborhood in his adopted home town he did not feel at peace. Tonight was no different than most despite other than the rock hard fact that somebody or something was banging his trash can around.
When he first moved to the United States he read some articles predictably on-line about how the culture of the United States as collected whole simply loved their guns. He simply wanted to be like an American and own a gun himself. It was an absolute leap of faith for him.. Mujibar still did his due diligence and one day back in late July he decided to take the tests and he became a regular hand gun owner,
Next door David Cabot had a hard time believing the world around him. He had been semi deep into depression and some of the truths around him he interpreted as illusion. He simply did not trust himself. Today as an anchor to reality he had decided to attend a Bikram Yoga class. His back had been bugging him for awhile and usually the routine of sweating profusely cleansed him in a way that was somewhat unique. It ran counter to his logic how something so sweaty and exhausting could be so cleansing and cathartic. He was soaking wet like he had emerged from a thunderstorm, as he walked the three blocks home to his house that he shared with his wife Marta. They had lived on the Alameda ridge for the last seven years and for Marta it had become a life of relative happiness that had become a constant of missed communications that only seemed to be getting worse. It frustrated her to no living end but David always seemed to be living in his own private reality.
David even admitted this to himself. The last word he would use to describe himself would be normal, but for today he seemed somewhat on top of his game. Post yoga usually did this to him as did the evening sky. On certain days he loved looking at the evening sky. From the Alameda ridge the sunsets where usually fantastic with the City and Forest Park as a back drop. He loved seeing the stars appear one at a time on nights like this. Despite this, the constant nagging anxiety seemed to be a constant for him. In his world the symptoms were nearly impossible to pinpoint and the only way to describe them were to make up new phrased in his that he wrote down in his journal. He struggled as what he described as electrical sensations that migrated through out his body and he had a weird sense that his words were alive.
David has been in and out of counseling and each counselor eventually concluded that they could do little for David. His prognosis was not specific and at times to him he felt like he was crumbling around the seams and at other times he felt like he was in the early stages of a crazy divorce or the side effects of one. But today he did not fell all that crazy and he felt he had a firm grasp on reality. If he had to describe himself today it was perky and when these moods came along he preferred to run with them.
He ran into his wife Marta as she walked down the steps toward the kitchen. He noted to himself that she looked quite pretty today, as she was all pig tails and short sexy dress, but of course he never actually took the time to tell her that. He liked when she wore pigtails which were all the rage these days and the short dress showcased her still athletic legs. He always thought she looked good in everything and she looked especially good today.
"Hey what would you like to have for dinner as I am kind of famished?. He said to her in a playful and teasing manner.
"What are you doing out there in the garage. There is so much banging and noise and I thought you were out there working.”
"Nope I just got out here I just got back from Yoga and I still have not changed.” David chimed in almost off cue.
"What is with all the banging out here it sounds like animals in the garage?" She asked this without any inflection in her voice.
"Yeah it is probably the big bad coyote the news stations keep warning about"
“Stop with the joking, It’s not funny” Marta replied bitterly almost scared.
David with his constant struggle with his grasp on reality sometimes doubted sounds that came from other rooms. He heard the stories on the television about the coyotes and he found them somewhat amusing but now here he was hearing noises.
The sound got somewhat louder and even more consistent. He , like the sound was banging off the inside of his head. Hey had no idea if it was real. David sat quietly and listened as to not disturb what may have been making this annoying noise. He sat there in that dark garage in total silence and once again as per his norm he doubted himself when he heard noises and could not verify where they were coming from.
He sat and listened with more interest and he was surprised that he had a small amount of fear. He felt the sweat once again drip down his back one drop at a time. This was not the type of neighborhood where people actually owned a gun and he was not the type of person to go near anything that could end your life instantly. All he could really do was to sit and listen.
As he sat in the darkness as his wife walked slowly behind him and she whispered with a bit of a quiver in her voice, “Honey there is definitely something in the garage.”
He thought to himself when was the last time she called me honey like that, where she actually wanted my input. It was something he used to hate being called but for some reason today he missed it.
Waiting
Unix has had enough of waiting around for Anthony as this night was getting a lot colder than she had anticipated and Anthony was still in his friend’s house for an inordinately long time. It was downright rude, but then again she knew what she had got herself into as Anthony was flighty on his best days and down right random on his better days. This is what she liked about Anthony is that he could not be counted on. She knew that he could not be counted upon but she for some random reason, waited in the middle of the street while occasionally leaning against and older Volvo station wagon. It was just nervous energy.
She sat there and rocked back and forth and considered that she had a joint hidden in her purse. She also considered taking it out and smoking right here. She had one hidden here for occasions such as this where she did not exactly know what to do with herself and she needed to jump start the evening.
Here she stood in what was considered by most an upscale neighborhood in north Portland and her night was going nowhere fast and she sat and considered smoking the joint that was hidden for such occasions She heard distant activity from two blocks and it sounded somewhat like the sounds of trash cans banging together at what she presumed to be people setting out their trash for curbside recycling. It was either that or the wind or some creature was going through the trash. It was a sound that was close but not easily recognized and this may have been from her altered state. As she stood there, she thought to herself that she could actually stand right there in the middle of the street and smoke her little illegal cigarette and that nobody would actually question her or even care all that much.
So that she did, as she waited for a scooter to pass by she grabbed the cigarette from the bottom of her purse and in one swift motion she brought it to her mouth along with the lighter from her pants pocket and she stood in the middle of the street and took in a long deep breath that made her feel really relaxed when in reality it probably should not have. She was breaking the law even though it was rarely enforced in Portland. She waited for the smoke to dissipate into and not into the cool moist air where it might attract attention. She held her breath for a good long time until she could smell the smoke from a nearby fireplace. She was safe to breathe out and take one more quick hit and soon enough she stuffed it back into her purse just in time as a almost silent car drove down the street with its lights off. She was surprised by the car as it must have been a Prius or some other Green car that was so popular in Portland. It drove by very slowly and it freaked her out a bit. It drove right past her and came to complete halt just one block away. She then glanced to her left and she imagined she a dog similar to one she had seen a few days past just 10 blocks away. It certainly looked and moved like a Beagle, but she could not be certain as she suddenly realized that she was buzzing.
Craigs List
Seth arrived home a little later than he wanted to and he had the sinking feeling that he should have made some more phone calls to find his dog. But given the information that he had he did not feel the usual routes would turn up anything. Beetle had the usual chip that the Vet had implanted a few years back and as usual he knew that she had not gone too far. The biggest problem was that her tags had fallen off and he just assumed that somebody would have found her and called the local Vet and they would contact him by the information at the Vets office.
But as he rolled this information around he realized that he had changed his cell phone number at least twice since the chip had been injected. And to the best of his knowledge they probably had his land line on record and he had stopped using that at least a year ago.
Despite the evidence that was piling up against him he was not all that much worried. It had been 24 hours since he had last seen her and he was getting tired at this semi late hour. He was thankful that he was still living off the stolen hours from turning the clocks back. He fired up his laptop computer hoping to get a lead from Craig’s list or possibly from information from the Web Site of the Animal rescue League.
Seth really did not want to have another beer but he found a large bottle of German beer hidden in the back of his messy refrigerator. Seth was not exactly a detail person and for all he knew the beer could have been in there for weeks. He didn’t necessarily like German beers as they were usually way too sweet but for some reason this one hit the spot and energized him as his computer roared to life.
Seth first brought up the listings on Craig’s List and he quickly found a listing for a lost Beagle. It had been found early that morning. This raised his spirits and he quickly jotted the number down and he quickly went to grab his cell phone from his computer bag that he usually put it in. He checked the bag quickly and at first inspection the phone was not where he usually put it.
Sometimes he doubted why he actually had a cell phone as he spent more time looking for it than he did talking on it. Texting was also lost upon him. He emptied his bag completely his charger and two old issues of National Geographic. At this point he realized that he had walked home previous to going to the bar and he had not taken the bag with him. It had been here all along.
This is one aspect of his personality that frustrated him and that was his ability to stay organized with all the little things in life. He could handle the big things but he always seemed to be looking for his keys, wallet, cell phone or eyeglasses. He frantically rushed around the downstairs of the house looking in what were considered to another likely place to put the phone. He looked above the fireplace and it was not there. This ritual made him a bit more frenzied and his heart raced a little faster as he got more and more frustrated with himself. He looked on the window sill by the piano and again it was not there. He then though to himself that he regretted having to make another trip back to the bar as it would make him appear desperate or at least highly unorganized at the very least.
At the low point of his self doubt for today, there sat the telephone on the armrest of his favourite reading chair. A moment of undeserved victory in an other lack luster day boistered his spirits in the short term as he he slowly unfolded the piece of paper he had written the phone number on.
Despite the hour he dialed the number that he had written down, well he actually partially dialed the numbers as to after the first two digits he realized the number was in the Bay area. Curious about the probability od somebody in the Bay area finding his dog was small and then it downed on that he had been reading the Craig’s list listing from San Fransisco. It was his usual mistake to do on Craig’s list and that was failing switching the search to Portland. Despite the frantic nature of his search and somewhat dour mood he could only laugh and think to himself that there was probably a Beagle lost like this everywhere. It was the nature of the beast. A beagle can escape from anywhere.
Something is Ajar
David Cabot reluctantly crept into the garage where he noticed it was cooler than usual but he quickly found the source of the cool air as the side door was ajar. He must have left it open on his way home from class. The thought crossed his mind was they imagined himself losing his senses faster than normal and then he did a quick search of his mind and he was pretty darn sure that he had closed the door. The wind could have blown it open if the door was shut but locked.
“Honey what is with the racket in the garage, Have you figured out what is going on?” Marta kindly whispered into his ear.
“Come look here.” David said as he walked across the cold garage floor.
David and Marta stood and looked at two trash cans sitting on their sides. They were pretty sure what ever had caused this mess had exited out the side door. Neither seemed overly afraid and what little fear they had was lessened by seeing their cat walk across the garage floor. This for now pretty much pretty much eliminated that this mess could have been made by a coyote. Recent reports on the news had said the coyotes were getting bolder with people as some people are suspected of feeding them. Sometimes it is a cat.
Marta went back inside and returned to her crossword puzzle David like his time alone in the garage. David was at his happiest then because this left little room for self doubt and what self doubt remained was easy to keep to himself, but when the visions of self doubt did surface when he was they were loud in his head.
David walked out through the side door following the path that he assumed the intruder had taken. Af first he had assumed it was an animal but doubt entered his mind. He actually did think it could be a prowler or more likely the homeless person looking for the five cent deposit on the cans and bottles that had accumulated in the garage. He did also remember there was a coyote sighting late last night according to the local news.
The air was heavy with a damp mustiness with a tangy aroma of smoke from a nearby chimney. David loved that smell and it made him feel at home reminding him of his boyhood home. He had always loved that smell on a cool evening. His senses were in a highlighted state of arousal and noticed the slight smell of marijuana in the air.
He is not the type of person to use that type of substance but he recognized it from his days at college and it was sometimes present that he and Marta attended. That is so very Portland.
He remembered a few weeks back he had been offered a little bit by a neighbor down the street as they sat on his balcony listening to classic rock. Yes the stuff he usually loved like Boston and Styx. He found that music down right corny but he liked it. But still it was good time for him as never could find the time to hang out with male friends. It surprised him how relaxed he was and he remember liking when they later played some John Coltrane. He usually hated jazz but on this day the music hit him in the perfect place in his ear.
He felt almost giddy as he walked out into the night air. He could see his breath and the air hung in circles and as he looked into the combination of breath clouds and circles and the backlight of the porches across the street he spotted the silhouette of another human being walking down the street .
The two of them, Unix and David nearly walked into each other but they both recognized the others presence enough to avoid an overt collision. David confirmed his intuition somewhat as he noticed it was a young woman walking down the middle of the street who had her own little smoky aroma. It wasn’t an unpleasant smell and he found it somewhat alluring and what did he really care and who was he to judge. He was simply happy to be out of the house.
Unix was startled to say the least as she had entered her own little world in search of the noises in the night and she had become somewhat obsessed with finding the source of the noises. With the effects from the magic in her purse she was glad to have the company of a complete stranger as on her own she would have followed her ears and her senses and probably would have ended up lost.
This neighborhood did not scare her in the least, but once she got off the beaten path she had a difficult time finding her way back and she was now vaguely aware that her original intention for tonight was a simple night out and here she was on this unplanned detour. But this was true to her personality when she was truly herself. Unix liked to go with the flow and what ever comes up just go with the flow.
This is what she loved about life taking the path least taken and for tonight it had her standing in the middle of 46th street face to face with a stranger.
Speak Easy
It is a pretty well know fact that Portland Oregon is known for its wide array of microbreweries. The beers range from one of the finest IPA’s ( Bridgeport) to some quirkier beers such as Chipotle and and Hair of the Dog. If someone is not selling it commercially then somebody is making in their basement or garage. It is a thriving industry with many shoppes for the home brewer. What is a lesser know fact is that there is an underground market of sorts that most would refer to as a speakeasy.
The speak easy Such came into prominence in the United States during the period known as Prohibition (1920–1933, longer in some states) and usually is viewed as a smoky place with men in floppy with a woman in each arm. It was established to skirt the laws of prohibition. The speakeasy in Portland is not exactly like that. They are usually located on somebody’s garage orb basement where home brewed beer is paid for on the honor system. It is an unwritten rule that the patrons taste all the beers available and drunkenness is usually the exception instead of the norm. Usually one can see the beer being made and there is usually is a yeasty malty aroma associated with these establishments. Anybody walking down the street would not even know that they exist but they do and they serve as meeting place in many some Portland neighborhoods,
Anthony had finished his unknown business with his friends just down the street and walked out into the night air a little disoriented and a bit frustrated that Unix had not waited for him. He glanced down at his watch and he was a little bit mad at himself that he had stayed at his friend’s house for so long. Who could blame her, he thought to himself as he walked toward Fredo’s . He like Fredo’s as he could drink a few beers for the lowly six bucks that he had in his pocket excluding the bus money he had set aside. He has lost his bus pass once again and if he got really thirsty he could walk the mile back to his apartment.
He slowly walked the six blocks up to Fredo’s And he found the red porch light in the back to be which indicated that it was open for business on this night. One would simply have to know where it was. It being open made him happy for a minute as he looked forward to having a few beers and calling it an evening. He had to be at school early the next morning. Anthony’s definition of early was different than most people’s definition as his first class was at 11;00 and this meant that he had to be on the road by 10:20 as he usually took his bike or if the weather was bad the bus.
Fredo’s was almost completely empty as the owner/brewer John was the only person present. John always had a loud ritual like greeting when a customer came in but for tonight he was quiet. John was just cleaning the floors and working on a clogged drain in the basin in the back of the bar. John looked up briefly from what he was doing and looked at Anthony with what would be described as a surprised look.
“Hey Anthony I did not realize I had the welcome light on tonight” John deadpanned as he barely looked up from the work that had his full attention.
“Yeah the red light in the back was on and the back door was open so I assumed you were open for business” Anthony added sheepishly.
“No not tonight Anthony, It seems like somebody let the police in on our own little secret. It got a little loud last Friday night and one of the neighbors may have complained or maybe it was one of our regulars. For some reason not everybody who walks in here is a friend.” I don’t like the fact that I got a great batch of a Hoppy Seasonal and I was looking forward to sharing that with everybody.
Anthony in his usual under stated babble replied with less than a ton of zeal , “Bummer.”
“That it is” John replied “But you know Portland and the Policemen were very cool about it. Officers Buckley and Freestone from the department are regulars and they did not seem to have a problem with it. But I believe neighbors do have a problem with us, last Friday was a weird day, but we will bounce back from this.”
I certainly hope so, how about a beer for the road as I will be taking the bus tonight.
I cannot do that quite just yet my friend. Have a great evening and I’ll see you around in a few weeks or so. Anthony ever so slowly walked out into the night air and could not get his arms around how the little thing in his life were crumbling.
Honing in on the Wonderer
Seth decided late that night that he was not going to work the following day. The decision was hastened by the fact that he had found another Beagle in the Lost and Found ads, only this time it was in the Portland section of Craig’s list. It simply read.
FOUND –TRI COLORED BEAGLE, WILSHIRE PARK
NEIGHBORHOOD, NO TAGS FRIENDLY AND
LOVES TO DIG. PLEASE CALL
503-555-3895 BOB LUCY
He quickly sent a text to his boss saying he would not be in tomorrow, and he now felt self confident that this ad was a solid lead in his futile search for his dog. On this night, he was actually missing Beetle as this was usually time of night she wanted to walk, be let out into the yard. He never really was a dog person, but had quasi adopted the dog from his ex girl friend. It was either to adopt the dog or deliver it to the pound as she had decided post breakup to travel the world to be as far away as possible. He hated to admit it but Beetle was the only link he had back to her. Obedience school even listed them as Mom and Dad on the completion certificate.
As he sat and thought to himself, that he missed her a little tonight but for other reasons he missed his dog that much more. In reality he felt quite happy being single right now. He did not miss the grammar police as she seemed to correct every single mistake he made when speaking. He thought to himself “I should have had went back to the Moon and Sixpence” but he soon correct himself by saying “He should have gone.” And come to think opf it that choice would have been made for him as could not have went or gone whatever was correct because SHE PROBABLY WOULD NOT HAVE LET HIM.
He woke up bright and early the next morning after a somewhat fitful night of sleep, but a lot longer than he had planned on sleeping. He sauntered down to the kitchen, half rubbing his eyes and he glanced at his cell phone and showed that his work had tried to contact him. As he was fixing the morning pot of coffee, he picked up the ad he had taped into his day timer late last night. He still preferred old fashioned notes to keep himself organized. He sat at his kitchen table and slowly dialed the number.
The party on the other end of the line did not answer and he had to leave a message. From what he could make out it was a local phone number and from the recording on the phone did seem to say his name was Bob Lucy. He left a message leaving his first and last name, along with his address and of course his work and cell number. He spoke the information slowly and surely so he could be clearly heard. He was a work in progress and he was constantly working on his communication skills and he felt like he covered all the bases.
It was still very early to do much of anything and he quickly contemplated in calling his work, nut in his mind he had called in sick so he felt they owed him his privacy. So he sat back and enjoyed his early morning coffee. He drank his coffee real slow and put on some classical music and he sat back and listened mostly to the absolute quiet that his house had become. He enjoyed this. In the background was Vivaldi’s four seasons that was playing as it most certainly felt like Fall, as did the air outside.
Soon after he had fallen deeply asleep in his favorite chair and slept deeply and quietly for the next two hours and he awoke on his own. He did not fight waking up and he had a certain calm as the morning news was playing on the local public radio station. To the best of his knowledge it had to be 11:00.
As he slowly came to life he glanced own at his cell phone and he realized that he had received two more calls on his cell and a text from his colleague Kevin. The text message told him touch base with his place of employment.
He called in Kevin picked up the phone on the second ring.
“Hey Kevin I did not really feel like talking to the boss. So tell me whats going on and what is so important “
“Oh nothing all that big that cant be solved tomorrow, but you seem to have a few calls from a gentleman named Bob Rucy” purposely pronouncing the “R.” “ He seemed urgent and asked you to call back as soon as possible. I didn’t want to just give out your number. You aren’t in trouble are you?
“Í don’t think so Kevin, I will call him immediately “, Seth responded in a voice that was no longer suddenly sure and was quite hoarse.
He thought to himself that it never had occurred to him, that this sore throat was real thing as the entire morning he had hardly used his voice at all.
“OK Kevin I will talk to you tomorrow. Thanks for the info”
“Yeah see you tomorrow” Kevin quickly replied back.
Kevin picked up the phone immediately and redialed Bob’s phone number and once again got the some recorded message and it mid message that realized he had not taken down the correct number to contact Bob because more than likely he was at work. But before he could call Kevin back to get the number his cell phone rang suddenly.
He hated that ruing tone and in general he hated cell phones as it was his constant connection to the world he did not want to be connected to. As he was picking up his cell phone he glanced out the window and he realized it had just begun to snow. The snow came down slowly and it hung in the air and for a real long time and this made him feel happy. He loved the deafening quiet of a snowfall. It was one of his favourite sounds in the world.
He picked up on his cell phone and put the receiver to his ear and he heard nothing on the other end of the line. He repeated saying HELLO, not once but four separate times until he realized he hung up the phone by accident. The notions of a cell phone were not something that came naturally for him
“Damn I hate these things sometimes. You would think it was easy thing just to anser a cell phone.” He picked up his phone again and retried the number that he had just hung up on and there was an answer on the very first ring.
“Lucy Speaking How May I help You?”
“Hi Seth Edwards here, I was just returning your call”
“Hi Seth how may I help, I got your name and number from the phone. Are you calling about our exciting product line? It is a really good product and I in my heart believe that you going to really like it. You will really like it this time of year. Can I take some basic information?”
“Bob, Bob ,Ba ,Bob I am not calling to buy any product that you are selling, What exactly is it that you sell.
Bob replied in a voice that was vintage southern salesman, “I sell insulation and it is the best insulation west of the Mississippi. It comes with a five year warranty and it pays for itself in just under 18 months.
Seth interrupted with a certain sense of urgency, “Bob I am calling about the Lost and Found you placed in the papers.”
Bob rocketed an answer right back “Oh the Beagle that wandered into my back yard through a hole in my fence. That was two night ago I think Great dog shes real friendly I made a nice warm bed for her right by the fireplace..”
Where did you finder her? Bob asked right back.
What was your name again? Bob asked again somehow just plain forgetting his name after he had used it repeatedly in their previous conversation.
“Seth, Seth Edwards” emphasizing each word slowly and louder in progression so that Bob noticed a certain irritation in his voice, He was out of his element now that he was not in the selling mode.
“Seth I found her crossing Alameda right where Wisteria comes up the hill. I have no idea how she avoids the cars. She was a very nice dog when I picked her up. She wasn’t skittish at all. She has this unusual white mark on the back of her body that looks like a classical composer of sorts.”
“Oh my Bob that sounds like my dog, with a spot like that on her back and the area that you found her certainly does match. She has been found there before but she has never been away for this long. When can I come and pick her up”
“Oh Seth you Can’t”
“I know I can wait until you come home from work”
“She ran away last night. She dug right under the fence”
Out in the Streets
Unix was once again face to face with a stranger as she was headed away from the Main Street in the Beaumont district. She was still somewhat altered as she almost slammed into the stranger’s shoulder but she suddenly stopped as expecting a collision and said. “Hello there I am so sorry to have almost run into you. I must not have been paying attention.” I feel a bit out of sorts as I am walking right down the middle of the street and so are you.”
She thought to herself, “Unix slow the F*ck down you do not have to fill every empty space with words and rambling. “Just slow down!.”
David Cabot did the complete opposite. He was minding his own business and he did not expect to run into anybody in the middle of the street right in front of his house. He found himself dumb founded. He could not utter a word. His voice had completely left him or he did not trust in it any more. He did not trust it say the right or speak the right things. Somehow, he just uttered random words “Trash Can-Get Some-Air-Coyote.” David then did another illogical thing when he ran into her, he just stood there and looked straight up into the sky. He stood in the middle of the Intersection of 46th Street and Klickitat (yes that famous Street from the Beverly Cleary Series) and stared straight into the sky looking at it like a beautiful falling star had fallen for him.
After what seemed like an eternity, he looked the stranger in her blood shot eyes through the smoke coming from their hurried breaths and asked her. “What were you doing in my Garage?”
This question clearly confused and disoriented Unix as she had no idea what this stranger was talking about and why he was asking her such strange questions.
“Sir I have no idea what you are talking about. I do not know where you live and even if I did I know I have not been anybodies garage tonight.” Her voice almost sounded mechanical and contrived in the cold night air and when she heard her voice and tone, she felt like she was addressing somebody in a military interrogation. It was like they were marching the streets looking for unwanted activity. All she wanted to do tonight was to go out and have a beer and here she was in the middle of the street talking to somebody in the military for seemingly breaking curfew.
Then she remembered she had smoked a mere 15 minutes ago. She felt embarrassed and disheveled. And for some unknown reason she kind of panicked and she flashed a quirky, flirty smile and raised her eyebrows twice and said “Do you come here often?”
Smooth awkward move that was there. Where had her social skills gone? I guess they are like the muscles in her arms you have to use them to make them strand. Apparently, she had not been using her social muscles either. “Do you come here often?” She repeated.
“As a matter of fact I do not, I am just looking for some clarity here.” Something or somebody was in my garage and I believe it may have been you.
“Well sorry about that Mister Self Righteous paranoid man but I happen to be in this part of town merely by chance as I was supposed to have a beer with my friend and then the plans went haywire”, She paused for a second and sat down on the curb. “I know this part of town has been in the news lately with all the Coyote sightings.”
“Yes, as a matter of fact it has. I heard the other day that some people may be setting food out to attract then.” David added as felt some of the tension running out of his body.
“I thought I saw or heard something going through the trash cans about six houses down” Unix added smartly.
“It sounds like there is something to what you are saying. I heard some strange noises in my garage also” David chimed in.
“Why Don’t we walk down the street together and check it out.”
David and Unix walked slowly down the dark street. It was a night now that had grown very cold and there was apparent electricity in the air that portended snow. They approached a group of trash cans that were sitting on the curb for the next morning’s recycling run and much to their collective surprise there stood a coyote with eyes on fire. Eyes on fire, were the only thing that made the surprised pip because David saw an animal that was scared. I men really scared, but the beast was not afraid of humans at all considering people in the neighborhoods, It sat there looking back at them and retreated down the block once again. Vanishing into the night,
“Yeah I guess that solves our little mystery”, Unix said without emotion. She sat and pondered the moment and shot directly from her rebellious hip. Hey I went out to grab a beer tonight, Would you mind having that beer with me.
“Why the fuck not”, David yelled back David’s response was like s preacher’s voice He looked to the sky as he said it.
“Yeah why the Fuck not” he repeated again
Because. I really should not. I have a life to get back to. I am going to call this sighting into the news. They eat this stuff up and to tell you the truth this community wants to know about the coyotes, Do you mind giving me your name and phone number in case the anybody wants to follow up with this.
Yeah I have no problem with that.
She for some reason had a pen in her small purse she has worn out for the meeting. She wrote her information on the back of a coaster that was in her purse. She wondered for a second how it ever ended up their. She handed him the coaster with these words.
Unix
Unixforthewin.com
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KENDRA
Kendra had enough of airplanes. She had sat in the middle back seat on her return flight from Frankfurt. She got out of the airplane briefly on her stop over in Chicago but for the most part she sat in that same seat for the last 12 hours. She was sore and tired and ,for now ,she was anxious to get home. She enjoyed her last 4 months overseas. She enjoyed almost every single moment of it when she was not alone. She had spent many a say playing soccer but the nights that were not kind to her. She spent most evenings completely alone or at a post-soccer game party where she really did not know anybody. Well she knew nobody particularly well. She had saved a lot of money in the previous year, and she kind of admitted she had taken the trip to get away from Seth as the breakup was hard on her. She was not used to living life alone and she did not relish the fact of running into Seth at random. Portland is a small town like that. As the plane was landing, they hit a rather large pocket of turbulence that made her suddenly frightened. She was not frightened the plane would crash, what frightened her was what ran through her mind. If I were to die right here and right now, who would know and who would really care. Her isolation overseas had cemented that. She rarely wrote to anybody and she had her cell phone dis-connected up until late last week. She looked out the window, she could see the lights from Portland, and she thought to herself that from here Portland looked like a rather large city. It was larger than most she had flown over tonight.
Kendra took a shuttle service from the airport as there was actually no one in her life right now to pick her up. The driver asked where she would like to go and her immediate response was Rocky Butte. As the driver took the road up to Rocky Butte, she sat in the back seat and thought to herself exactly “What am I going here back in Portland and now that I am back home what am I going to do with part of my life. Her breakup with Seth was ugly as can be and far as she knew she was done with it and had no emotional lobotomy scars of notice. But she was still nervous of the thought of entering her own home alone and feeling the weight of its emptiness on her shoulders. The dreaded alone time she so constantly craved when she with Set at times. Life is cruel that way as she is now dreading what she looked forward to the most and that un-settled her like the wind that blew up side of Rocky Butte that night. The wind had picked up such intensity that the streetlights shimmered below her as she looked down on the City Of roses. She loved this view looking at the distant shimmering lights of the downtown area and she love looking north as the airplanes from the airport actually flew below her. It was a weird perspective for anybody, looking down on a flying airplane while standing on the ground. It was also a different perspective for her sitting at a cross roads in her life that could take her anywhere. The wind made her feel strong, almost story book like. Her hair was blowing in the wind making her feel strong but as she glanced down on the downtown light’s they were no longer shimmering in the wind. The lights now were a mere hint of light against a muddle gray backdrop as disappeared slowly from sight. She once again felt the reality of the jet lag from her flight and the coldness settling in upon her.
She had a sudden urge to head back to the car as the wind had suddenly died down somewhat and the world from atop Rocky Butte was suddenly an eerie quiet. It was the first time she had experienced complete quiet since she had exited the air plane and once she heard it the sound was deafening and then the most wonderful sound you will never hear, unless you stop to take notice, enveloped Kendra. That is the sound of snow gently falling on the overhead cedars. The streetlights were suddenly full of speckled light against the night. The quiet was scary. The quiet was breathtaking.
“Hey sorry to keep you waiting but it easy money for you to sit in the car and listen to sports radio.” Kendra voiced almost breathlessly as she unbuttoned the first button on her jacket.
“Yes sir it certainly is, but we should be heading to where ever you are going. I was actually doing my job of sorts sitting here listening to the radio reports about the weather. So your money is not wasted by me sitting in the car..”
“Hey I understand this is your last shift of the night and I kind of forgot that It actually snowed in Snowed in Portland. We are 1000 feet up now, I know its not much but here in Portland that’s the difference between rain and snow on many days.” Kendra mumbled from under her sweatshirt, which she had raised over her head. “Sorry I need to change into something dry right now. Please let’s just drive me home right now and don’t concentrate on the fact that there is a girl in a bra in the back of your van.”
“It is no problem sir.”
“Why do you call me sir? I am not a sir and you can clearly see I am not a sir.” Kendra wanted to feel the cold night air once again so rolled down the window almost like a drunk person in a cab needing air. Alternatively, maybe that is what people did when they were in this situation. They felt the night air. Tonight the air was moist, wet, and cold and the cold wet flakes hit her rudely on her face. It pummeled her into submission as she fell soundly asleep for what felt like hours
She had no recollection of the ride home at all as the next thing Kendra remembered was a gentle tug on her shoulder and another gentle tug and she remembers more urgent poundings on her shoulders and finally on the firmness on her stomach. This awakened her suddenly with a start. She had pre paid the fare before her trip with a generous tip included. She looked out the, which was now open, and she saw that the snow had not let up. She had expected it turn into rain when they got down off Rocky Butte.” She was thankful for the safe ride home but she was a little annoyed that he touched he touched her on the stomach.
She felt vulnerable. She felt alone again as she walked into her cold house. It would take a while to warm up to her. She walked down in the basement and she was surprised when every light went on as anticipated and reset the switch on the furnace and the furnace roared to life after a few fitful seconds and she slowly felt the warmth creep back into the house. She walked back up stairs and sat on the sofa of her favorite chair and she let out a large breath of relief that was a long time coming. She decided she was going to call her Dad and be in contact now that she was home. She dreaded this conversation because she did not do a great job of staying in touch but, as a first call, it was probably her safest. Just like the furnace, she powered on her cell phone and she was once again surprised that it was in working order and she was surprised that she had a two messages and she decided to listen to them.
The first message was from her Doctor telling her of an appointment on Friday of this week that she already knew about. The second message was a little less clear. It was a message from the Fremont Veterinary clinic up on Freemont stating that somebody had found her dog. It was apparent that she was not the owner of the dog and she would call them back in the morning.
The snow had started in earnest by this time and it was apparent she was not going anywhere anytime soon. She had travelled halfway across the world to be be stuck in her home and she kind of relished that Idea.
A Boy
Unix woke up in a fit of panic and swore at her alarm clock that it could not be so late so early. She really had to be on the 730 bus to get to her job at the Plumbing Store. She woke up in a glum mood remembering last nights ill-fated attempt to get out in public. She looked outside and and she was surprised that it had really snowed hard last night and it was still snowing. Portland is a town that when it does snow the town does not do well. But she also remembered that when it snows like this for some reason the traffic at the plumbing store is insane, She really needed the money and she needed to fulfill her work shifts. She figured they would be a man or two short because of the weather and hopefully she could pick up some overtime. Since she was going to be across town she better make the most of it. She certainly was not in love with her job but she certainly needed the money and the distraction.
The bus arrived only about five minutes behind schedule. You could hear the bus coming as they had chains that made the buses arrival almost a ceremony. She settled into a window seat and just stared out the window as the bus headed down Caesar Chavez Boulevard toward the Hollywood transit center. She was already cold and wished she had made a hot cup of tea for the long slow ride to work . She sat there shivering and when she got cold she had to fight off nodding off to sleep. She glanced across the half empty bus and there sitting in the seat one back and across from her was the lady she had met previously just a few days back. She searched her memory and kind of remembered the lady was looking for a modern day Jesus as well as a bottle of wine. She was happy she did not recognize here and she sat and studied her as she was looking through her possessions spread out on the seat next to her.
It was bitterly cold and she only had on a hooded sweatshirt that would get damp and cold on a day such as this, On the bench beside her was a standard Bible, 3 power bars, a pair of gardening gloves, a headset and an IPod as well as a notebook that was stuffed with papers. The notebook was open and she was scribbling notes at a furious pace despite the purple color in her hands. It almost broke her heart sitting there and watching to lady painfully scribble note down in her wet notebook. It broke her heart because she was moved that life appeared to be a struggle for the lady and there she sat on the bus painstakingly writing notes in her little notebook. She could not make out the words but the writing was in old fashioned cursive and every line of the current page was filled. As the bus went through the circle at Glison she sat right across from the her and just sat and watched.
The old lady sensed somebody was watching her and looked up at Unix who quickly diverted her attention out the window but it had been obvious that she was watching her. The old lady looked up once again and all Unix could do was return the smile.
“Hey I recognize you are the woman from the bus the other day. I seem to riding the bus all the time so I guess it was inevitable that I would run into you again., I guess I am assuming you also ride the bus.” .
“Yeah I recognize you also how can I forget a face like yours you are so beautiful” Unix laughed almost nervously.
“Ha Ha yeah I am as beautiful as last nights sunset” the old lady said with a cough.
“See there I told you so” and Unix smiled ear to ear in a smile that radiated with warmth.
“There was no sunset last night honey, that’s what I am saying” the old lady said in voice that could be barely be heard. Still the statement pierced the space between them and she slightly felt on edge but still hurdled forward in the conversation.
“So what brings you this neck of the woods. The last time I saw you were over by my house.” Unix chimed in quickly.
“Oh you are getting all personal on me asking me those Personal questions. He I barely know you and you think” , the old lady seemed to stare off into the distance thinking about something distant. She paused for another few seconds lost in thought and suddenly snapped back to reality. “There is no harm in telling you. I liked you a few minutes after meeting you. I am over here on this side of town as many of the neighborhoods here have their recycling days. It is easy money for me. I just walk down the street with my shopping cart. Then I take the cans and bottles to the Mini Mart. They pay me cash. Some days they don’t. Some days they make me buy something. Today I think I will buy a big box of wine. I hate taking that thing across town but it is what it is.” She smiled with just the curl of her lip and continued. “I actually live over on this side of town. You see that high rise over there; I call that high-rise home for now. Some home it is as that place is full of crazy people. Every single one of them is crazy. Why does the city have me living with them?
“I can’t do much at all about who you live with, but aren’t you concerned about moving that shopping cart in this weather? There is a lot of snow out there and a shopping cart isn’t going to move all that much.”
“Yeah that’s my life for now. I just came across town to get home and as I see it all I need to get today is about 100 cans. That’s my goal for today. That will keep me with some wine. Anything else is gravy. Hey by the way what are you doing on this side of town? The old lady had her hands open as she said this. She projected a body language that said tell me more.
“Oh I am a banker on this side of town. I know I do not look like it but today is my day off and I am just going in to make sure everything is going okay with this bad weather” Unix seemed to shoot this answer directly from her hip and she actually thought to herself why she had to fabricate a lie to a homeless person. Then she thought about her pre-conceived notions and meekly remembered and realized this woman was not homeless. She had an actual home to go to.
“Bankers don’t take the bus” the old lady replied smartly.
She hesitated for a, second and looked the woman in the woman in the eyes, and sat there silently for almost half a minute... “The bus stops here and I need to get off the bus. Hey, if you need me I will be in the Plumbing store at the corner of Sandy and 40th. “Maybe I can buy you a cup of coffee sometime soon.”
“That would be nice. You take of yourself. The weather is does not seem to be getting any better.”
Unix hopped off the bus and the snow was deep enough that it covered the top of boots. She never was ready for this weather but she certainly likes it. The cold air felt great. She enjoyed the five-block walk to her work as the car traffic was sparse and the snow had slowed down some what so that it made for post card like scene. As she passed the Hollywood theatre she had noticed that they had opened their doors for any people who were with out shelter during the cold weather. Despite the bad weather, she was fifteen minutes for her early shift. She walked into the store using her key to get through the back door and she was greeted by her manager Terry and her co-worker Tommy Cougarfood. She loved working with Tommy as he liked to smile and laugh and he always had a great story to tell. On top of that he was the one person on the araff who knew Less About the merchandise they carried than she did.
Unix without asking grabbed a shovel and some salt from the stock room and they went out on the store front and tried to clear away the snow that had been piling up. The other thing that seemed to piling up where the customers waiting to get first crack at the portable heaters and snow scrapers they were lucky to carry. One of the customers huddle out side of the store asked her to open the store early as she continued with her mindless sweeping of the sidewalk. She didn’t really care when they opened the store as she was happy putting in her hours as that equated to a paycheck. But her mind wandered back to the old lady on the bus and she just thought about her for awhile. She had no reason why she thought about her but she suddenly pictured herself being that age. And that thought scared her for a moment. And then again it made her happy as she kind of loved the idea of living in her own little world on her own terms at that advanced age, It meant that she had survived and endured on her own terms and not the terms the world had given her. That included the career track of going to college and entering the profit mill. She hated that model. She wanted to live the life that had given her on her own terms.
And right now that meant working at the Plumbing store until she figured out what “her own terms” had actually meant.
“Unix stop holding that broom like it was your date last night” came a usual cat-call emerging from the door of the store. She recognized a voice quickly. Gregor usually opened the door as he was the day shift manager and he was a pragmatic pain in the ass. He always arrived a minute before they opened the store and for all she could gather that was the pinnacle of his work That pinnacle being opening the front door. All she ever saw him do was harass her at work. Gregor was twenty years older than her but he still had the hormones to ask her out on many occasions. When she said no the harassment only got louder and more pronounced. She hated working with him and she hated herself because she had to work with him and today she was in no mood for the harassment.
“Gregor F*ck off, Get off you high horse” she said to Gregor right to his face but well below the level where the customers on the street could hear. “its going to be a busy day so knock off your act, I just want to get through this day.”
Gregor’s bravado had been broken.
“It looks like we have a few customers, and from what I hear this storm is going to get worse. Weather forecast calls for freezing rain tonight and it looks like another storm after that.” Gregor said back to her almost sounding like a local newscaster. To Unix it came across as a feeble attempt at brushing away his amateur behavior. He deflected this brief interaction with an attack of sorts.
“It seems like you are over your illness from yesterday. This place was crazy all day long with out you Nice time to call in sick”
“Excuse me for taking a sick day. These things happen and by the way are part of our employment agreement.” Unix said with as much emotion she could wring out of a sentence,
“I hope you are better and ready for today. I assume you spent the day on your back.”
Unix responded with the loudest silence she could muster and looked him squarely in the eye and said.
“No I spent the day without you on my back:”
Ice
The mood in the Moon and Sixpence was louder than normal today as it seemed like many people wanted a warm respite from the storm. Getting around the Hollywood district was getting harder as the day wore on. The snow had stopped for now. This weather pattern creates a lot of trouble in Portland. It’s a rare alignment of systems When a cold front in Idaho backs down the Columbia Gorge and turns what usually is rain into a mess. Emily was called into work the day shift as she lived close and she could make the commute on foot. Her bosses knew this and it bothered her at times. But for today, the clientele was happy to be warm and they seemed to be tipping well. The snow had stopped, but that was the good news. The snow had turned to freezing rain. The once fluffy white snow now had a a crust of crunchy coat of ice on top of it. The shoveled areas were now a sheet of ice.
Seth had slept hard and long last night and he did not even notice the weather from last night as his phone was ringing on the bedside table. Who could this be at this early hour. It was too early for work issues and to ne honest he wasn’t exactly getting many phone calls lately. He looked at the number and did recognize it immediately and he considered not answering it all. He reluctantly picked up the phone and put it up to his ear silently.
“Hello” Seth Grumbled.
“Hey Seth, I didn’t think I would be talking to you but I have a message on my phone that you may need to know or you may have taken care of already.”
“Who is this I am talking to?” Seth grumbled once again.
“Oh how soon we forget. This is only the girl you lived with for so long”
“I thought you were oversea playing soccer” Seth again added with little inflection.
“Yeah I just got back last night and I assume it’s a recent message. That dog of yours was always a piece of work. Remember when we put the chip in her we put my phone number in as a contact. From what I remember you didn’t even have a cell phone at the time. Well it does not matter. The Vet up the street called and said somebody had called in about having her. I am taking it she ran away again It certainly sounds like Beetle. You know the number to call?”
“Wow yeah I sure do.” Thanks for that” Seth tone of voice picked up considerably. “Hey it is nice to hear your voice. I promise I forgot that chip was in your name. How does it feel to back home?”
“I am okay I could do without this crazy weather” was her reply.
This reply surprised him as he walked over to the window and pulled the curtains back a little and he noticed icy spears coming from the gutters. It was an eerie feeling as all this had happened without much notice from him. He now wondered what time it was and a quick glance at his watch revealed that is was still early. The drive into work was going to be a crapshoot and decided that he had earned a sick day. He had things to do and he needed to do and he needed a day to do them. Then he remembered that he had taken a sick day only yesterday so this type of logic made little sense. Either did this conversation that he was having. Neither did this weather and it certainly did not help that his Dog was missing. The one thing that was constant in his life was missing.
The first thing he had to tackle was that his old girlfriend was back in town. This had come out of nowhere. He had no time to prepare and here she was on the other end of the line. Then he remembered that he had taken a sick day only yesterday and did a change in direction
“Not sure where I should go from here. I have a few of your items here that I need to get back to you. I am not sure how you made that trip with out your favourite hooded sweatshirt; the green one with the Timbers logo that you used to wear all the time..”
“Damn if I knew it was there I would have spent half a day looking for it when I first got to Mainz” Kendra finished the sentence fading in volume realizing mid sentence that it was so obvious where the sweatshirt actually was. She thought to herself, what does it really matter it is only a shirt. I have done without it the last six months. Then the sentimental side of her brain kicked in and reminder her that it was her Timbers sweat and she loved wearing the Timbers green. The Timbers were her team and her team alone. She loved going to the matches, she loved the singing and she loved to celebrate after a goal. In general she just plain loved Soccer and it was a passion that Seth did not share with her. Sometimes she thinks it is the main reasons that they broke up.
“Well you have my number so whenever you want to stop by. Please call before you come so that I can be home and at least clean up the place”
“Seth I still have the key.”
“I realize that Kendra.”
“Sill I want you to call first”
“I understand”
“Nice talking to you”
“Actually it really was. It was nice to hear your voice Seth”
“Yeah, Hey got to run. Have to get moving toward going to work”
“Seth you still can’t multitask can you? Do you realize you can get ready for work and talk on the phone at the same time.”
“I wanted to give you my undivided attention.”
“That’s not necessary anymore”
Seth got off the phone and realized he had a sinking strange pit in his stomach and really was not sure what was causing it. He did not have the time or the bandwidth to worry about it but he had the general sense that all was not well. He felt feverish and he had an overwhelming urge to fall asleep on the spot.
He quickly picked up the phone and called his co-worker Kevin. Kevin answered on the first ring and asked Seth how he was doing. Seth kind of ignored the question and asked Kevin how the roads were out by work since he knew that Kevin live tight near work.
Kevin said the roads were not all that bad. Hillsboro was in the banana belt in the Metro area and it always seemed removed from the chill of the Columbia Gorge. It is one of the beauties of living in the Pacific Northwest. This is where one notices the difference of five degrees like it was a vast change in the seasons.
“Well Kev we have the East Winds here and the driving isn’t quite as nice” as Seth finished this sentence he realized that he had not even stepped outside to see what the weather was like. He balanced out the window again and realized that it looked pretty bad. He was not quite sure if it was till snowing but he could hear the noise of the freezing rain pounding on the window sill. He stood there quietly rubbing his nose just a bit on the cold-cold window and then he remembered he still on the phone. “Hey if I make it I will make it, but for now just tell the boss that I am snowed in here an the East side and if he really wants to do something have him call me and I will log in from home”
“Yeah I got you Seth, You are all over the place these days. You need that girl friend back or something”
“Thanks you Mister expert”
“No problem Kevin” said as they both hung up the phone.
Seth looked up the number for the vet and he punched the number into his phone. The phone displayed the name of the vet indicating that he already had the number in his phone.
To The Moon
Anthony got up the next morning and realized that taking the bike was no longer an option. It would have taken a miracle of epic proportions to have Anthony plan for a snowstorm on his commute to work. He was running catastrophically late, and literally ran down to the bus stop down on Sandy Boulevard. It was a slow motion run of epic proportions. He waited for a long time and he only seemed to be getting colder and icier. He pounded his feet on the ground to keep warm and he paced in circles worrying about his bus and suddenly face to face with Unix once again. He planned it this way as he remembered that she worked right by the bus stop. He looked at her shocked and half expecting it and sheepishly said. “Hi there.”
“Where did you get to last night?” They both said to each other at almost the exact same time.
Gregor walked out on the sidewalk at the same time and barked, “Unix you have a customer on line 3 that has an urgent matter.”
She turned and sneered as Gregor “Yeah Yeah Gregor, I’ll be right there.” And then she twirled around to Anthony in a graceful dance like move and reached out with her left hand and touched him on the chin and said “Meet me the Moon and SixPence tonight. I have some news.” This despite the fact that she knew she did not have any news.
Seth called the vet but only could leave a message, as they must be having a snow day. He had fiddled away the early part of the day clearing the sidewalks of snow and gathering all of Kendra‘s stuff.. It surprised him the amount of things that she had left. He never really noticed them. They seemed to be always there. There was a bread-maker on the counter. It always seemed to be there. He never actually noticed it until today. It was a weird day for him in many ways. He had so much to do and he could never actually do it. Kendra being in town bothered him, his job bothered him and his dog was still missing, and he was paralyzed to do anything.
His lack of motivation confused him and frustrated him at the same time. He stood on the front steps sweating heavily from just having removed the last of the ice from his front walkway. Then certain calm took him away from his frustration at that had been with him all day. All the clutter in life seemed to fall away as he looked up into the streetlights and the freezing rain had turned back to a light snow that descended upon the Hollywood. That silent sound that is so brilliant, it can take your breath away, and it is so quiet the minute it starts to snow that certain peace envelops the air. The world keeps moving, cars still spill their wheels, mailboxes slam shut but you do not notice them as when the snow starts falling. Seth had trouble in his spiritual life, but it is moments such as this that make him wonder how there can not be a god in world such as this, This was not an original thought of his but rather something said by Carl Sagan on a Fresh Air Interview. This was just his own little credo in life and he appreciated the small little beautiful things in life. He often felt, if you stop and look for them they are there in everyday life.
He remembered back a few days ago when a stranded quirky little girl had shown up on his front porch with his dog and she was gone just like that. He remembers her in his own reconstruction of the memory and it seemed like long time ago even though it had only been a few days ago. So much had happened over those few days, but then again so little had happened.
He really wanted to go to the Moon and Sixpence and just relax and do nothing. He would not even mind running into Emily as he really liked her, but that had become so much more clouded since he actually met her in the park. Now he actually knew her and he couldn’t easily write it off as a trip to his favourite bar. That place was like home to him because he could become invisible but no so much any more. He now had actual connections and the dynamic had shifted somewhat. Still he wanted to go and after he was done with what he was doing he was going to go.
One thing that is pretty much a universal truth is that neighbors are more likely to be outside and available when it is snowing. The snow had started again and it was so peaceful and tranquil but if you looked up and down the street people were out side and doing things. They talked to each other when on other days they would not. Today was no different as his neighbor of ten years Bill was out scraping ice from his driveway. Bill was on the tail end of a divorce that had changed him completely. He used to never venture out and talk but lately he was more in need of talking. Bill spent a lot of time talking about his divorce, but when needed to, he could stop his self-indulgence and lend an ear. Seth did not always seek out his company when he was married to that woman, but now that he was divorced they had a lot more in common and now they had a common enemy and that enemy was woman. Well not exactly an enemy, but something they had in common. They both adored woman but neither of them had come to grips as to how they worked and why they worked that way. It was a common link in friendships amongst males.
Seth walked over toward his neighbor slowly and made a snowball in his right hand as he juggled it in his right hand. Bill could sense him walking toward him and turned and without looking up and said, “Are you planning on throwing that at me neighbor?”
“I come in peace my friend, I come with an offer of escape” Seth said as he still bouce the snowball in his hand. He must of lost some of his focus as he was not able to talk and juggle at the same time as the snowball hit the ground with a thud.
“What do you have in mind my friend. I have not seen you all that much of you since Kendra moved out. The last time we talked the leaves had just started to fall from the trees and we were pushing the leaves out to the curb for the city to take away”
“Yeah right and then it got windy and our leaves where all over the street”. Bill stood there silently and waited for an answer and half expected not to get one. Seth was right on it and waived it off with gesture of his right hand..
“There is nothing like a little snow to get us out here. Remember we first met on a day like this. I believe that was almost ten years ago. Hey, I was thinking of going down to the Moon tonight. Do you care to join me?” Seth straddled his snow shovel much like most road crew workers one would see on the side of the road.
“Actually Seth that sounds almost perfect. Unfortunately, it works perfectly with my schedule. People are not buying cars in this weather. They never do, it would be great to catch up with you and see how life is treating since that girl who hated me moved out. You probably would like to know I am in a much better place since the last time we talked.” Bill quickly picked up a snowball and put it in Seth’s hand just to detect his response and to Let Seth know the plan sounded good. He knew they never were as close as they could have been but he still liked having his neighbor there.
“Great I am going to take a shower and head over there about seven. There is another thing, you know that waitress I kind of have drooled over the last I don’t know twenty times we went?”
“Yes I remember it fondly; when she is working I can barely talk to you. However, for me that is okay on its own. I am just as happing sitting and drinking a beer at the Moon. I like that place.” Bill said as he warmed his hands and started walking back to his house. “ I will see you soon.”
Set raised one finger on his right hand and hesitated for a second and started to babble “Well I know her a little bit now. I ran into her over in Grant Park; Oh by the way Beetle is missing also and to that off Kendra just got back in town. Yes, you heard that right. I actually met Emily outside of the Bar, but it was a mere coincidence. Seth also warmed his hands as the snow was now a fine powder and it did not feel like it was going to get warmer any time soon.
See you tonight neighbor.
Falling Slowly in the Abyss
David Cabot felt himself slowly going crazy. Last night he went out into the streets with a total stranger looking for who knows what. It could have been the coyotes in the neighborhood, a dog or hi unlimited imagination. His job did not help him in the sanity department all that much. He was the lead addiction counselor at of the Ultimately, Drug Addiction counselors goals are to help those struggling with drug or alcohol addiction, realize their full potentials, and learn to live life productively again free from the dependency upon alcohol and / or drugs. Lately budget cuts have curtailed much of the work that he could do in the normal hours. He had a group of 5 that he helped council as a group. He did this own his just because he had taken a liking to all of them and he knew they would fall though the cracks given the current budget crunch. In his own world it is the thing he has to do.
He walked down to the rehab center for his afternoon meeting with his latest group that he had grown to love. He retraced some of the same steps he had taken last night and he saw no signs of any disturbances and, the owners had retrieved most of the trashcans on the street. David was wearing his high rubber boots tucked into his jeans. The boots kept his feet dry but not necessarily warm and he was lucky it was a powdery snow or his jeans would be soaked. He took the 105 steps down from the Alameda ridge into the Hollywood district with great care as they had ice underneath and the new snow made them dangerous. He thought about his group for today. That he had now grown attached to a very interesting group. He knew most of them would be happy to see him.
He walked into the make shift rehab center over on 40th Street and he initially realized not everything was quite right. For some reason both of the windows in the center were wide open and all four of his four clients had not yet taken their usual seats. They were usually early and eager to get started. There sat Mrs. Byers in her reading chair and she looked like she had seen or at the very least went back to drinking last night or even this morning.
“Good Morning Mrs. Byers how are you today. And may I ask where are the others today” David asked as he set down his backpack. He did not bother to take off his knee high rubber boots.
“Cabot”, for some reason she always called him by his last name. “Remember today was optional. I imagine they are having trouble getting here with the weather. I am not like the rest of society. I do not have a mobile phone so keeping track of the other three is not even possible. I would not want to do that. I have enough to deal with in my own life.”
“Yeah I see your point. I am not asking you do that. How are you today Opal.” He asked again.
“Well you are not going to be happy about this but I have had a rough couple of days. It started out a few days ago when a stranger on the bus gave me some money. I went to the convenience store and bought a box of wine. I really want to drink it. Life has been hard lately. I hid the box of wine as I cannot get into my building with the wine”
David sat there silently for a full ten seconds and contemplated what he was going to say next. He cared about Opal and he really did not want to see her back drinking. Lately it seems like the most pragmatic approach has been to allow the patients to have their drug of choice and managing it after that. Opal had become a friend to David, which he knew was a professional mistake, and he cared about her well-being.
“Yes Opal I am aware of the rules in your building. So what is going on that has you wanting to drink today”
“Cabot I want to drink every day. However, I just do not. This winter seems harder than most. I feel like life has passed me by. I met this woman on the bus today and she is a sweet young woman. She tells me she is a banker. I am not sure if that is true, but I like the way she talks all confident and calm. I would like to be that again. I would love to go to work like a normal person. I want to have people over to my place for dinner. I realize I am 55 years old, I will always have a drinking problem but I feel stable these days. I know I can do it.”
“Opal we cannot just turn back the aging process. We all know that. So what are you doing to get yourself back into the work-force?”
“Not drinking.” Opal answered almost too quickly.
“Well that’s half the battle my dear. That also keeps you in your current apartment and having a permanent address will allow you gainful employment.” David said to Opal as she looking into her backpack and she took out the same notebook she had on the bus.
Opal instantly grabbed one of the papers that were neatly folded into an envelope and slid it across the table.
“What is this?” David asked.
“Just read it.” Opal barked back.
A serious gloom came over David as he knew this was bad news. Opal hardly wrote anything down. All their communication up until now had been the spoken word. David opened the envelope slowly and read it silently as Opal took a power bar out her bag and cut it in half using a plastic fork she must have taken out the community kitchen in the building. She wrapped up the other half and put it neatly back in her bag. She sat there chewing loudly as David read in silence.
“Opal this is your resume. I never knew you had a resume. It says here you have been a nurse. This almost makes me feel like I have not been doing my job here. You never told me that you were a nurse.”
“Number One you never asked and I am not sure I would have told you anyway.” Opal said as she finished the last bite of her power par. A crumb had lodged in her Auburn grey hair and David instinctively brushed it away. This gesture put Opal on edge as she flinch as David reached his hands across to her. Another human being had not touched her in the last 8 months. It was a simple gesture from her friend and counselor. She wanted simple things like this to be part of her everyday life.
“I did not want to alarm you Opal. I was just getting the crumb out of your hair.”
“Yeah I realize that, but you could have just pointed it out.”
A long silence blanketed the room. David thought to himself, how awkward he had become. His self-confidence was at an all time low. He wondered if he could not solve his own problems what business did he have working with the less fortunate.
“Opal are your nursing credentials up to date?”
Opal seemed be staring at a distant object and answered without looking at Seth at all. “Cabot they were up until about six months ago. I was working as a nurse at St. Vincent’s and I was good at what I was doing. I had a hard time getting to work on time. I had to take the Max train out to Beaverton. I managed to make it on time most days. The last couple of months I would take a small flask of my alcohol of the day to work. One day I lost 2 months worth of a patients paperwork. My bosses called me into office and he confronted me. I waited for them to arrive and I stashed the flask into a full trashcan. I was more than a little drunk that day. I just quit on the spot without fighting it. “
“Opal are your nursing credentials up to date?”
“No they are not. I went over to the library and used their internet station. Apparently I have to take a refresher course and then I can apply for my license again.”
“Opal what’s stopping you from doing that.”
“Besides the obvious money constraints, I am the only person holding that up. I am never sure of myself anymore and my demons are just that. How can I be caring for other people when I have a hard time caring for myself.”
David gave a knowing laugh.
MoonStruck
The Moon and SixPence had all the business they could handle. Any other time of the year they would have had plenty of room the handle the rush. There was a fenced in outdoor area in the back but with the weather today, nobody ever used it. It was 430 in the afternoon and there was a slight lull in the action. Emily already looked tired on her feet. Sonia was a little punch drunk. She did not anticipate this type of business when she made the schedule. Sonia and Emily could easily handle tending tables for on a normal day, but today was a little out of control.
Emily and Sonia sat a table in the corner folding knives, forks and spoons into cloth napkins. They both liked doing this busy work. It was a time that they could get off their feet and just sit and talk. Paige had just arrived, Paige usually had trouble handling more than three tables but tonight she had little trouble keeping up. It seemed like everybody were simply sitting and drinking. Nobody seemed to be in a hurry and if Paige was a little late it was not a big issue. Snow days are like that. People are generally happy and do not complain about much. It is an impromptu vacation of sorts.
Emily had just finished the last of the napkins and she started talking as if she had lost the filter from her cognitive thinking to her voice. “I have no idea why I have worked in this bar so long. It is not as if I love this job. I guess working in a bar keeps me out of the bars. Sometimes I feel unqualified to work in a bar.”
“Why is that? Sonia absent mindedly asked as she was getting up to freshen her face in the woman’s room.
“Like I just said if I did not work in a bar I would be a regular customer of this bar. I love all the beers and the scotch. I would simply drink all the time. In all my years working here I have very rarely had consumed any alcohol. It keeps some of my demons at bay. At least when I go home and have a few drinks; I do not have the option of going home with a relative stranger. I have terrible judgment in this area when I am drinking.”
“That makes you overly qualified for this job.” Sonia said quickly and loudly as she almost sprinted to the woman’s room. When she got to the bathroom, she found that both of the bathroom doors locked. She really had to go so she paced the small hallway outside the bathroom repeatedly. She was regretting the coffee she had been drinking all afternoon long.
She was getting desperate and started banging the door to the left. The Moon and Sixpence did not have traditional Male and Female stall. Both rooms were unisex.
“Could you hurry up in there,” Sonia yelled.
“Lady I’ll be out when I am good and ready, what is the hurry? The voice behind the door yelled.
“There is a Grease Fire in the kitchen you have to get out of there”. Sonia recognized the voice behind the door as BIG Fat Jimmy. Big Fat Jimmy could sit and tell stories but he was a gullible as can be. He was not exactly the smartest patron. However, she just assumed that he could recognize her voice.
She stood there silently waiting for the door to open and she felt like she standing in the back of airplane waiting for the vacancy word to slide to the left. It was at this time that the other bathroom door opened with suddenness. The person using the other bathroom came dashing from the bathroom as he was running a race. Slow down partner” said Sonia to the man running from the bathroom.
“Are you crazy there is a Grease Fire”; the man in the bathroom yelled as he ran rapidly from the room.”
“Don’t forget to tip your waitress” Sonia yelled as the man sped toward the front door. It was at this point Big Fat Jimmy also exited the bathroom. He was not in quite the rush that the other person was but still he looked a little alarmed and Sonia sensed that he was uncomfortable with Sonia going in the bathroom right after him.
Emily felt a little better after having sat down for a while. She ate most of the Ploughman’s Platter. She loved the hard cheeses and she especially loved the chutney the chef had prepared. She finished half of it and put the second half in her purse for later. She knew she only had to work until 9:00 and she wanted to go home, put her feet up and finish the book that she was reading. She tied the back of her apron and walked back to the people arriving in the far Corner of the room.
A Boy Gregor
Gregor was being a real pain in the ass today. Apparently, when Unix had called in sick yesterday Gregor had to call of the customers whom had orders to pick up. Gregor hated normal interactions with people. He also detested talking on the telephone. He sounded like a robot on the phone and customers sometimes thought it was a crank call. He carried this grudge with him throughout the entire next day. It also did not help that Gregor had a tenth grade crush on her. He was a social misfit. The only real life he really had was his life at A-Boy Plumbing. Once his day was over, he would immediately take the bus home. He would then sit at his computer terminal and play computer games. Most of the staff assumed that he lived in his parent basement. However, Unix knew that he had a place of his own. He owned a Condo, down by the new Voodoo Doughnuts on Sandy Blvd. He stayed inside hours on end and played those violent video games.
One time about eight months back, Unix went over to his condo because Gregor said he had some decent weed that he could sell to her. At the time, Unix was bored and took him up on the offer. They completed the transaction silently as she slipped 20 bucks on his coffee table and a minute later she handed him a Pete’s Coffee bag which she assumed had contained what she had come to but. She was thankful, to have completed the transaction and in a gesture of kindness she sat down on the couch and asked if had anything to drink in the in that silly Kelly green refrigerator. He simply said “Yes he Did”.
She waited for him to get up and get her a drink but he sat there on the couch smiling. He sat there smiling for a few minutes, which suddenly turned to ten minutes, and Unix had to break the silence as the last thing she wanted to do was fall asleep on the couch. “Hey Gregor, thanks for the drink, I have to run. Thank again for the hookup.
For the longest time, Gregor felt like she had led him on. He thought that the visit from her was a date. He had expected more from the transaction. He honestly had no clue as to what was a normal code of etiquette around people and this was especially true when it came to woman.
Today while working he had called her out in her attention to detail. He said that her work orders were incomplete; she was lazy when it came to asking customers to buy some accessories for what they had purchased. “It is called up selling Unix. If you do it the worst a customer could do was buy some additional product.
At the end of the day Unix confronted Gregor and asked him directly what his problem was and Gregor towed the company line that he was doing what the ABoy plumbing wanted. At one point during the day Gregor asked her to get him some coffee. Unix just wanted to avoid confrontation, and in a gesture of shutting him up she got him some coffee. When she returned with coffee, he simply said that she was finally her niche at A-Boy plumbing.
It was a very hectic day, with almost most of the customers were home owners making small purchases such as ice scrapets or supplies they needed for a home project given the extra day respite from work the snow storm had afforded. The industrial customers always knew what they wanted but the homeowner variety needed to have their hands held. They looked for her to know what they needed but Unix winged it. Still Unix had recorded the highest sales for today relying on customers who were looking for products she knew about. Those products, were of course, snow scrapers and portable heaters. She knew the customers wanted this product so she worked the system and concentrated on these customers. It was a banal strategy but it worked today.
Tommy Cougarfood announced that Unix had won the daily commissions rate to the five people who worked that day. It was only the second time that he had won the daily sales contest. She never read any of the company newsletters, so she was surprised when she received 25.00 dollars in cash. Boss Cougarfood simply shook her hand in front of everybody as they were preparing to leave for the day. Unix thought to herself that she probably should have been paying attention more. She thought she could do this every day, given the fact that she could earn a little extra money.
Gregor seeing an opportunity walked over to her and asked if she would like to get together and celebrate later.
Unix looked Gregor in the left eye and then the right eye until she could find the courage to stare at him directly in both eyes. “Gregor you can be an asshat on so many levels. I am so sick of you riding my ass all day long. It is petty bullshit. You ride my ass all day long and then you want to ask me out. If I were a person like you, I would sue you. I am going to be a big girl here and end this conversation.
That is exactly what she did. She ended the conversation and headed straight out the back door where she was reminded that she had forgot her warm winter jacket. She thought for a second and crisply recalled that she taken her coat to work. She remembered that she had hung in on the hook in the workroom. She knew where it was but she was not inclined to go and get it. She would rather be freezing cold and off from work then having to walk back into A-Bay Plumbing. She simply put her hood on and then tied it below the chin and started the 6 block walk up to Moon and SixPence.
William Donovan
Never saw this coming. He had been married to the same woman for what he considered fourteen good years. His wife had left him in the middle of the night. Bill was completely blind-sided by this. He spent so much time in his own mind the past eighteen months. He had always been with Wendy. He had always been with Wendy in his own mind. The last eighteen months had been a time to get used to being single. His separation with Wendy had been amicable as both parties simply parted ways not wanting to fight for the relationship. They had tried to have kids over the years but that somehow took the fun out of it. It had brought them closer together having a common goal, but farther apart when they realized their mutual goal would not be reached. They were both in their late thirties and decided to part ways with both thinking the other was their reason for conception.
Bill did not date much before he got married to Wendy. They dated through all four years of college at Oregon State. They were study partners in obscure Landscape Architecture class. After a long night of preparing a lab, neither of them understood, they met up with a group of Wendy’s friends. Bill was insecure around people he did not know, so he drank steadily while the rest of the group talked about something he did not have a clue. He barely said a word. He was happy that he was not studying, and before he noticed, everybody was heading his or her separate ways. Everybody except got him and Wendy. They sat there at the table all alone. In addition, Wendy said to him “You can stay at my place tonight.” He did and he was has been hooked since then
And this addiction took along time to heal. He was afraid of dating after the divorce because he had never really dated. He had always been in a relationship and he lacked the skill set required to pursue an actual court ship. Fortunately, for him, courtship just landed on his lap. They had met at ban art class that he decided to take. He had always dabbled in painting and drawing and decided to take a class. His motive for taking the class was to improve his painting, but also he did not trust himself with free time so he tried to fit his schedule with activities such as this. He learned many tricks of the trade during the first eight weeks of class. On the ninth week there was a new teacher in class as the regular instructor was out on maternity leave. It was a class where there was no lecture. Unix took a liking to the work that he was doing. He never thought of himself as a great artist. He thought of himself as someone who loved paint. Unix hovered over his work and challenged him to be bold. And that he did for once in his life. He painted himself silly on that night. He stayed and painted long after the rest of the class had left. Time got away from him and suddenly there he was again in a place that he had been before.
He was terrible at making a date, when one was thrust upon him; he went back to his basic instincts. He faintly remembers actually trying to pick her up. They just ended up walking after class. He had no idea where this was going to lead. They walked up and down East Burnside both conveniently forgetting where they had parked their cars. They walked around the corner and Unix decided on the spur of the moment that should see a movie at Laurelhurst theatre, She wanted to see the movie ‘UP’.
Bill suddenly felt like his old self again. He liked having his plans made for him. He had no idea how he was going to pay for the movie but still he went with the flow. Unix paid for both tickets on a credit card she had secured in college.
The Laurelhurst Theatre is the perfect place for a date. They show movies in a bar room atmosphere. Unlike conventional movie theaters, they could sit and talk if the movie was not to their liking. Unix did this for entire twenty minutes leading up curtain call. Now she was the student and he was the teacher. She talked about getting out in public more and working on relationships that meant a lot for her.
Bill, of course took this as a sign that she wanted to be in a relationship with him. There were so little clues. He meekly held her hand during the movie, but that only made him feel more entitled. He rubbed her shoulders without thinking about the ramifications. He even unbuttoned the first gold button on her jeans. His hand felt the top of her underwear. This sent him to another world. But little did he realize she was sound asleep. Well at least she was sound asleep when the movie ended. He had spent the last hour somewhat watching the movie and inserting his hands below the top of her shorts. The entire time he thought she was enjoying his stolen forays.
But when the movie was over she seemed oblivious to his advances and she also seemed to have benefitted from the much needed sleep. That is how she ended up in his bed a few days ago. She bristled awake as soon as the movie ended and insisted on going back to his place. Bill was flattered and confused at the same time, But he was in no place to argue as he aroused by his observations. He liked the way that she felt. She was all woman with a flat stomach to boot. Of course, she could go back to his place. But that is all the evening had come to. They went back to his place and watched a few episodes of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” She never asked for anything to drink or anything to eat and he did not offer because he usually did not have a lot of food in the house and this visit was quite unexpected. They sat on his futon and watched the shows together. Her head was on his shoulder and he put his arm around her. They did this for two episodes and, from Bill’s perspective they seemed to be enjoying the show. They didn’t talk much but they laughed together at the same scenes.
All of a sudden, Unix announced it was time for bed. That was like her just to announce something like this and see the nuance in it.
Bill asked her with a wry smile on her face, “Are you planning on staying here” and without leaving time for a response he added “Well at least it is close to your work”.
“Yes it is Bill, but I do not work tomorrow. I never work on a Sunday. It is against my religion so my employer thinks. I hope you don’t mind. Besides the buses do not run this late and I can not ask you to drive me home”. She walked toward his bed room for a minute and shut the door firmly behind her.
Bill always being the cautious type sat on the couch and worked on half finished crossword puzzle he had started earlier that day. He really was never good at the Saturday crossword puzzles because it usually contained long words. He hardly ever finished a Saturday puzzle and usually let them linger around for a day. He wondered to himself what she was doing in his room and what the rest of the night would entail. He was happy with the prospects; almost giddy but of course, self-doubt was in the back of his mind. But in his mind he felt he had it coming. He had treated her to a nice afternoon and evening out and they got along famously. He found himself thinking to himself that he really like this girl a lot. He was really excited about his prospects. The prospects were for well past tonight. She turned him on, but he liked her as long-term partner. He really wanted to settle down again and he could see himself settling in again with somebody like Unix.
All of a sudden, Unix burst from the room wearing the same thing she was wearing before. Only she was not wearing her blue jeans. There she stood there in her long shirt and said “Hope you do not mind I just put my jeans on the wicker chair in your room. I cannot sleep in those. I am ready for bed, How about you?”
“Yeah I am ready for bed also.” Bill went into the bathroom and slipped on a flannel pajama and walked back into the room not wearing a shirt.” And there he spotted Unix in his bed. The only problem was she fast asleep. He had not been in the bathroom more than two minutes and already she off asleep. There she was stretched on the bed with the covers loosely over her shoulders, It did not like deep sleep as she almost looked angelic. He stood over her and watched over her for a while and she looked so peaceful and serene. She certainly was not aware of him in the room and here sleep was not fitful at all. She seemed to have fallen asleep fully trusting him to do the right thing.
But what the right thing is mind was not clear to him. So he took the high toad and he let her sleep as he read a magazine on his night stand. Then in a bit of panicked and he saw his room as he had never seen it before. It looked like the room a single man. Clothed were on the floor and some of winter workout clothes were drying on curtain rod across from his bed. A half eaten bag of Twizzlers sat on his bedside table. He then noticed that Unix must have some as three half eaten short Twizzlers sat on the outside of the bag. He never ate half a Twizzler
He rolled into bed beside her and listened to her breath. He watched her right hand move a little in her sleep. He watched her roll over facing away from her. He thought he did the right thing as he touched the small of her back in a non suggestive way as he slowly nodded off to sleep,
He woke up the next morning and she was no longer sleeping next to him. He thought to himself that maybe he had not the right thing the night before.
He was pleasantly surprised when he walked into the kitchen there sat Unix at the kitchen table working on the crossword puzzle he had been working. He looked at the crossword and it looked like she nearly completed what he could not.
“How did I not get TottemPole ?” Bill said as he slowly glanced over the puzzle.
“Billy I can hold my own on these puzzles. There is no shame in me finishing your puzzle”
Bill explained that he had to head out until mid afternoon as he was going to be helping a friend move. He told her that she could stay and wait for him if she wanted to and they could do something together later.
“I just might do that Billy, I just might do that.”
They both sat at the table and ate a bowl of cheerios. Both of them sat and crunched on their cereal as they read a separate section of the paper. He read the sports and she read the classifieds. They looked like an old married couple. Bill later got up and said he had to leave, Her walked over to her and kissed her on the lips. He was fully surprised when she held his kiss a split second longer than he anticipated.
Unix stayed for much of the day. She read the book she was reading and fixed herself a can of soup for winter. She thought to herself. Whom am I kidding? She left Bill a note thanking him for a wonderful day. She had things to do and places to be. This is how she came across the adorable dog on the previous Sunday afternoon.
Back To The Moon
A snowstorm in Portland Oregon is a rare occurrence. During a snowstorm in Portland people tend to come together. The temperatures have dropping throughout the day and s steady fine white snow had started to fall somewhat harder. The clouds had dropped low where it had become difficult to see. The wind picked up from the east ushering in the Gorge driven cold air. Unix and Tommy were in a playful mood as the marched up past the Billiard hall on the corner of 41st. The intersection was unrecognizable to them as no car had been through in a while and there were now snowdrifts that came up past their knees. Tommy joked with Unix about how much of an idiot Gregor had been today. “Yeah I can handle him. He is all talk and little bite. He said he may come out with us later. If he tries anything stupid out in public he better be prepared.” As Unix said these words a bus rolled down Sandy Boulevard. Unix was glad that public transportation was still running. She really looked forward to getting home tonight.
The Moon and Sixpence was dark and comfortable tonight and much to their surprise they found seats at the bar. It seemed like most people had come in groups, as there was buzz to the place. Coats were piled up on the floors beside each table, They both placed thir coats on the bar stool and ordered a hot rum drink and settled into each of their own silences. Unix enjoyed the opportunity to not talk. She enjoyed the warmth the pub exuded and the hum of the people talking. She thought to herself about the old lady from the bus. She thought about how she fared on a cold day like this.
She sat there in her own little world and she was happy for a few minutes. That was until she got a tap on the shoulder, which startled her out of her bar induced Zen like trance. She sat looking straight ahead ignoring the nudge at her shoulder thinking it was the her dreaded co worker Gregor. She turned rather abruptly, with a look on her face and out of the corner of his eyes she was relived to see Anthony’s smiling face.
“Holy shit Anthony you are everywhere. Are you sure there is not more than one of you in this town?” Unix said this in am overly ambitious tone as she scan the clientele for Gregor.
Anthony seemed to think about this comment for a while and he laughed a full ten seconds after Unix had finished her snarky reply.
“Hey Tommy this here is my friend Anthony. Anthony this is Tommy probably the only person I work with that I like.” Unix said with an emphasis on the word friend and like.
Emily walked over from the kitchen to behind the bar and asked Anthony what he would like and Anthony asked for one of those strong Belgium beers that come in a small glass. And Emily said that was a strong choice for a day like today. Anthony sat on one side of Unix and Tommy the other side so by default any communication between the two would have to go through Unix. However, that was all right for the three of them as they were away from work. That is except for Unix, She has become paranoid all of a sudden. She did not want to run into Gregor even though she had as a senseless act of kindness told him where they were going. Then again, there was Billy whom she had not talked to once she had somehow unexpectedly stayed the night. Those were the delights of not owning a cell phone. She was at her usual lying self that night. Just pretending she wanted to be with Billy but in retrospect, it was not very bad. Billy had been a true gentleman however she did not want to run into him here.
She had recently concluded that her constant lying was taking more work to cover up then saying or acting out the truth in the first place. It was a constant area of frustration for her. Sometimes she did not even believe her self. She just sat there at the bar and remembered that she was happy five minutes ago. What was behind this sudden funk? But that was Perhaps it was that she could not always tell the truth. The door opened a few times as she sat and stared into space. She could feel the cold air every time the door opened but all of a sudden she just wanted to not be here. She wanted to be home in her warm bed. She decided at that point to make an abrupt exit. She walked over to the bar and threw fifteen dollars on the bar and told Anthony and Tommy that she had to leave for an emergency at home. Those two being real close friends never even questioned how she could receive a message like this as she neither had a cell phone or any activity at home that would warrant an emergency. They were two people in the world who actually believed her most of the time.
She made a quick beeline to the front door and as she got near the front door in walked Billy and the guy with dog on the porch. She could not recall has name but that was beside the point. Then she remembered that they were next door neighbors. She had left Bill’s house on Sunday morning only to find a dog heading through the bushes and she had returned it to Bill’s next-door neighbor.
She was wearing a heavy coat and a scarf around her neck to head out into the cold so they had not seemed to recognize her. Still she was curious and said from underneath her warm clothing. “Hey Billy how’s our friends dog?” Seth did a double take and looked at Bill and said did that girl in big coat and scarf just call you Bill?” “I think she meant Hill Billy. “ Bill said as they walked to a suddenly empty booth by the window. Unix followed right with them. She was curious and she was on a mission.
Fredos
John had loved running what he called a Speak Easy. It was a place people could come to and try out his home brews. He had always had five of six beers on tap and he encouraged people to try the beers. He did not want patrons who were here to get drunk. It was a part of owning a speak-easy. It had become a bit out of his control. His place had become quite popular this past summer. It was quite common to have thirty people drinking his beer on a given night. Neighbors were sensitive here. Christmas time on the Beaumont ridge usually meant more traffic in the neighborhood. Beaumont was a beautiful place right after Thanksgiving up until Christmas as all the merchants decorated to fit the season. The neighborhood sparkled. It was a special place to be. But this came with a cost as people from all over Portland would park on side streets and this would make locals more protective. This is probably why somebody had complained about the noise. Or maybe because it had become more popular than John had bargained for.
Thus the cease and desist order against his fine little drinking establishment. The locals had started to pay attention and complained about the people coming and going. Therefore, somebody lodged a complaint loud enough to get the attention of the police. The police officers knew the Speak Easy existed. They came out to investigate. They had a long cordial conversation and asked him to cease and desist up until Christmas day. There were no official charges filed. All they needed was a gentlemen’s agreement. This would keep the locals happy and John was kind of in need of a vacation of sorts. It had grown from a hobby to full time job. Today he had invited off duty police officers to his establishment. They had always come to his bar and he thought it would be an act of goodwill to have them sample some of his fine beers.
He was surprised to have four officers today given the current conditions. It was getting icier by the minute and to get up on the Freemont ridge by car required the navigation of at least one steep hill. But here they were and they were enjoying the first round of samples he had served. He served a dark seasonal; that was one he had taken great pride. He had added a bitter spice that gave it a nice contrast to traditional seasonal brews.
“Hope you guys are enjoying the new beer. My hope for this beer was that the cloves would give it an unusual taste. I was hoping for a taste that is distinctive and stays with you.” Officer Hartenstein sat very quietly and tasted the beer more than he drank it. John it is nice to have your beer and I love this establishment. How do you propose to have this bar and the community co-exist? I am only tasting here as I am on duty later tonight. We really do not want to be policing your bar. It is a nice little establishment so how do we keep it as a nice little establishment”
“Officer Hartenstein, I am not breaking any ordinances here. The place has grown larger than I am comfortable. I plan to limit the number of people here at 15. That’s good for me as that’s all I can handle. I hope that works for you. I plan on opening only during the week and that will be Tuesday through Thursday. Then you know when I am open and when I am closed. Anybody in this neighborhood can have a party when they want to and I feel I am free to do that also, I am not charging for the beer. This is my hobby and plan on keeping this thing going. I will have one person monitor people coming and going. I will post a sign inside this place so all people know they have to be quiet in the neighborhood. With the limit of 15 I will ensure that I ask everybody for identification who walks through the front door. That way if anything happens you will have at least a lead”
Officer Buckley sat next to Officer Hartenstein and he was taking this all in. He was on his second glass of beer. He had tried the pilsner and voiced his displeasure that it was rather light for a cold winter day. He warned John that the last time he was in here, there were people dealing minor drugs in the side room and he did not want to see that any more. He understood it was Portland and the laws were lax but he reiterated that he did not want to see it here. If the drug dealings continue, then the neighbors have a legitimate complaint.
“Buckley if that were true you would have to shut down half the bars in town. You have my word. You heard my plan and I plan to enforce it.
“I guess our work is finished here boys Hartenstein announce to those huddled around their beers. I would suggest you put a coffee maker in this place. I could use a cup of coffee right about now.”
I’ll take that into consideration.
The officers left soon after and John walked over to his tip jar he set out for cash contributions and in was five five-dollar bills and a note that read like this.
Speak Easy should not
Have Police because it makes
Speaking Easy Hard.
Zues
The note was in perfect Haiku. It was not a great Haiku. The note had been there awhile. The money had not.
Re-Entry
That stupid ex boy friend of hers could not even handle finding his own dog, Kendra thought to herself as she trudged through ankle deep snow as she approached the little green house on 32nd. She had returned the call on her cell phone. She was soon quickly in touch with somebody who claimed they had Beetle. It was that easy. But then again, they had called her so Seth was not entirely to blame. Still it cannot be that difficult. She was actually mad at herself for taking on the task. Why had she not just called Seth and told him where his dog was? The answer was simple. She simply would rather deal with getting the dog back rather than the complexities with Seth. The walk was good for her. The cold wet air made her lungs feel good today, as did the brisk walk. She would usually go for a run on most days but with the snow and ice a brisk walk did the trick. It got her heart pumping a little higher. Or was already beating harder? She was tense with her move back to the Rose City, she felt herself falling into the same trap. But at the same time she was happy to be back in the City she loved. In a few short months, the Portland Timbers would be making their debut as a real MLS team. It was a day she looked forward to for a long time. In a few short days she would be back playing indoor soccer with her friends and then the real season started. She convinced herself, that was had brought her back the Rose City; that and pulling in a few steady paychecks.
She knocked on the door of the little green house on 32nd. I certainly looked like nobody was home. There were no fresh footsteps to the front door and the snow was starting to pile up in drifts close to the door. She rang the doorbell once and there was no answer as she started to get colder. She was damp from her walk and the winds were starting to howl from the east. She then knocked loudly and suddenly the house came to life with footsteps as well as the distinctive bay of a beagle. A young girl in her mid teens came to the door dressed in her pajamas. She greeted Kendra with a warm smile, as Beetle stood right besides her tilting her head slightly to the right. Kendra immediately recognized Beetle and there was no doubt this was Seth’s dog.
“Hello there, I can tell you recognize the dog. Isn’t she a sweet one and a bad one at the same time. She has been at my house for the last 2 days. She actually was in our backyard when I came home from school on Tuesday. We already have a Beagle. Freddy is out in the back yard. From what I have gathered, the mail carrier delivered her here thinking it was our Beagle. I got home from school and she was in the yard. Here is the note the carrier left in the box. He found her over on Freemont ridge near 46th avenue. She had been knocking over trash cans and he offered to deliver her to where he thought she lived. She has nor tags so I started calling around and the Vet up on 50th scanned her and traced the phone number back to you.”
“Portland is such a small town. She is not even my dog. She belongs to my old boyfriend. He is not great with follow through but he certainly knows she is missing. I honestly did not even think she would be here so I neglected to bring a leash.“
Bev offered her a leash, which she attached to Beetle tag less collar. Unix gave her a name and phone number where she could be contacted. She did not know why she did this as she was never one to let a silent moment pass. Bev I really cannot thank you enough. I would like to compensate you for your troubles but I have nothing to offer.
That would be nice. We could use the help.
Meanwhile on the other end of the Hollywood Opal took the elevator up to her tiny fourth floor apartment. She was clean as a whistle but her sobriety seemed to be slipping by the hour. She opened the refrigerator slowly and quickly scanned it for what she could have for dinner. Her refrigerator had a stock of power bars, seven cans of Generic chicken soup, three bananas, a bag of rice, seven triple A batteries and the box of wine she had snuck in the building earlier that day. She was able to get past the front desk, as most of the staff was dealing with the mounting snowfall. She had a small clock radio on her kitchen table and sat and listened to the local Public Radio Station. The radio was always on that station because the control for changing the station had fallen off years ago.
It was a sparse existence but it was hers and hers alone. Until 18 months ago she had been living on her own as newly single nurse and Mother of 2 teenagers who have since moved away to find jobs outside of Portland. Both kids had made their way through college using scholarship money and assorted student loans. Her and her husband has helped with school as well as they could. Her ex husband had a series of problems with his anger as well as assorted chemical addictions. He had been long out of the picture; and she had not seen him for three years and she had no idea where he was. She lived a simple normal life up until then. He had occasional work and she was a full time nurse.
Her drinking and smoking were her downfall. Two years ago she was rushed to the hospital with what everybody had anticipated to be some form of cancer. Everybody assumed this because of her constant use of cigarettes and wine. Her daughter and her husband were the only real visitor she got during her hospital stay. Her son travelled cross-country to help her move out of her home. If she were to survive, her children knew she could not pay rent. He children truly expected her not to live. At one point, the doctors had called in her children, explaining that she probably would not survive and they should prepare for that. Nobody could kill Opal except for Opal. She made a miraculous recovery in the hospital and when she emerged from an induced coma the first thing she asked for was a cigarette.
Upon release from the hospital, she started in on the cigarettes and wine in a heavy way. They were the sole reason for her existence. She lived by herself in a small publicly assisted flat for a while. One day when she was hitting the wine hard, she was lost and disoriented walking the streets on the lower east side. She could not tell the police who she was and since she was not carrying any identification, they put her in a detox center for the night. It was then, that City Services deemed that she be put into a monitored assisted living home. She was fifty-four years of age but from the look of her ashen skin, she looked close to eighty. She could not walk two blocks without stopping and gasping for air.
Her new high rise on 44th and Halsey seemed to do the trick. The understanding was there was no drinking, and smoking was restricted. The county enforcement was strict about this. There were times that she appeared delusional. She told many people she was searching for her own personal Jesus. Outsiders interpreted this as a search for religious belief and intervention. In Opal’s mind, this search was a lot simpler than that. She was looking for a reason to stay sober. She was looking for an anchor in her life ;whether it is a close friend, a cause she could get behind or just finding something or someone that she loved. She still had not found her own personal Jesus. But she had started going to church recently. She was a non-believer and that is why she chose the Unitarian church. Well that was not the only reason. A new storefront church had opened up right up the street from the Bank. She could walk there now that she had cut out the wine. It was a great place to meet people.
She sat eating a bowl of vegtable soup in her sparse apartment. She listened to the weather forecast and it did not sound great. More snow for was forecasted for tomorrow. Maybe she would just stay in tomorrow and do some reading. There is nothing like a good book and a few glasses of wine. For tonight she was plenty tired and sleep would come easy.
The Gathering Storm
Emily was tired on her feet but the tips were piling up today. People were in a good mood with the snowy weather and they were drinking slowly and tipping heavily. It was her perfect type of evening. Her shift was over at eight but at the owner’s insistence, she decided to stay until close. She could certainly use the extra money and with the weather like it is she was not going anywhere tonight except for home. And from the look of things this may be an interesting night.
Sonia was just plain in a bad mood. She too was asked to stay late and she had someplace to go. Sonia and her girlfriend of many years had planned on sitting on the couch, ordering some Thai food and watching old movies. It was not much but for chance for her to get off her feet. She called Tracey and asked her if it was okay top work late. They needed the money but Sonia was surprised, as Tracey seemed somewhat happy to have the night alone. For some reason, hearing the relief in Tracy’s voice ,had put her in a bad mood. Sonia was often the victim of the halo effect as she one let one thing either spice up her mood or bring her down almost completely. She was a trooper and she would get through the night. She had her own ways to amuse her self. She had her own ways to keep her happy on a job she simply tolerated. Sometimes she made herself laugh.
The lights at the Moon and Sixpence were low to begin with much like any other British Pub. For the last hour or so, the power had gone off for a few seconds here and there. Every time the lights flickered off the place went completely quiet. When they flickered back on, the usual chatter started up in earnest. It was an electric night it was an odd night.
Seth and William sauntered into the bar almost larger than life. They were louder than usual and happier than usual. They walked in as if they owned the bar. The each had spent enough money here to deserve a seat in the corner. They sat across from each other and Seth gave a knowing smile across the table saying, “It felt good to be here tonight. Let us have some fun”.
As soon as they sat down there was somebody hovering over their table Bill instinctively looked up and started to order. But he was out of his rhythm because that was part of the beauty of this place. That is waiting for your beer. Only it was not their bartender as hoped for but rather someone who looked very familiar but he could not for the life of him put a name to her. And much to his surprise she sat right down with him and Bill and she just looked at him with a knowing crooked smile and said; “I hope you two don’t mind if I join you, There isn’t a empty spot in the pub tonight.” Once again she removed her coat and seem to settle into place unaware how awkward the situation could be.
“Holy shit Unix what are you doing here?” Donovan said this almost like he had seen a ghost. He thought to himself how small the city of Portland could be. It was the story of his recent life. The pub was somewhat electric tonight. It felt very different then most nights. He had not heard a word from her since he had spent the night with her on Sunday night. How could he not remember, that he did not spend the night as one conventionally thinks. He had been perplexed what the night actually was. In his mind, he thought they had a real connection. He thought he had played his cards right by being a pure gentleman on this night. On the other hand, he was frustrated with him because he found her a complete turn on. He loved her quirkiness, the way her mouth was half-open when she slept and he hated to admit he was crazy about her legs and her total body. He half expected and anticipated her making the first move that never came. Her sitting at the same table with him reminded him rather quickly how he felt. He had tried to bury this memory back in his mind but still he had thought about her for too much in the last four days. And here she was sitting at his table barely noticing.
Unix was transfixed on Seth. She had no real opinion in his looks but could not quite make the connection as to where she knew him. Then she put two and two together and got 3.96. She remembered finding the little dog in the front yard when she left Billy’s house last Sunday morning He remembered back to that Sunday morning and she remembered the man on the porch with the dog as a much younger un organized man. She had her doubts but she boldly blurted out “Do I know you from somewhere or do I know your Dog from somewhere?”
The silence from the three of them was heard from across the room if you were actually listening. It just hung in the air as none of the three of them could actually figure out what was really going on here. There were obvious connections that all three of them missed and even the ones they had knowledge were still shaky, Unix had the trump card on both of them as she had most of the knowledge as to how they all fit together, But she wasn’t in the position to play them. She really did not want anything from eeither of them and that is usually when she lost interest in people. That is when she did not need something from them. She was genuinely curious. She liked Bill well enough. She was also confused by that night also. She enjoyed their evening together, but she could not shake the innate feeling that he wanted something more out of that evening. It is all part of her recent pattern in life. That pattern was of course not telling the complete truth. Maybe tonight was a fantastic place to start. She had nothing to lose.
“Hey Seth your friend the waitress is working tonight. You know whom I mean.” Donovan said just before Emily greeted them at the table.
“Sorry to keep you waiting. Hey there Seth how are you today?. You have not been in here for awhile. Have you found your dog? What was his name? I should remember that. I swear when I work here; I push out all other things in my mind except for what people order. Speaking of orders what is everybody drinking tonight. We have Spaten on tap for $3.00 a pint.” Emily said while she spun a three-colored pen in her left hand and they all agreed that a Spaten would be perfect.
Seth looked at William and then he looked at Unix (she had never told him his name) and he had the lurking suspicion they knew each other but he did not push any further. Portland is a small town and it works that way sometimes. Emily brought them 3 pints of Spaten and they settled into an uncomfortable silence, which was broken by Unix speaking first. “I assume you two know each other. Is that a safe assumption?”
“Yes that would be correct we are neighbors” both men responded nervously almost at the exact same time.
Seth then looked up slowly and snickered while saying “I take it you two also know each other.”
There was no answer from either of them as they went back to enjoying their beers. They both seemed to think that they had established that already. Unix had almost finished her drink before the other two had taken their second sip. She seemed like a woman on a mission for no apparent reason. She still had the ace card as she knew how all the pieces fit together. She really did not care how they knew each other. She wanted to speak to Billy and clear the tension between them and she hardly knew Seth at all. But there were no reason at all not to like either one of them. Billy had done nothing wrong and she hated to admit that she was probably the flakey one and she could see how he could be confused. She was a master at stretching the truth. And he knew that somehow she had to correct that. It was something about herself that made her uncomfortable..
At this point Seth caught the eye of Emily from across the room. He admired the sparkle in her eye and now that he knew her he felt more comfortable approaching her. In retrospect, it was probably Emily that caught the eye of Seth. Yes that’s exactly what happened in both of their minds.
And Suddenly the British pub on 42nd street was as quiet as it had been all day long. Nobody said a word for a full ten seconds as the subtle sound one could hear was the sound of icy snow blowing against the windows. One could hear the wind blowing and a chill crept into the room as the room grew suddenly dark. Unix reached in the dark and found a full glass of beer and drank from it slowly as the room started to quietly buzz again. The street lights from outside were no help as the everybody in the bar sat and listened to winter scene taking place outside. You could not help but notice. The lights stayed out for a full 30 seconds and suddenly returned. This only seemed to fuel the people in the bar, as the noise in the room rose slowly well beyond what it was like before the lights went out. But somehow Unix had last her momentum for the evening as she was reminded that the weather was making a turn for the worse and she was one long treacherous bus ride away from home. She was not sure why she had the sudden yearning to be on her own warm bed at home. But despite her recent past she trusted her instincts. All that she knew was that she had to be home. Her flannel brown sheets she had put on the bed sounded so warm to her, her little radio on her desk sounded so calm to her, the wash that had to fold sounded so every day and comfortable. She just knew she had to get out of this bar now.
“Sorry boys the weather is getting nasty and I have to be on my way.”
Once again there was complete silence at the table drowning out the subtle roar that was the rest of the room.
“Sorry boys the weather is getting nasty and I have to be on my way.”
Unix threw twenty dollars on the table and told Seth and Billy she had a bus to catch.
William replied with uncertain resolve. “You Can Stay at my place if you are worried about the weather.”
She looked him in the eye and absolute kindness resonated in her voice. She grabbed him softly on the shoulder and almost at a whisper replied. “Thank You, that is nice of you, but I really have to be on my way.”
She finished the rest of Seth’s beer in one quick chug and headed for the door. She put and Old Yellow wool hat as she headed out the door.
She turned and winked to both Seth and Billy. She concentrated on neither. She simply headed out into the cold of the night.
Home Sweet Home
I really need some time alone Unix thought as the bus rolled quietly toward her place in Sellwood. Unix could feel herself sinking back into her old self and she did not really like it. She was happy that she recognized the trend but felt helpless to do anything about it. The bus was completely empty on the ride home except for her and the bus driver and she was not in the mood for conversation so she rode in absolute quiet at the back of the bus. It wasn’t all that late after her quick exit from the Moon and Sixpence. For the moment, there were only flurries in the air and she glimpsed a small crescent moon close to the horizon and it disappeared behind a cloud and reappeared again giving her a sliver of hope that the snowstorm would be over soon. She just wanted to get back to the normal flow of things. Her body felt dead tired and she knew that she needed some sleep. She said good night to the bus driver and as she walked off the bus she stepped in a massive puddle left by the tracks of previous bused that had stopped here. Her feet were now soaked straight through to her socks and she knew that the combination of being cold and tired usually did not end well. A cold wind had picked up from the east and she was downright uncomfortable. She checked her phone quite briefly which seemed to by a habit that she did not realize that she had picked up. There was a text message from William and from Seth asking if she got home okay.
She did not even realize that she had given William her phone number and she surmised that Seth had gotten the number from William. She really did not want to talk to anybody but she was warmed just a little that somebody was thinking about her and she had no expectations of answering back. She was not particularly adept with the cell phone and never cared to master the worldly art of text messages.
She approached her house and she noticed that there was a light on. She did not remember leaving a light on and she wondered to herself whether her room mates had come home from their ski trip early. Her car was nowhere to be seen. It was an unlikely scenario given the winter barrage that was taking place in the State of Oregon. Winter had come early and it did not seem to be letting up. A shiver ran up and down her spine when she went to un lock the front door as the key turned easily indicating that it was not locked in the first place. She entered the house and there was no need to turn on the lights as the lights were already on and the house was far warmer than anticipated on this colder than normal day. She looked around slowly and the paints were right where she had left them and nothing that she noticed was out of place. She still had this creepy feeling as she usually did not leave the lights on and she certainly did not keep the heat at this level when she was going to be out of the house. She walked back into the kitchen and there sat on the table a box of cheerios and carton of milk. Now she was starting to get a little freaked out. She knew that she would not leave things out such as this. Somebody had been in her place and it just occurred to her that somebody may still be at her place. This was not the quiet night alone she wanted. All she wanted to do right now was to take a warm bath and get a good night’s sleep. She still had to be at work in the morning and it would probably be okay if she did not make it into work, but she really needed the money and the over time would start to kick in.
She walked the steps up to her bedroom and entered the room slowly without saying a word. She hardly made a sound and the floorboards were quiet as she entered her bedroom. Her robe laid where she had put it this morning. Her journal and scratchpad sat on her bedside table opened. She could not recall whether she had left it open the night before. She stood there studying the scene and noticed a puddle had formed at her feet from her incident getting off the bus. She quickly removed her wet and damp socks , threw them over the end of a laundry basket and slip on a pair of soft slippers. She realized that her jeans were also soaked all the way up to her knees and she slid off the slippers and slowly removed her cold jeans that clung to her body. She stood there in her underwear and realized she could be doing this with somebody else in her house. Once again a shiver ran down her spine. She felt like a cliché from a tacky horror movie and this would be place where an intruder would make an appearance. She quickly threw on some old sweat pants and her slippers once again. Not that it made her feel safer but it seemed to be right thing to do.
She walked in the hallway where it was very dark and quiet and she heard some breathing coming from one of the other bedrooms. She walked down the hallway as quietly as she could and she did not even think to knock. She opened the door ever so quietly inch by inch with hardly a sound and there sat her roommate sitting on her bed reading a novel.
“Holy Moley Kris I did not even know you were home. Did you not hear me come in.”
“Yes Uni I heard you come in, you come all the time like that and I never say a word.”
“You usually lock the door when you are home alone and most times half the lights in the house are on, so I did not think you were back from your ski trip. I did not see your parked anywhere.”.
“Oh sorry about that, I must have forgot. My car broke down about an hour out of town. The car is in the shop. My budget is going to be shot for awhile and the ski trip was not in the cards.”
“Sorry to hear that. I am cold and I am tired and I am going to take a warm bath”.
“Yeah you look like hell”
“Thanks”
Seth the Plumber
Seth was up and at it early the next day as he felt somewhat refreshed from an early night and a great night’s sleep. He did not even bother to check in with work as he assumed today would be another snow day. The day had started much like the previous day had ended with a light snow falling once again on a bitterly cold day. As he looked out the window, he saw that the puddles from the night before had frozen over solid. He also noticed that the water in the bathroom was not working and he realized that either a pipe had probably frozen over or he had not paid the water bill on time. He suspected the frozen pipes.
He had time on his hands and he decided in his own mind to tackle the job on his own. He knew that he was not the most handy person but he had good experiences with the plumbing store down the street giving directions for idiots. They usually talked him through a project step by step and after he took copius notes he could muddle his way through. There was no way he was going to get the car out of the driveway this morning, so he dresses as warmly as possible. His outfit consisted of blue jeans, a flannel shirt, a hooded sweatshirt. A ski cap that covered his entire face and some old gardening boots that would certainly keep his feet dry. Hardly anybody had cleared the sidewalks from the night before except ironically the Moon and SixPence had cleared their walkway and he remembered Unix’s odd and sudden entrance from the Bar last night. He hardly knew her but he felt that he liked her and an odd way. She was a bit of a puzzle and a tough nut to crack. As he crossed sandy Boulevard a car skidded quite close to him as he rushed across the street. As he started to sprint out of the way he lost his footing a fell down rather suddenly on his tail bone. My oh my. falling directly on ones tail bone hurt. The pain shot straight down his legs as he got up gingerly and stumbled the remaining two blocks to the plumbing supply store. He walked into the store and there were already a fairly long line of people asking questions and looking for insulation or the perfect tool to complete a home project such as this. He looked in the bargain bin as he hoped the lines would die down soon and he found a copy of A-Boys “Handyman in –Your-Pocket” and leafed through the small writing as he what looked like Unix walked toward him asking him sardonically if he needed help with anything. From the look on her face he did not seem to recognize him as she took on a rather out of place business person approach.
“Yes you certainly could help me. Unix is the name right. I did not know you worked here or maybe I did I am looking for a machine to make something disappear”.
“Okay wise guy I know you are referring to my quick exit last night, but please leave it be.”
“I was only trying to be funny. What I would like to make disappear is a frozen pipe I have in the house”.
“Yeah you and every other person who walked through this door today,”
“Well point in the right direction then.”
She walked over to Seth and said in a hushed tone. “Just walk over to Rite Aid across the street and but the strongest hair dryer they have. That should do the trick”.
Suddenly Gregor appeared on the sales floor and said to Seth, “What she meant is we have a tool right here that is designed to warm up frozen pipes. It works like a charm and it costs only about 40.00 dollars.” Seth could sense the tension between Gregor (he had read his name on his name tag) and Unix and he did not really want to get in the middle of it. But he sort of felt sorry for her because the condescending tone in his voice made it apparent that Gregor was not easy to work with.
Gregor continued to ramble on telling him how Uni never would advance here at A boy because she simply could not sell and he rambled on how plumbing was a place for a man to work.
“Thank you Gregor for your advice, I can see you are a company man but not a community man. I need to own one of these instruments much like I need to own a hair dryer. Which I unfortunately do own. Well it is not mine, my old girlfriend left it behind so I think I will put it to good use.
Seth walked out of the door into the cold morning and the snow was now a heavier powdery snow much like what fell in the mountains all winter long. As his feet hit the side walk he once again confronted by Gregor on the street corner. Gregor simply stood and blocked his way as he once again tried to re cross Sandy Blvd. Seth asked Gregor in a terse tone what exactly is your problem. I am not going to Rite Aid so simply leave me alone.”
Gregor asked Seth to empty his pockets and as he reached in his pocket he realized that he still had the HandyMan book in his back pocket. He must have put it in his pocket without thinking as he talked about alternatives for his clogged pipes. Gregor was really starting to work on his nerves. Gregor asked Seth to come back in the store and was going to write him up for a shop-lifting citation.
“Oh come on man I put the book in my pocket by accident as we were talking. I did not mean to steal a 5.00 book that I can hardly read without my reading glasses. Can I speak to the manager?”
“I am the manager on duty today, You are speaking to him and I am going to write you a citation.”
Seth walked into a wood paneled office that smelled of something familiar but he really could not place it as the smell was dispersed with whatever smells come from a plumbing supply store. But what he smelled the most was fear. Not fear in him but rather insecure fear from Gregor.
Five minutes later he was the owner of a shop lifting citation. There was no denying the fact that he took the book, despite the frenzied circumstances. Despite the fact that Gregor is a complete Jackass.
He walked home mad at himself and to be more exact completely pissed off at Gregor. He was like an insecure security guard at a shopping mall. He was trying to be way more important than he actually was and he obviously had a grudge against Unix. There was no the reason for the ticket.
What a start to the day.
Opal Byers
Opal hated this snowy weather as it made it tough to get around.
Opal loved getting up in morning with a clear head.
Opal hated the idea that she could not have a celebratory drink after she conquered the day.
Opal loved that she had somewhere to go this morning.
Opal liked to cook breakfast.
Opal hated that she should watch her cholesterol.
Opal was walking conundrum as tried to do the things that were supposed to be good for her but she hated that she could not do what she liked which of course was bad for here. She did like having somewhere to go and that place was her daily meeting at the Rehab. She liked calling it that as it was far away from being a Rehab center. It was more like a home with its warm sofas and a soft lamp light. And of course she looked forward to seeing Cabot as he was like a rock to her. His voice made her calm and reporting to him that she stayed away from the booze kept her going. He seemed to have a glow to him when she reported that she had not drank again. She knew that she could not lie to him as Cabot would see it in her eyes. Or she believed that he saw it in her eyes, Her sobriety was a right rope ride. A ride right now that she was not sure she was winning.
Despite the actual argument she had going on in her mind, she sat down and made herself some toast with some nutritional yeast and a some hot coffee she had micro waved from the day before. It is rather rare that older people make serious life style changes but Opal was determined to make real life changes. Recently she decided that she should watch her cholesterol and to achieve this she decided to do the Portland thing and adhere to a Vegan diet. She had a difficult time walking any distance and she always had a problem with her weight so decided to go the Vegan route to get some health issues under control. It was a difficult decision for her as in the last few years she was happy to get any food that she could, but now she was more determined than ever to only put healthy food into her body. She hated taking pills for anything so she opted to go this route.
Opal walked the nine blocks over to the Rehab Center on 40th. . Every step of the way hurt her hips and her lower back. The icy sidewalks were not much help at all as each step was an adventure as the snow started to sting her eyes. As she walked down Sandy Blvd and toward 40th she could see an employee at A Boy plumbing questioning a little older gentleman. It looked like the argument was over some sacred yellow hymnal. She thought to herself what good it was to fight over religion. It does not get anybody anywhere. Opal had become a little more spiritual in her older days but she doubted the existence of god as if there was a god she would be able to drink and have little trouble with it. But still on days like this she was looking for her own personal Jesus. Some guidance in her life that would calm her to the core so she could be alright with the world. She quicky crossed Sandy and realized she had gone one block too far. She thought she was losing her attention to detail but she half heartedly excused it as a result of the little spat she saw one block back . What did it really matter anyway as she was her own little island. There was nobody there beside her to judge her successes and failures.
What really bugged her was that she now had to walk three extra blocks and with her rate of stumble she looked like she was going to be late for the Rehab’s center openings. She always liked to greet Cabot when she walked in the door. He was a kind warm man and his influence on her life had been considerable in the short time that she had known him. She walked even slower the last three blocks back to the Center as the wind was blowing out of the East keeping the city cold for this time of year. She opened the door to the center and took in waves and waves of warm air. This place felt like home to her. She walked in and slowly started to pur her coat and scarf on to the coat rack that for now was bare except for one large flannel jacket that she knew did not belong to Cabot. She saw sitting alone Rodger. She did not know Rodgers last name and she only remembered him because he pretty much looked like Kenny Rogers. He even wore wide belt buckles and an out of place Cowboy hat that made him look the part.
“Hey Kenny how are you today?”. Opal asked with little enthusiasm.
“I am fine opal what is wrong with you?”
“Nothing is wrong with me Kenny what got you so riled up.” Opal fired back as she slid off her boots and put them in the corner.
“Opal you know my name is Rodger”
Opal gave out a cackle and a laugh that almost seemed out of place and said, “What did I call you Rodger?
“Opal it doesn’t matter, sometimes I really think that you do that on purpose just to stir the pot.”
“Kenny I am not that complicated, knock it off”
Rodger seemed a little agitated and he went over to the card table and continued his solitaire game that he was well on his way to losing since there was a ten of clubs sitting under the table that he did not know about. It appeared that he was moping by himself, but Opal was not one to get subtle hints and she marched toward him and asked him if as nothing had happened where Cabot was today. He was usually in before the both of us and beside she was really looking forward to seeing him.
Rodger took a long look at her while looking directly into her pale brown eyes and then sat back and put his feet up on the card table and said “Opal I thought somehow you would have that information. I came in about 15 minutes ago and Cabot was being led out of the place by some official looking people. I really do not know who they were. I do not think he was in handcuffs or anything but sure as hell took him out of here and it was clear by the look in his eyes that it was the last thing he had expected this morning.”
“Kenny I know you may think I know something but I have no idea in world what that was about”
At this time Bismarck a dreadful droopy eared military veteran of 3 to five wars, depending on his story that day walked into the Center and asked Rodger “Where is Cabot?
“he took the day off Bismarck”
Bismarck soon went into his own little world and went off on Rodger about when you are fighting a war there are no days off. We just put our canteen down in the morning of blinding snowstorm and marched at the enemy.”
“Different war there Bismarck.” She grumbled As she sat down across the table from Rodger.
Opal sat by the window watching the snow fall harder than it had in the last few days. She sat and concentrated on a single snowflake and watched it hit the ground with the delicacy of a rose petal. She just looked up into the angry sky and hoped for redemption,
Where was Cabot. She could really use him know.
Back in the Swing of Things
Kendra woke up unusually late for her as Beetle had nestled herself in the bed. She hated to admit it but she loved this dog but she had to get it back to Seth. She was curious why he was not a little bit concerned about her but to be honest the contact between the two had been minimal. And she wanted to keep it that way. She needed a fresh start in Portland and part of that fresh start was as little contact with Seth as possible. She admitted to herself that not much was going to happen in the near future with all this crazy weather. But she was eager to get started on her once again new life in Portland. Where most people would be content to relax a little bit after an extended stay overseas she was a woman of motion. She wanted to be doing something. All her life she had been an activist of sorts and she had always loved her volunteer stints as well as her working at paying jobs helping other people. She wasn’t particularly good at working on her own problems but she felt she could contribute helping others.
She thought briefly about call Seth but she really liked having Beetle around. She was back home and alone for the foreseeable future and for most of the Dog’s life she was just as much if not more of an owner to Beetle than Seth actually was. She had made plans to have lunch with her Sonia just to get out of the house. Her and Sonia had been friends back many years ago when they both worked on various social issues. Sonia always liked working on issues that had to do with Gay and Lesbian issues. Kendra loved working these issues also. She always thought that Gay and Lesbians people were most likely born this way and should have the same rights as the rest of society. She was not steadfast in this belief, as she also believed that if somebody stumbled into a gay or lesbian relationship and had a positive experience that they may decide to continue down this path even if it wasn’t coded into their genetic make-up. She had no problem with Sonia being a lesbian. She also knew that she was not a lesbian as for the most part she loved the experience of being with a guy. It felt good. It felt right. But one never knows as she kind of relished the role of being a lesbian as in Portland it is not out of the ordinary and she knew it would piss of some of her few right leaning religious friends.
She took a cab over to Broadway and 26th to Costello’s European Café. She always loved that place because it catered to the soccer crowd. They always had a premier league game on and there coffee was strong and hot. She had hoped the place had not changed much. She was nervous to meet Sonia because they had not seen other for the last three years and the only correspondence was occasional quirky postcards on odd days such as International Woman’s day. Sonia walked in right after her and she looked like she had not changed at all. Her reddish brown hair flowed out from underneath a European beret.
They both had a steaming hot cup of strong black coffee. Costello’s was exactly as she remembered it and they had the Fulham game on the television. It did not take up the entire room but rather served as a little distraction. It seemed funny to Sonia that she had just got back from Europe and here they sat in a European pub in Portland. It also served as a whimsical ice breaker. They sat down and talked they did not skip a beat since the last time they were together. Good friendships seem to work out that way.
Sonia told Kendra about her life as she was in a steady relationship with a girl named Paula and they seemed to be getting along well enough. She told her about her various jobs she was holding down to make ends meet. She did let slip she had a part time job at the Moon and Sixpence and that she liked the job enough and the tips were pretty darn good. She said that she seemed to have a story to tell every night. She even suggested to Kendra that until she could get back on her feet that she should come by and talk to manager as one of the waitresses was leaving on an extended trip to South America.
Kendra recalled the moon and Sixpence back to when her and Seth were together. She remembered going there only once but she recalled that Seth rather enjoyed the place without her. She did not let on to Sonia that her ex probably has been there a time of two in the last few years. She kept that to herself. She did not even recall that Sonia knew anything about the relationship.
Kendra answered flatly that she was not really cut out for the bar scene and left it that. After they had finished their coffee Sonia suggested they go for a walk and get some fresh air. Kendra thought that would be a good idea as she could see how the place had changed over the last couple of years.
They meandered through Grant Park taking the time to look at the snow that accumulated in the trees. The snow had tapered off quite a bit and there were patches of blue sky. The sun occasionally filtered in through the trees leaving stark beautiful shadows in the snow. Sony asked Kendra what were her plans now that she was back in Portland. “Do you plan on keeping this place weirder. I know I am doing my part.”
Kendra explained how she needed to find full time work in before the end of the year before she had to dip into her meager savings.
“I hope the newspapers in Europe have reported the fact that the economy is horrible here in the States. Portland was no different than the rest of the country.”
“Yeah the news outlets in Europe are more than happy to report such stories. They almost seem to relish in it. Reading the papers over there I thought they were over stating the problem.”
“They are not.” Sonia stated rather harshly as they made their way over to the Hollywood district. Sonia had to be at work in 45 minutes and Kendra had planned on just on taking the bus that runs down 42nd toward her home.
It was at this point they saw a woman walking very slowly down the street and she looked like she had been in argument. She was obviously struggling to walk on the icy streets. She was mumbling under her breath something about “just when you think you can depend on something” or at least that is what she sounded like she was saying. She really looked despondent and suddenly Kendra felt very sorry for her. She remembered the struggles her own mother had when she lived on her on. How her own mother had conversations with inanimate objects. She remembered how her mother was just plain sad and how she wished she could have been there to help her through her extended periods of depression.
She walked over to lady and said “Can I be of any Help”
Sonia just laughed and said it was the same old Kendra.
It’s a Man’s World
Unix was beside herself at work today. Work was rather crazy with everybody needing supplies to either keep their house warm or to keep their house working. She only got to take her lunch break with only an hour left in her shift as the crowds had died down. She sat down and at the lunch table and layed out her sandwich she had packed in the morning. She really wanted some soup but what she wanted more than ever was thirty minutes of peace and quiet. She was rather angry that Gregor had pulled the macho card and issued a citation for Seth stealing that book. The last thing she wanted was Gregor lingering in the break room. Which he insisted on doing. He actually stayed in the room and did push-ups as Unix ate her lunch. As he did the push-ups, he counted them out as completed each one. He was like a peacock showing off it’s feather to his mate.
Uni sat and appeared to completely ignored Gregor as he did his push-ups. She did not say a word and did not even acknowledge him being in the room. She sat and ate her sandwich and read her book which seemed to fire Gregor up even more.
“Unix when are you going to realize that this a Man’s world. You are not cut out for working in a place like this. I saw you on the sales floor telling people they really do not need our product. Look how you are dressed, nobody takes you seriously. I’ll bet you would have left that low life leave the store with the book he was trying to steal. You do not have the balls for that.
“Gregor you are like some of the toilets we sell. Are you done with your little spiral.?
“No I..” he started to say as Unix answered curtly.
“Well You better be. Mr. Assistant Manager” with an emphasis on the first syllable of Assistant..
Unix stormed back onto the sales floor and looked around and saw that there was nobody else and headed immediately back to the lunch room.
“I am going home early, you better came back with a better attitude tomorrow or you are going to be sitting on the same side of the law as the earlier shop lifter:
“I didn’t do anything that could be interpreted as against the law.” Gregor huffed loudly.
“Neither did he Gregor, Have a nice evening.”
Unix headed out the front door immediately heading to the place where the bus was to pick her up. She sat and waited and waited. She could feel herself getting madder by the minute as the fury inside her that was Gregor was multiplied by the anger she had for the bus that would not arrive. She stood on the street corner and cliché type of thing happened to her. Something you would see in a movie signifying a bad day. Yes a man riding a mountain bike put on the breaks right in front of her sending slushy snow all over her legs and mid section. Not exactly a bus or a car, but enough once again to get her soaked to the bone. She was slowly becoming cold. And in a fit of utter frustration with the day Unix had had there was a moment of enlightenment. Or a moment a pure survival tactic she remembered Seth lived next door to William Donovan. She had been to his house before returning his dog. She questioned in her mind why she had crossed paths with him on so many obtuse occasions.
She decided to walk the eight blocks toward Seth’s house instead of waiting for a bus that may or may not arrive. Pure anger and basic Maslovain (sic) need pointed her in that direction. She knew she had to get out of her shell somehow but right now she felt like she was being pulled out of her shell one turtle leg at a time. She did not think about it again and slowly began the march to Seth’s house. Well not exactly immediate as she stopped into Trader Joe’s to get some dog treats for Seth’s dog.
This is where she ran into the man that just popped up in her life at the most random times. Anthony was like where’s Waldo. He seemed to appear out nowhere and right now she was not really in the mood for idle chat.
“Hey Uni” he yelled in the parking lot as she left the store. Unix walked faster hoping he would think it was not her but surprisingly he sprinted over to her the full sprint mode and Anthony was not the sprinting type. As he approached near her and tried to stop he must have caught his heel or maybe he was not used to running that fast and he ended up falling heels over head out of control over. There were lemons, ginger and shallots spread all over the ground as Anthony rolled on the ground like a soccer player faking an injury in the late stages of a match.
Unix looked at Anthony for a second and smiled a fiendish smile from the side of her mouth and uttered the most useless words that could out of her mouth/
“Anthony what are you doing buying shallots?
Anthony writhed around on the ground for awhile soaking up the snow and slush from the Trader Joe’s parking lot. Unix stood there also freezing just the same and waited for Anthony to say something. She thought to herself that this was not her fault, in fact nothing is this day was her fault.
“I have no idea what a shallot is, my sort of girlfriend “,He laughed like he was ashamed he had a girl friend” texted me and asked me to get one at the store. My ankle is killing me, do you have a cell phone so I can call her”
Unix had no cell as she could not locate it work when she wanted to call her mother so her answer was a simple no.
Suddenly panic set in and she realized she should not dwell on her problems of the day. The pure humanitarian in her came tumbling out in a fit of overwhelming emotion as she looked at Anthony and whispered “Are you okay, Is anything not working?
“I think I am going to be fine, I just feel like a clumsy idiot” . Anthony sensed the softening in Unix and using it to his advantage and whispered back. “I just need to get out of these clothes. I am freezing.
“Let me help you up, come with me: Unix resolutely replied. She replied with the weight of resolution that had been her day. Of course Anthony heard her reply in an entirely different way. There in the parking lot of Trader Joe’s parking lot sat a case study in male female miscommunications.
They both got up without a word between them and headed for Seth’s house a mere eight blocks away. Anthony had no idea where he was going. Unix had some idea where she was going .
She looked at Anthony and said to him smugly, :”You forgot one thing on your shopping list.”
“How would you know that?, you have not seen my shopping list”: Anthony said as he rolled up the legs of his blue jeans..
Unix followed suit and rolled up her blue jeans exactly as Anthony had. “I think you forgot to get beer:
“How did I forgot that. Who forgets beer ?”
“You did Anthony.”
Some Conflict Here
Seth got home in a surprisingly upbeat mood with un underlying yearning to be pissed off. He buzzed around the house like a humming bird on caffeine so much so that he that he went home and cleaned up the house like a man possessed. He spent the better part of a frenetic hour cleaning counters, putting away dishes, running the vacuum cleaner then even much to his surprise he cleaned out the refrigerator. It had not been done in years. Seth was like, as when he had extra energy he did not let it go to waste. He usually went with until has adrenaline tank was depleted but he wanted more. The sound of his cell phone ringing completely caught him off guard. He looked at the faceplate much to his mood for the day it was his boss. Seth thought to himself, that we are in the middle of the snowstorm and nerve of him to call me. What rational was left in him thought suddenly that maybe his boss had wanted him to do some type of work at home. If he would have thought about his work even once he could have easily logged in from home as the rest of team have been doing. It never crossed his mind as he puts a giant separation between his work life and his home life. Being at home made him think of the home and hardly a thought about his work.
He dreaded picking up the phone and he didn’t. He let it ring and go to his voice mail. The phone rang again five minutes later and Seth didn’t even have to look at the phone and knew that it was his boss calling. He would have to call him back in the near future. He knew that one fact. He just didn’t know exactly when. He just walked over to the refrigerator and opened a bottle of beer. A nice frosty bottle of JublelAle. He loved this beer; This Ale had a deep rich wintery taste. This beer only came out in the late fall and through the winter holidays and was special treat to many in Portland. He just sat back in his favorite chair and put his feet and admired the packaging on the Jubel Ale bottle. Each year it had a unique winter scene which was beautiful and you tended to like the design more and more as season moved along. The first Jubel Ale of the Winter was special. He could feel himself relax and a cloud lift from over him. Suddenly there was a burst of sunlight that trickled through the windows and it made the room sparkle. He sat and enjoyed a moment of quiet for good five minutes as he consumed his beer.
Rather enjoying this unexpected calm in his everyday usual head churning world was somewhat addictive as he headed to the refrigerator where he poured himself two more bottles of Ale into a large mug he had taken home from a trip to Bavaria. He thought to himself that he was in the mood to just sit in his favorite chair and just relax, why would he want to get up more than once.
Before he sat down for good he flipped on the radio and the real world was filtered in. It suddenly dawned on him that it Wednesday and he had not done a single work activity. And what had he accomplished in the last few days. The answer to his own question was absolutely nothing. He had even managed to get himself arrested in the mean time. But that was what snowstorms were all about. They were about neighbors hanging out and enjoying each other’s time. Snowstorms were about stolen time. Time you could steal for yourself. They do not happen often in Portland and why not take advantage of it. Then his mood suddenly plummeted as he thought to himself that he had not been taking advantage of it.
He just sat in the chair and read for a full hour and lost himself in his book and his first six pack of Jubel Ale for the season. He had consumed four in the last hour and he didn’t even think twice about it. He just sat there on the chair and read, He read a novel about that he would not have read if it had not been a book club choice of the month. This month’s book was a pseudo sci-fi book about a girl named Gratuity who is the female protagonists. Boov, Lucy, the BOOB , Gorgs, Pig, and Pig the Cat. A rather rare book he initially could not understand but it was sinking today as real life slowly faded away and his culural side kicked in. He had always nurtured this side of himself and at times despised the programmer, business side of himself that our society rewards with financial incentive.
He sat and read his book ands xavored his beer as he soon realized it was starting to get late. If he was going to continue to read he would have to turn on a light or two. And then he realized he had not called his boss back. His boss was working from the east coast and he would surely have had left for the day. He was not going to call him now . He certainly did not want to interrupt his bosses home life balance. Everybody was entitled to that. He thought for awhile and realized he had no idea whether his boss had a home life at all. He knew nothing about the man. He really didn’t care to know anything about the man. But he knew that he should just call him. Instead he rationalized that he would wither try to drive to work tomorrow or at least log in from home. He would b and handle that tomorrow.
He realized that he was just staring off into space just thinking to himself, what a mess he had made of his life but also how happy and relaxed he was at this point in time. I could walk away from this so called job and live off my savings for the next six months. He thought about the economy for a second and thought that it would be rash of him to walk away while he still received a paycheck for not going to work, He still had debates in his mind while he thought that he was relaxing.
He almost nodded off to sleep thinking about all of this and enyoying the last couple of hours and all of a sudden there was a gentle tap tap ay the door. He ignored it much the same as he ignored his phone call from his boss. He just settled back toward dreamland and another knock followed by an immediate ring of the door bell. Maybe his senses where far too relaxed or he did not care at this point he bolted up from has respite and stumbled slowly toward the door. It was a slow walk and as he approached the door ,with its big clear windows , he noticed that it was the girl from the store today as well as somebody he recognized from just living here.
He answered the door quite slowly and for some reason he greeted them at the door. He walked out on to the porch and searched his memory bank for each person’s name. .He drew a blank. He knew Unix’s name, even though he had no idea why somebody would give their child that name. The other man on the porch he knew that he has seen him around town. He had no idea his name.
Unix sauntered into the house rather quickly and without much of an explanation and then ran toward the fire place that seemed to be losing steam quickly. She stood there for a full ten seconds and closed her eyes as she stared off into nowhere. She wasn’t really in the room as she was an object gathering heat from a fading fire. Anthony stood in the living room looking very much out of place. He just stood there and looked at the hard wood floor one would guess searching for what he should say next. H e wondered to jis gullible self, What exactly was he doing here/
Unix probably thought the exact same as did Seth in his own house. Seth was still in his escape mode and it had not registered that he had visitors in his house that he had not invited.
Hey Seth sorry to be bugging you here. I got out of my shift today and sat and waited for a bus and they just weren’t running today. I am also freezing cold as some crazy guy on a bike splashed me and I am pretty much soaked to the bone. Here Anthony and I brought over some beers.
Hey there Anthony it is so nice to be formally introduced to you. I have seen you around town. You also look like you are wet also.
Anthony laughed his goofy laugh that was distinctive to him but he did not answer as he edged his way toward the fireplace. Seth found himself happy to have company. It has been awhile since he had real company. The night was quickly turning clear and cold and it was a nice night to be home. It seemed that the stormy weather had died down for awhile but the cold weather was going to stick around for awhile.
“Hey you two get up stairs and get a shower before you get really cold. Just throw your clothes out in the hallway and I will throw them in the dryer. Anthony why don’t you be a gentleman and let the little lady hop in the shower first.” Seth really seemed energized by the company.
Wow Unix said, “For a guy you really keep a clean house. Hey point me toward your dryer, I will just throw my clothes in the dryer and they will be warm and toasty when I get out.”.
“Yeah that will leave you without any clothes to make the trip to the shower and really do not want you walking naked right past us.” Seth said almost regrettably.
Of course Anthony chirped in donning his quirky smile. “That would be bad because?”
“Yes I never thought that far ahead.” Unix said as she sounded almost embarrassed.
I have a robe hanging there by the front door. You see it there the blue one.
“Got it, Thanks a lot, I have to get moving. I am really starting to catch a chill.”
“Get moving Plumber Girl, I’ll start the shower so it is warm when you get up there.”
“Thank you Mr. Book Thief” she said playfully as she rolled her socks off.
Seth had put that part of his day away and had forgot about it, and now he remembered real briefly what an idiot her co worker had been that afternoon and how we the now the owner of a misdemeanor.
She picked up that this made him feel uncomfortable and she almost instantly regretted saying it.
She slipped the robe over her shoulder and took off her jeans under her robe. She explained the she hoped they did not mind because it was almost toasty up here and she assumed it was cold in the basement. She did the same with her shirt never revealing anything unless the boys were watching really hard. She met Seth’s eyes and handed him her damp clothes which he immediately walked down to the dryer.
She walked up to shower and started the water all by herself. The hot water felt great against her body. She really thought she could fall asleep right here and she would be perfectly happy.
Anthony was down on the sofa next to Seth as they watched the fire burn bright and warm. It was the perfect fire for the day. It really filled the room with heat and it smelled warm and homey. Seth opened a beer for himself and Anthony and he handed one to Anthony . Anthony opened it quickly, took one big sip, thought for a few seconds and said to Seth.
“Dude I hear got arrested today.”
Seth heard the water turn off in the shower and thought to himself that was one fast shower. Soon he heard Unix yell down the steps. “Where is that infamous hair dryer you spoke so poetically about.
“Very funny. It is under the sink.”
Then Seth thought to himself. He had gone to the plumbing store to fix a frozen pipe. He had done nothing at all to fix it. It had fixed itself for now. He lamented the thought that he went to the store for something he did not really need as the pipes had fixed themselves and now he had a girl in his shower.
Maybe his luck was changing.
Opulent
Opal was out of her mind despondent earlier this afternoon as she panicked when she found out that Cabot had been taken away. She found herself wandering the streets in the snow without any direction or need to be anywhere. All she wanted to do was to go home and open up the big box of wine that she had at her place. But was her general default over so many years that she had kind of gotten used to it. She had no demons to fight off right now she just really needed somewhere to go and somebody to talk to. She had stayed at the center for awhile thinking that Cabot would be back of some activity to her liking would unfold. None of that happened. Actually nothing at all happened. The place grew very quiet and she headed out into the snow and started walking toward her place. She didn’t want to go there but she had no other place to go. And Kenny Rodgers or whatever his name was seemed determined to just tag along. Not exactly the company she wanted.
She could feel the anxieties of her pass creep in on that cold and snowy afternoon. She felt her life was inching in the right direction and that Cabot had a lot to do with that. But today she found herself aimlessly walking around the Hollywood district. She could feel herself losing her grip with reality. She could actually feel it as most people when they have lost their grip were not in a great place to even recognize that they had lost it. But she could feel the strangle hold slipping inch by inch and at that point in time she was not capable of stopping it. She also seemed to being losing grip with her mind body connection as most movements became exaggerated and grossly wrong. She felt she could not control her body. To an outsider she probably looked like somebody who consumes mass quantities of alcohol.
She fell over trying to navigate some snow that was piled outside the Billiard Hall on 41st. She was so frustrated as when she would fall it took her a long time to get up. Her hands really hurt not from being cold from holding them in such a tense grip. It was also the inevitable late middle age setting in and that frustrated her even more. She hated growing old with a passion. And today her body and mind doing what she hated more than anything that being acting its age. She felt like she had dozed off a little as she tried to get up from another clumsy fall over packed snow bank that was in the middle of the intersection. She sat there looking up just trying to figure out how she could gain some strength and composure. She remembered that she lay prone in the street looking for some divine intervention. She almost felt for a few seconds that she plan just given up. She looked up and watched the snow fall slowly to the ground and she remembered actually see the sun trying to peak through the clouds. It was snowy rather heavily and the sun was trying to make an appearance. It was a surreal moment of clarity of sorts.
But then what she saw she first saw as in illusion. It felt like she was losing in just a little more as two woman’s faces appeared almost angelic right in front of her eyes. She reached out and tried to touch the illusion and she was shocked when she touched a real persons leg that seemed to attached somehow to one of the faces looking down on her. The one girl smiled deeply and knelt down right next to her and said to her “Hey there, do you need some help. These are tough streets to manage on a normal day and in this weather a woman your age probably should not be navigating this alone.”
“yeah like I have a choice in the matter, this weather is hard for everybody. And I do not seem to seem to be winning the battle today. Could you kindly give me a hand and I can take it from here.
Kendra pulled Opal on to her feet and Opal stood in the middle of the intersection for a full ten seconds as the snow fell less slowly around her and the sun gre ever brighter in the sky. It was the first sun light that she had seen in the last week as far as she could remember. It didn’t matter as car traffic on the East Side of Portland was basically no existent. People were noe getting around on sleds, walking or the occasional mountain fanatic who used it as an opportunity to employ their cross country skis or snow shoes. Kendra for no reason known to Opal, gave her a big warm hug and slowly guided her to Laundromat on the next corner. Kendra guided them to the Laundromat one step at a time like she had been in this situation before. Sonia helped as much as she could but was constantly cognizant that she had to be at work in minutes. Opal was just plain happy to be walking and her faith in mankind that people could be so nice. She was so tired from the struggle but she seemed to be regaining her senses as she took in the hum of the driers drumming their warm repetitive beat.
Opal sat wrapped in a warm blanket that Kendra had snatched off the drying table. She seemed content and happy to sit down and talk to somebody. She looked Kendra straight in the eyes and said “Thank You. My name is Opal Byers. It is a strange way to meet somebody but it is very nice to meet you.
“Hi my name is Kendra. Are you okay. You looked a little disoriented and obviously on a day like this cold.”
“Kendra I am fine. It has been a bit of a rough day over at the center. I was supposed to me with Cabot. Cabot was my knight in shining armor. He has been such a big help to me. I battle everyday with demons and trying to get my life right and he has been such a big help. I was ready to meet with him and they told me that Cabot had been taken away. I really do not have details on why he was taken away or when he is coming back or if he is coming back.
“you look a little flustered tell me what is going on. Tell you what let me walk next door and get you a warm cup of coffee. They may even have some warm soup ”.
This was a natural way for Kendra to be. When there was somebody less fortunate than her it was her nature to help. She was just wired that way. She walked over to JazzKats café and quickly returned with two large cups of coffee, some cream, sugar and a bowl of Tomato basil soup that the café donated after they had apparently they witnesses Kendra helping Opal on the street. Or maybe this is the nature of people during an extended snowstorm. People seem to be friendlier and reach to strangers.
Kendra sat down and listened to Opal’s story with her undivided attention. Opal just let it pour out. She talked about her past problems with drinking and cigarettes. She told her about how she lost her previous job because she was drinking. She told the details of her nursing credentials and how she wanted to back in the workforce. She talked again how she wished she could go back to drinking now. She explained how Cabot in the short time that she knew him was helping turn her life around. Then she asked if the tomato soup was made with milk.
“Why do you ask that” Kendra queried.
“I am trying to do this Vegan thing and milk is not part of the routine”
Kendra was a little bit shocked by this but nothing really surprised her. “Sorry it never occurred to ask you about dietary restrictions”. As Opal sat there and surped the soup like she had not eaten in days. She seemed warm and content and kept of talking.. Opal felt comfortable talking to Kendra.
“How about you there Kendra what is your story.?”
“Don’t worry about me Opal Beyers. I just happened to be walking through the Hollywood district with my friend Sonia.” She looked around and Sonia was nowhere to be found. Then she looked at her watch and noticed it was getting late in the afternoon. It was starting to get dark outside and but the snow had stopped completely. She sat and listened and enjoyed the overwhelming quiet of the afternoon. Soon somebody came in with a roll of quarters and a few loads of wash.
“I’ll tell you what Opal. I just got back from overseas and I have a little time on my had and less a sense of urgency than you. I have some experience as a social worker and I might have a little luck talking to the people at the Center. Rehab Centers do not just close out of the blue. Maybe I can help you get to the bottom of this.”
Kendra I do not want to be a bother to you. We just met a few hours ago and you are being all nice to me. I have to apologize up front as I am not easy with trust. But something deep in side of my likes you. She sat and stared out into the distance almost like she was dreaming and asked Kendra. “Let me know if there is anything I can help you with. Thaat would only be fair?”
Well Opal you can help me by meting me at Center tomorrow at 10:00. Is that the place over by little Unitarian church.?
Yeah that would be the place.
Stars Twinkle One Star at a Time
It was a perfect clear cold night. The stars had a distant twinkle to them that almost made it look like they were winking at you. The aroma of the smoke from the neighborhood fireplaces accented the cool crisp air. The streets were still fairly snow covered having lost little depth to the usual passing cars. The streets were abandoned now as a single sinewy coyote pranced down the street like it was in the middle of the wilderness and headed toward the back of the Burger Bar on the corner. You could hear the jangle of a trash can lid in the distant. This sound was made all the noticeable only because of the absolute quiet of the night. You couldn’t even hear the usual distant roar of Banfield in the back ground. The world takes on a completely different character when cars are taken out of the picture.
Inside the Moon and Sixpence was almost as quiet. Candles were lit and sat on each table gently swaying when the front door was opened. Several tables had a few small groups and two people sat at the reading a book. Emily also sat at the bar reading . It had been a crazy period when the snows came and she was just plain tired. Not really brain dead, rather hut body hurt. The part of her body that hurt the most were her feet. The balls of her feet were in a great deal of pain. In her choice of warm shoes verses comfortable shoes she always opted for the warm shoes. So she just sat and read her book in silence just enjoying the night. They were playing some jazz on the sound system. She had put the cd in back room cd player over the objections of the cooks who were cleaning up for the night. It was an extra special night as not only she picked the music but she could actually hear it. Sonia had left a few hours ago as she was not needed and she had personal matters to attend to anyways.
One of the men at the bar caught her eyes as she scanned the room seeing if anybody needed anything from her. She walked over to him what he would like and he asked for a beer and a shot. Up until now he had not been drinking and seemed content to sit and read. After she read three beers of the list he just said “I will take one of those.”
She assumed that this meant that he wanted the Guinness. That was the third beer that she had read to him from a list she at one time had a hard time memorizing. She repeated back to him. “A Guinness and a Jamison’s. “
He looked up in what appeared to be a condescending smile and he barked back rather loudly. No I said I wanted the Seasonal Ale you described. “
“Okay” she answered demurely. “I guess I get a little zealous when I described the Jubal Ale. I happen to like it” She said trying hard to be friendly. She noticed that he did have the faint scent of alcohol even if he had only sat reading. It is a sign you look from your patrons when they first appear to act angry.
She turned rather quickly with the shot and a perfect Jubal Ale in a traditional twenty two ounce British drinking vessel. The man at the bar gave a real quick thank you with his face half in his book and half glimpsing occasionally to the front door. A Emily sat down and started to read her book again, she glance up briefly and noticed that the man had downed his shot and had already started on his beer. It didn’t matter to her as long as he didn’t get angry and surly. She wasn’t worried about him driving because the streets were empty of cars. Even if he drove all he would hit is an icy snowbank. She didn’t figure anybody would try to drive in weather such as this.
She noted with curiosity the book he he was reading was not traditional fair for the clientele at this bar. Most people sat and read the local liberal newspapers or they read fiction. The book he was reading seemed to be one of those self help managerial books about highly effective people. He sat and read and highlighted as he read. He seemed to get a little agitated as he read in his book and consumed his Ale. She walked over to him and asked how he was doing on his beer and if he was in need of another one. He said that he would like a Guinness because the previous beer seemed to be a little strong for his liking. She responded that she would be right back with it as soon as she checked on her tables.
She finished her rounds of her tables and it seemed like everybody was in a fairly mellow mood and where mostly chit chatting. She walked over to the man at the bar and brought him a Guinness which seemed to take extra long to tap. The tap systems were working rather slowly and Sonia was the one that usually took care of this. This was not exactly her area of expertise. She asked him if everything was okay and he indicated it was but he joked that he thought that she had gone home for the evening even though if he looked around it was clear that she had not gone anywhere.
Gregor seemed to have been born into the old fashioned idea that woman were inferior to men and that they should be waiting on him. He recognized that society was not exactly constructed like this but it was always the model that he grew up with and he embraced it. But something inside him told him that it was an idea that head come and gone and somehow eventually he was going to have to change. He liked being an assistant manager at the plumbing store, It was his work that defined him. He had never earned his bachelor’s degree and he had advanced by just understanding plumbing and in his own opinion understanding people. The store was doing well and he felt that he had a lot to do with the store doing well. He was loyal and he certainly could sell. It was a skill set you were born with and nurtured and not everybody could do it well. He only wished the commission model at the store would reward him more for his knowledge and sales ability.
He called Emily over even though he had hardly started on his Guinness. He wasn’t sure where he was going with this. He knew he wasn’t trying to hit on her because she was certainly out his league. His confidence with woman was not very good and maybe that is why he treated woman like he did.
“Do you ever feel like you want to be the boss here. You know kind of run the place and call all the shots.” He said without looking directly in her eyes.
”No not me, I don’t need the headaches. I enjoy doing what I am doing. I like to be done for the day and leave my work behind. They like hiring people who are good with working for people and that is the skill I have. I do not let work consume me.” She said this as she was spraying and cleaning the bar top even though it did not need it. She sensed that she did not want to get too deep into this conversation so she tried to keep her answers vague.
“Yeah I guess I can see a time and place for that. I think if I worked here I would make this place into a moneymaker. You know juke boxes in the corner, DJ’s at night, some lottery machines would do the trick. That was off the top of my head. But I am a business man and I think profit is important. It is pretty much the American way.”
“Dude this is a British pub and part of the appeal is that we do not so things the American way. That is why people come here. It is the lack of a DJ, the laid back attitude and lack of those tacky lottery machines. Do you not like the place the way it is. I have seen you before. You do not seem to hate the place.”
“It is okay. It is near my work and it is and easy ride home for me.” He said as he signaled for another beer.
“You just assume I will respond when you signal for a beer. It would be nice of you to simply ask” She said in a snarky wary as she was getting a bit tired of his all business, all male slant on things. But why did she even care. He was just a customer and she knew that she worked hard for her tip money but with him tonight the difference between goos service and okay service (she never gave bad service) was about seventy five cents. So why did she care. It was this male elitist attitude bugged her to no end. She was not a feminist by any definition of the word, but what was fair. She really had a hard a time with people who were born into money and never appreciated as well as people who were born into bad ideologies that were ingrained into them forever. She assumed that he was the type.
So she dug in. A dollars worth of tip money was no big deal to her and she wasn’t going to put with him if he started off on a tangent that wasn’t to her liking. She kind of welcomed it tonight. She had no idea why because tonight had been such a mellow night all along. She noticed the jazz she had put on had been replaced by some decent ske music. She kind of liked the music, but it irritated her that somebody had switched the music. Bring it on she thought to herself and then she shook herself out of her own private ethics batte and remembered she had other tables to wait. She thought better and reasoned, it would be better to avoid an object that to seek one out. The guy at the bar was probably all bravado. Just liked to talk the big talk.
And suddenly the door opened and brought in a the frosty night air and in walked a man who seriously could hardly walk. His hair was wild and dirty and he had a beard that was trimmed meticulously. He stroked his beard liked an intellectual was presumed to do but he didn’t look that smart. He wore a sporty set of obviously expensive eyeglasses that were slightly askew. When you looked from another angle, he looked a little crazy with eyes fluttering in the dimly lit bar. Snow besmirched the right side of his body. Besmirched is usually used to describe something done to a reputation but this is the correct word hear as the right side of cut could have ruined a reputation. He looked like somebody who could have been a professor at Reed College and the other side of him looked like somebody who had scored some meth on Albina. Here stood an interesting strange man looking like he was either lost, completely smashed or ready to launch into a lecture. He smelled of expensive pipe tobacco, ;he smelled like he had been in a fight, he smelled like he had been in the snow. Everybody turned and looked when he walked into the bar. He could command that much attention. Or you could be repulsed by him.
Emily stood and stared at the grandeur of the man. She stood and stared like she was standing I Washington DC. looking for the first time at the Lincoln monument. He almost had the posture and presence of a grand statue as he stood nearly perfectly still.
Gregor grumble to nobody just so Emily could hear, “Check out the loser who just walked into the bar. I wonder if he is going to pay for his beer in food stamps.” He laughed way too loudly for the voice that he was speaking in and for how the comment landed with a thud. But he was oblivious to that, Emily noticed that he did not slur his words and he seemed pretty lucent.
Emily fought the urge to engage the man at the bar. She ignored the rage that was building up in her, Actually there was no rage in her at all because this looked like a very interesting man. She hadn’t even spoke to the man and he found his presence exciting. He certainly filled the room with it and he was walking toward the bar toward her. This excited her and it also relieved her of having to deal with the man across the bar. The man just walked up and took a seat next to Gregor
“Hi there, after the day I had I would like nothing more than one of your finest season Ales. I take it you have Jubal Ale?” he said as he took his seat at the bar and ran his hand through his unruly hair.
“That is a good choice there sir, I will be right back with your beverage.”
“Thank you young lady, you are very kind. The last time I was in here people were smoking. Is that not okay now.” As he reached for his jacket for what one would expect to be a pipe. He looked like a pipe smoker and he had the salty pleasant pipe smell to him that many would relate to their grandfather.
Gregor sat and fumed and said, “Thank God that rule was changed more than a year ago. Take that smelly stuff outside if you want to smoke. Have you been living in a cave for the last year. Never mind that was a stupid question, I can tell you have been living in a cave for awhile.”
Emily responded in a cheery voice. “I don’t know, I assume you can’t smoke a pipe. People smoke cigarettes out back or out on the sidewalk. It is cold out there so please be careful.”
I will young lady, I am am going to step outside for a smoke. Here is my credit card. I might want to run a tab” He extended his hand to Emily and then to Gregor, “Hi the Name is Cabot, David Cabot. So very nice to meet both of you.”
Sofa King Tempted
Unix sauntered down from her shower and sat down right next to Seth on the sofa. The room was very quiet and comfortable as Seth had put on a Miles Davis Cd (Kind of Blue) as the light and heat from the fireplace filled the room. Anthony took a queue where existed no clue and headed up stairs to take a warm shower. He had a a slump to his shoulders but he still wore his ever present smile. That is all that Anthony did was smile. Seth only wore the long shirt that had come out of the dryer twenty minutes ago. She had left her blue jeans hanging in the bathroom because they were still damp. The shirt was more like a night shirt than a dress as it came to her knees. She glowed warm and happy sitting next to the fire.
Seth was starting to feel the effects of the evening and then he remembered that his boss had called hours, it seemed like eons , ago and he never acted upon it. He thought to himself once again that starting tomorrow he would have to get on top of the work thing. Hopefully there is no more snow and he can drive into work once the day starts warming up. He had started felling the effect of the evening but he also felt the presence of Unix right next to him. Her shirt was hiking up just a little and he comfited by the fact that whe was wearing underwear. He could she was wearing a baby blue pair as she sort of opened her legs a little as turned and looked at him. She readjusted her legs and stroked his ear a little with her right hand and looked directly in his eyes and said, “Thanks for letting us get cleaned up here. I hardly know Anthony but I like him. He isn’t my boyfriend and I am pretty sure he is so happy to be warm. He brought the beer. Can you bring me one?”
Seth got up stiffly, smiled at Unix and glanced back at her once again checking that she was not an illusion. Seth took a while in the kitchen as he checked his cell phone for any activity. He hated when his work entered his thought process during non work time. His occupational goal was a solid separation of the two. He checked his phone and he noticed that he had missed a call from a co worker (why he kept their phone number in his contacts was still a mystery to him) and he check his text message and he had received a message from Kendra that read “I know you have been preoccupied. I have Beetle, I love having Beetle but she is your dog, “You Decide”. Met the Neatest lady today over in your neighborhood. NO HURRY. Seth smiled into the distance for a split second, and returned to the living room with Unix’s beer. The fire felt good to him and he was happy nothing had really changed. The light from the fire lit up her eyes and she looked so content sitting on his sofa.
She turned and looked at him as he sat down on the sofa once again right next to her.”Do you remember a few weeks ago when I showed up on your porch with your dog”
Seth was a bit deflated but with everything going on he had put all of that in the past. He remembered that day once given a prompt.
“Oh yeah. That seemed like a long time ago. I was watching Beetle for a friend so that may explain why she isn’t here now. “
“Yeah I was wondering where your dog got to”
“Hey sorry about my stupid boss this morning. He is a by the books man and he certainly is a company man. What happened with that book?.” She looked like she was readi to fall asleep as she was yawning very deeply with both arms curled in the air. She smiled meekly and curled up on the pillow.
“I do not know. All I know is wasn’t trying to steal the book. To be honest I did not even want the damn book. The print in that book is so small and difficult to read. It was just an accident. I should not have put it in my pocket, but something distracted me. Well you are right about your boss being a bit if an ass. Well there is nothing I can do about that now. It is a fine and nothing on my record so I am just going to chalk it up as bad luck and a bad experience.
Unix walked over to the fire and threw another piece of wood on the fire and took the poker and arranged the logs so the fire would burn better. She looked like she knew what she was doing. It finally sunk in to Seth that she was a decently pretty woman who held herself well. One thing he was assured of was that she really nice legs and hate to admit that he was getting quite excited. He also knew that he quite a bit to drink today. He certainly wasn’t drunk but he knew that he had to be careful. He liked the look of her and he liked that she had come to visit. She walked back to the sofa again and sat next to her once again.
“Why did you come over here tonight?.” He asked. Kind of playfully. “I certainly did not expect to have company tonight. Matter of fact I do not get company all that often since Kendra moved out.
“Who is Kendra?” she asked back returning the playful atmosphere of the night.
“She is my old girl friend. The owner of Beetle.”
“So fresh of a relationship you are?”
“No not really. We broke up a pretty long time ago. She has lived in Europe for the last two years and she just returned recently. I have not seen her since she returned.?”
“So you two going to get back together?” she asked as she curled her legs up under her chin appearing to take in the warmth of the fire and the calmness of the night.
“You never answered the question as to why you came over tonight other than the obvious that you were cold and wet. Did you feel bad for me that boss of your gave me a citation or did you just feel like visiting me.”
“No reason at all really. My bus was not coming in this weather and than a crazy biker splashed me and got me all wet. Then I ran into the ever present Anthony and he just lingers and then he ended up falling. I am really glad the weather has let up some. This has been a bizarre stretch of weather. I remember periods like this before. Back in College we had a storm like this and we took sleds to the stores and we didn’t go anywhere for a week. I like this kind of weather. It brings the best out in people. Hey you don’t mind if I crash here tonight. I have to be back at the Plumbing Store in the morning. Hope that is okay with you?” She yawned deeply once again and she was done yawning Anthony galloped back down the steps with Unix’s now dry jeans in his hands.
“Hey Uni I dried your jeans using the hair dryer.
“Unix can I ask you a question where in the world did you get a name like Unix. It sounds like a name a programmer would give to his daughter.” Seth had inadvertently changed the direction of the conversation to an area where he did not want to take it and he regretted it as soon as he asked it.
It didn’t matter because Unix was fast sleep.
MossMan
The morning started dark and cold and one could feel the moisture and cold once again building in the air. Cabot had been out late the night before and he liked thinking back to last night. It was his first night out in ages and he had enjoyed it deeply. The night had ended with him talking to a waitress and winy obnoxious boy in the British Pub down the street. He enjoyed baiting the man at the bar as he was gullible and would easily take the bait. He bantered with the “Boy” for awhile and did a good job of undermining the boys conservative babble. It got to be such as mismatch and the boy got more and more frustrated that the discussion became the centerpiece of the room. Cabot made the room laugh with some of his comments and after awhile remembered he won over the room. It basically turned into a story telling session. He was in his element and he liked it.
This was after his confusing morning at the Center. He remembers being led away from the center and he remembers it with mixed emotion. He felt bad for Opal Byers because it probably appeared to her that he was being taken down to the police station for criminal activity. It actually felt like that for a brief time. He was into the bakery across the street for questioning about an old client of his who was now suspected in a robbery of a Gem store. Yes a gem store, how much money can a gem store have. He hadn’t taken any money, but the curious thing about the case was that he was in the store dressed as a mossy tree. He literally wore a camouflage sit that plaster with moss into a Gem store. The press portrayed him as “Moss Man” because of his ridiculous outfit. His picture had been on the front of the Oregonian a few weeks back and the story created quite a few comments on the Online addition. Not because of the atrocity of the crime but rather the inane costume that he may or may not have committed the crime in.
It never had registered that the man in those whimsical photos was one of his clients. He briefly read the article once and chuckled at the heading photo more than once as that article sat on his coffee table for a few days. He just chuckled when he saw the picture. The investigators asked him if he had known the MossMan and he pusher their questioning aside as he knew that was an open ended leading question . A question that could get him in trouble even though he was answering truly. Then they asked him about a client of his named Rick Periwinkle. He had remembered the man when asked and how could he not. He was a client of his who just could not speak for himself. He was a politician in some southern state for a while who had fallen on hard times.
The investigators had asked if Rick Periwinkle was the type of person who would do something like this and the only logical way he could answer to say ‘Yes’. H e gave no other information and by the end of the interview he was frustrated yet defiant. He had done nothing wrong, He was taken off his routine as he really wanted to ne at the center. But for today he needed a day at home. He really did not want to go to work so he informed his bosses he was taking the day off. His bosses understood this as a part of doing business and granted him the sick day without any recourse.
Cabot waved to his neighbor Mujibar as he walked briskly to the Yoga studio on 47th and Fremont. He love the walk over to the studio especially on a morning such as this where the wind had started blowing a little and giant white wet snowflakes started to pelt him. He thought to himself that it felt more like rain than snow. He admired these large wet flakes as they were survivors and they would be the last snowflakes to fall in Portland for awhile. When he entered the Yoga studio it took away all the stress of his body. He loved the routine of the yoga, he loved the heat of the yoga, he loved the sweat of the yoga.
But for the ninety minutes the yoga took place he hated the yoga. The 100 degree heat did not bother him much, what really bothered him was how hard a workout it actually was. So little movement but every movement stretched his body beyond what he was comfortable with. It was nice to look around the room during class and see that other students struggle too, Today the girl next to him him simply walked out of the heated room much to the objection of the instructor. He was surprised by how much the instructor had objected. For such a chill out crowd they were vigilant about the rituals of yoga.
He struggled extra hard through today’s class. Yoga can be like that, one day it is karma and the next day it is a struggle of epic proportions. The blind were open in the studio, and his vision veered away from the petite instructor to the outside world. He noticed it had started to snow in earnest once again. He struggled through the last five poses with sweat dripping like a waterfall off his forehead and onto his belly. He continued to sweat even after he has showered right after class, It was a great clean pure sweat that made him feel good. In the middle of a wicked winter he was as warm as he could be and then he experienced one of his favorite moments in his recent life.
The moment that he cherished was when he left the studio, After 90 minutes of breathing and excreting sweat at an insane clip his body was borderline uncomfortably warm. Today was no different except that he was probably warmer than usual after his late night indulgences. The moment he loved was when he walked outside the studio and he breathed the outside air for the first time. No matter the season the air was always crisp and beautiful. It never failed him to appreciate this moment . It was always special to him and the walk home was always a luxury.It was at this point he looked forward to Seeing Marta. She had always bothered him about his weight and lack of fitness and now he was taking care of it. He now carried around confidence that he never really had. He now felt good about himself.
He thought back to Opal as he approached his house. He wanted to be there for her every day, He had got far too connected to her as a client. He knew he needed that separation from his work and his home life. He knew that he had to work on himself. He entered the house expecting the usual “Hey Babe You Are Home”. After twenty three years of marriage he still despised the word Babe. But he still liken coming home and it appeared that Marta was no longer home. It did not bother him in the least. He was happy to have an hour alone to sit and reflect on the day.
While he was at it he should probably reflect on yesterday. Marta soon emerged from the back room and kissed him on the cheek. “It looks like the weather is going turn bad once again. Sorry I got up so late this morning. You got in really late last night. Is everything okay.”
Cabot stood there in the kitchen still soaking wet from his yoga class and he could feel himself starting to get cold. Otherwise he was in an excellent mood as he savored having the day off and he love the post yoga class feeling that over took his mind and body.
Couldn’t be better my dear. I feel great. How about you and me walking down the street for some lunch. How does the Alameda Café. It is always reliable and good. Cabot said this as he was getting out of his wet clothes and promptly headed toward the shower.
He had the sneaking feeling that something was amiss. But he couldn’t place his finger on it. Right now he felt great overall but he knew that all was not right. Just yesterday he had felt disoriented and strange. There were a few hours he could not actually account for. He had walked into that bar last night and he was a mess. He had gone to library to chill and catch up on some reading. It was a peaceful few hours. Then he walked to friends house over near the gold course which was a nice 2 mile walk. He had cut through the golf course ,through snowy trails set by other people using the golf course, to get to his friends house. It was an enjoyable laid back visit where they sat and talked. He took the same route back and while he was walking the golf course he had gotten dizzy and lost his balance. He was not sure how long he laid on the ground. He was disoriented for sure but otherwise he felt generally fine. He had always worried about his mental health, but physically he had problems that he knew of.
As the warm shower water flowed down his back he thought about it for a good long time. He could write off this episode to stress, he could write off this episode to dehydration or he could explain it away to something he had eaten. He certainly could attribute it simply getting older. He also thought about how involved he is with his clients. He had this knack of eventually taking on the ailments that they had described to him. One thing is for certain he was worried about it but he knew it would do no good to explain it to his wife. This would only worry her and get her to ask questions about his whereabouts yesterday. She rarely did that, but when she did it always led to an argument and for today and most days the last thing he wanted was an argument. He just wanted to relax and spend the day with his wife.
As he got out of the shaving after he got out of the shower and Marta stood around him saying very little. She loved her husband and she had married into somebody she knew was quirky. “Hey you know where we should go this afternoon. We should go to Fredo’s today or sometime in the near future as I hear they are opening up in the near future. We both loved that place the few times we were there.
“Yeah I heard the same thing. Ran into John the other day and he said he would be open after Christmas so that is not an option. He did say he was going to have a private party fairly soon and he would call me when he did. Let’s head over to the Alameda and have some lunch I am famished. I love you dear.
Figuring It All Out with Macaroni and Cheese
Kendra got up early also as she took Beetle for a half walk and half run. Beetle was so happy to be with her and it was not like they had skipped a beat. It was one thing she missed when was in Europe was her dog Beetle. She thought to herself that technically it was not her dog as she sort of gave him to Seth the night before her departure. She did it out of an act of kindness because he would be spending a long time with her. She wondered how he could be so negligent about letting her get away but then again that was not ecactly fair either as she rembers several similar episodes with Beetle. Beetle was your atypical Beagle and she just followed her nose. Sometimes that meant scaling a fence, biting through a fence just running when the door was cracked in the least. She was a tall order to track down. Walking Beetle in the newly fallen snow, she watched her gait and she did not seem to have slowed down at all. This made Kendra very happy and it also made her think that Seth was the owner she had suspected him to be. He was all over the map at times but he was great with animals.
Kendra decided to keep on walking over to the Hollywood district with Beetle then she changed her mind rather quickly headed back to the house. She did not like the idea of tying her to a pole for an extended period of time because Beagles can howl and bay . She knew Beetle would do this as she seemed to notice a little separation anxiety in her. She could just sense that in her. Then she changed directions again and headed back toward Hollywood thinking on a day like today she could just take her into the Center, Therapy centers like having a dog around. After another eight blocks she has regretted her decision once again doubting her logic about Therapy Centers, Then she added to her plan in her mind. If worse comes to worse Opal could watch Beetle if she needed to talk to anybody.
She reached the Center at about 20 minutes to ten and she notice the place was as of yet open so she walked over to the Billard Hall across the street. The place was bustling for breakfast and against her own logic she tied Beetle to a tree right outside of the Billiard Hall. She had not eaten breakfast at all and asked Angie (her name tag had said so) if she could get two eggs over easy and an extra piece of toast. Angie said she could get that out quickly as the cook had no orders right now.
It was just then that she heard Beetle doing her Beagle routine outside in the snow. She was howling and making a fuss. She sat and listened for a while and could no longer hear Beetle any more. Either that was a real good sign or a real bad sign. Angie returned with her dish and the eggs looked exactly like she wanted them. They smelled really great. She hadn’t realized how hungry she had become. She dipped the corner of the toast neatly into the drastically yellow middle of the egg and it ran all over plate. Just how she liked it.
She looked up from her plate and glanced out the window at Beetle and she was sitting there quietly. There was a man who looked vaguely familiar petting Beetle and she went back to her eggs and finished them. She slowly rubbed her toast around the the plate like she had enjoyed when she was a kid. She glanced at her watch and soon saw that the it was getting close to ten. Not that she had to be on time but she knew it would make Opal happy if she was on time. She spotted Angie across the room and asked “will ten bucks cover it I have to run”. Angie gave a big smile and a thumbs up. She hadn’t been in the place in three years and she noticed that Angie had been working out or lost some weight. I need to stop back and ask her what her secret is. She is getting older like the rest of us and getting more fit. Not that the athletic Kendra had anything to worry about. But her lack of a strenuous workout in the last week made her feel heavy. She threw down an extra two dollars and headed toward the door. When she got outside the man who was petting Beetle was still there and there standing next to her was Opal Byers.
She looked at the man and then looked at him long and hard. She knew that she knew him from somewhere but couldn’t exactly place her but he eased that uneasy silence rather quickly by calling Beetle by her own name. He petted her and said “Beetle where have you been. I know somebody who is looking for you.” He petted her behind the ears and she (Beetle) seemed to be ignoring as Beagles tend to do when they are outside. Hey Kendra how are you doing these days. I had no idea you were back in the United States. Is Beetle here with you?”
She put two and two together on the spot but hardly was sure of her deduction. She believed in her own mind than that this man was Seth’s neighbor but she was convinced of that. She had hardly seen him when her and Seth were together She assumed he was married and doing things with his wife. She had only been over to his house on one occasion to borrow some basil and surprisingly he had some.
“I was on my way to the bakery and I saw what looked like Beetle sitting here so I stopped. Seth was looking frenetically for her and here she sits. I have not seen him for a few days so he must have found him.” William said as he blew on his hands to keep warm as the winds from the east side started to kick in. Portland is usually all about rain in the winter time but when cold air comes whipping down the Gorge that rain event still exists but now in the form of snow. The cold eastern air had persisted for days and now it seemed like the moisture was kicking in once again. It was now very windy and the snow had picked up considerably.
“Well that is not exactly the way that it happened. Through some random coincidences I got the call from a girl over on 32nd that had her. Apparently my cell phone number was still linked to her ID. But anyways she is safe and sound with me. I am so very happy to have her and I’ll get it straightened out with Seth. I hate to admit this for the life of me I am not sure I remember your first name. It has been a long time. Is it William or Bill or something. I am so bad with names,” She stood there in the driving snow jumping up and down just to keep warm.
“You are not so bad with names as that is correct’”
“Hey I have to be somewhere with Opal here about 10 minutes ago.”
By this time Opal was also cold but she remained patient. “It is really no problem but we best be going and see what happened to Cabot yesterday. Thank you so very much for coming down today. I was not sure if you would make it as I only met you yesterday and with all this rough weather. You are such the trooper. I am forever grateful. A lady my age has a tough time meeting new people and I really like you.” They wave goodbye to William as he headed toward the bakery and they towards the center. The one block walk in the wind and snow was about all Opal could handle today.
Kendra, Opal and Beetle strolled into the Center and there was little to no activity but the doors were locked and open for business. Sitting in the seat where Cabot usually sat was a very young woman (well the same age as Kendra) who was sorting through the paper files much like a substitute teacher would. She had already started the coffee and the rich aroma from the industrial coffee machine filled the room. She had even made a large batch of hot Apple Cider that also smelled delicious. The room was even more warm and inviting than on previous days. These were details that Cabot usually forgot about it and the visitors usually had to fend for themselves.
“Hello there you must be Opal.” The girl said as she extended her out to Opal. “I see you brought your dog with you today. Usually that would not be allowed here but on a day like today there is no way I am going to make you leave him outside. The rest of the guests will probably like having a four legged friend around.” She reached down and petted Beetle behind the ears and it was obvious that she was comfortable around dogs. “My name is Kim and I will be taking over for Cabot today.”
Opal winced a little and started talking real slow. “So did they take Cabot away from here. I was so shocked when they led him away yesterday?. He is my rock he is my guiding light”. She looked so frail and vulnerable as she she echoed these words..
“I do not have information on that Opal. The only information I have is that he is not coming into work today. Everybody takes a sick day once in awhile and I imagine it is not any more than that. Please do not quote me on that but to the best of my knowledge I believe that is the case here.” She looked down at her paperwork as several people were starting to filter into the center.
“From my notes here it also looks like you are quite the person also Opal. I made some coffee and some hot cider please help yourself.”
“Hello there my name is Kendra. I came with Opal. She was a bit concerned about about” She paused for a moment and tried to remember the name of the person that Opal had described and it came to her rather quickly “David Cabot not being here.
Opal excused herself and walked over to the group around the coffee pot and made herself, Kendra and Kim a cup of coffee. She lingered for a awhile as Kendra and Kim conversed.out of ear shot.
“So what in your notes makes Opal so special.” Kendra asked in a far too demanding of a voice than the situation recalled for. .but still she pushed on lowering her tone somewhat when she realized that Kim had viewed her as a threat.
“Hey look here I am only here to fill in for Cabot and I can only go by his notes and I have probably said more than I should already. His noted indicate that he has great interst in Opal. He sees somebody he can help. That is all there is to it. I understand that you only know her briefly but you being here today is a pretty good indicator. Do you agree?
“Kim you have a point there. So tell what is going on with Cabot. From what I have gathered he was led away from the center yesterday.”
“I honestly know very little about that it is my job to fill in when people are out sick. People in this business get sick all the time. It is the nature of the business. You spend a lot of your time healing people and so little time healing yourself. A mental health day is an essential part of being in this business”. Kim crossed her arms as she said this. She had the body language that told the person you were speaking to that you did not like where this conversation was going even if it was innocent enough.
Already fifteen people were at the center when on a usual day there were usually five to ten.Kim had no idea why there were so many people in the center today but she had a sense that her alone could not help all the visitors herself. Not like it was a crowd that was going to get angry, as most of the people in the center seemed to be in a generally good mood. Kim looked at Kendra and asked. “Do you have any experience working with people in group setting that can be a help to me.
“Who in this world has not.” Kendra replied once again in a more threatening tone than she had intended.
“Well I have a larger crowd than I had anticipated and I could really use your help here.: Please just walk around and talk to people here and listen to them with all the energy you have.to Just go with it.
“I got your message loud and clear. Let me make the rounds and talk to people and if I have any problems of epic proportions I will walk over and talk to you If we do not meet before thnt meet me here by the coffee machine at 1130 and we can compare notes.
” Kim you seem to have your heart in the right place and it appears you have not been dealt the perfect cards I have never been in this place before but I can see that it is busier than you anticipated. And given my background I feel van help you.
:For right new now Kendra go and make sure we have enough coffee and juice. As an agency we want to help people first somehow that bottom line approach comes from above, We on the front lines just want to let people talk. That is what makes them think they belong here.
“I can see you are a little panicked, excuse me as I dive head first into the room.” Kendra walked over to a large group in the corner and just listened in.” Nobody seemed to notice and to be honest nobody really cared. Kendra sat and listened how many of the visitors had discussed how that they had never been there . Then it sunk into Kendra that the Veteran’s day parade must be in town . It was sad to her that so many war veterans could actually be out of work or needed community services. She also thought to herself how sad it was that our soldiers actually had to go to war over oil or our general place in the world. She realized the crowd in the Center was only going to be at the center in the near future. She could deal with that for today and for now she decided to give it her all and make this thing work for the day. She just wanted to see what the place was like and whether it was fulfilling Opal’s needs. Not that she could do anything about it if it did not.
The crowd was starting to grow to about thirty people or so. It seemed like the traffic coming in the door had stopped for now. They were at capacity and it seemed like she needed some food for the lunch time crowd. She went over to Opal and asked her if lunch was usually served at the center and she said they usually had bagels with assorted butters, peanut butter or cream cheese. She walked over to Kim and asked what they were going to do for lunch and Kim indicated that she was not prepared for a crowd suck as this as they only had a dozen bagels. From what she had gathered the supply truck had not made the delivery because of the weather.
Opal said to both of them, “you know what would be nice and would feed everybody?.”
Kendra answered almost too quickly but she match Opal’s thoughts directly. Macaroni and Cheese would be perfect on a day like this..” She said this as she stared at the small kitchen and half doubted even if they had the room to make such a feast.
One group of ten sat and played cards in relative calm. There were actually playing for money and Kim knew thus generally against the rules but since they were only using pennies and nickels she was not going to say anything. Many sat and read books and a few actually read from the Bible. They seemed content to be out of the elements and enjoyed the warmth and calm of the center.
Opal asked Kim if there was any petty cash as she had an idea and Kim indicated they had about twenty dollars in petty cash.
“Well what is your idea Opal?.” Kim asked as Kendra looked on with anticipation.
One of you two walk over to the grocery store. You are going to need eight blocks of Tofu, Tamari, Vegetable oil, bread crumbs and nutritional yeast.
“What in the world is that going make Opal.” Kendra asked in a joking manner. The mood was pretty light hearted in the center as it was a them against the elements and the circumstances of the day.
“That is going to make the most delicious Macaroni and cheese you ever tasted without using a single product from an animal. “ Opal seemed to be relishing her role as a decision maker and she liked sticking up to her long held beliefs.
“Oh that’s right Opal the Vegan. That is so Portland; a middle aged Vegan.” Kendra wrote down the ingredients and said to the both of them that she would be back in thirty minutes. She was back in forty minutes with an armful of groceries. She had footed the bill herself on her ever expanding credit card but she felt good about it. She laid all the ingredients on the counter and she looked at them not really sure how they would make any dish at all
Kim held down the fort with all the visitors. They all seemed pretty happy to be here for the day and it was calmer than one would expect from a crowd such as this. In the kitchen, Kendra boiled an industrial sized pot of water for the Macaroni. Opal mixed together tofu, vegetable, oil nutritional yeast and poured the into a large metal bowl. The mixture came out looking almost like cheese, a little browner than she had anticipated. She then poured the cheese like mixture into with the almost done pasta. From there this was put into four large casserole dishes. The oven could only take two at a time so they had to do it in stages. Kendra added bread crumbs
at the last minute.
The dishes came out of the oven steamy with a smell that almost smelled like the real thing. Opal 1was quite proud of it when it came out of the oven. You could tell that as she stood and admired the end product. On some days she could barely feed herself and today it looked like she fed a roomful of people.
There were no customs or norms here around lunch time. Kim simply banged on the large pot that Kendra had just completed cleaning and yelled “lunch is served”. The room smelled of warmth and food and was a stark contrast to the wind and snow that was happening outside. Four groups of seven to ten people sat around the tables and Opal decided that she wanted to serve this meal on real plates with real knives and forks. They usually had napkins or paper plates but for today she wanted the real thing. Kendra asked two visitors to help with setting the table. Two war veterans named Stan and Bart were the first two that she asked and they were glad to help.
Opal and Kim sat behind a make shift counter and spooned out generous portions of vegan macaroni and cheese. Opal was as happy as had been in a long time. She loved that she had made this plan up on the fly. What she loved more than that was the smiles on a person’s face when she spooned out the dish that she had made. People were generally in a good mood and they most voiced the opinion that it smelled really good despite its slight grayish hue.
Stan who had helped with the plates and dishes also offered a short prayer in praise of the veterans in the room to mark the special day and he also said a short prayer to the regulars who may not be veterans.. He ended the prayer with an ironic ’Bon Appétit’ and most everybody in the room said a their version of Amen. Everybody dug in and general the mood was warm and chatty. Nobody really asked what in the meal. They were glad to have a warm meal that made them feel like home.
Kim stood behind Opal as she watched happy people bringing their plates back to the kitchen and mouthed these words, “Opal you have a knack for this, that was quite impressive. Have you cooked like this before.”
“Not really, I have cooked all my life and I have been reading books about it recently. You know to fill the time. I like learning about food. Cooking is fun.”
“And that meal was all Vegan” Kim asked as she motioned to one of the men in line if they would help with the dishes. Just a hand signal and the man understood. He asked his friend to help and clean up went quickly.
At about ten past two Kim got a phone call from Cabot. Cabot was just checking in to see how the day had gone.
Kim said it had gone perfectly fine. She told Cabot that Opal had come through today.
“I am glad to hear that. Makes me Very Happy. I’ll see you in the morning. Well what I was saying I’ll be in tomorrow.” Cabot said from the other end of his fading cell phone.
“I’ll see you tomorrow. You may or not need the help. Have a great rest of the day” Kim waited for him to say “You too” and hung up gently.
Cabot wasn’t sure whether to be elated or worried.
Plan B for the Holidays
John kept brewing his beer even though Fredo’s was not in business. It was what he did and it was what he loved. He loved the smell of the hops and the regular routine that brewing beer afforded. He had long been employed as a factory worker for a manufacturer out in Beaverton. He did the same thing every day and it was a killer to his spirit as well as his feet and back. All those hours on the concrete floors had taken a toll. With all the layoffs in the industry it seemed like he was in an elimination contest. He had seen many a co worker be laid off knowing they liked their jobs much more than he did.He couldn’t judge whether they were better at than him. He could do the job perfectly well. He had done it long enough and he survived. But he soon became one of the higher paid employees on the mundane factory line and he knew his days were numbered. And he simply didn’t care.
He and his wife has stockpiled a good amount of money away. They could retire right now and get by okay but they knew they had to work a couple more years. Then again he with his wife Vicky never knew how they could march in retirement in peace. Vicky had become more and more irritated with the speak-easy. She wanted him to take the traditional road to retirement and work in the plant for a few more years. She just wanted all of him. John he a social animal and he liked his creative side and the speak easy fulfilled that. It also fulfilled his need to be around people. He loved being with people. His art was when he made good beer for people and they enjoyed it. He didn’t even mind so much when some they did not like his beer. He liked hearing their arguments. He loved discussing it with them. It was all about learning and perfecting his art form.
It was too bad that his art form skated the law sometime. Or the only option he had to perform it. And now that the speak easy was closed down he had lost his lust for the good in life. He was fine financially but he needed to express himself. He had lately been in the habit of staying uo after his wife had gone to bed. He spent many a night sitting up and hatching alternatives that would allow him to perform his art. That is why he sent a text message to Officer Hartenstein to invite him over for a brain storming chat. He told Dean Hartenstein that he needed him to taste test his new batch of beer for spring.
He had gotten up early that morning and made his wife breakfast. Still an argument broke out because she did not like the idea of him trying to open the business once again. He somewhat agreed with her logic but he knew he should win out on this one for their long term happiness. What he could not do was communicate in words that she could understand eas exactly how this would help their relationship. What he could not tell her was that if he was happy he was more likely to be a better partner. He believed this from the bottom of his heart.
Still their constant arguments took a toll on him. He wore every argument on his sleeve He didn’t want to argue and right now he did not want to compromise. Still he felt an allegiance toward his wife as Hartenstein entered Fredos. His basement bar had not changed much. He cleaned the bar top daily like there where customers ready to be seated. The lights were on like any other day the bar was open. He liked it that way and hoped Hartenstein would like it that way.
Hartenstein sat down across the bar from him. He served the role as traditional bar tender and Hartenstein the customer. John looked him right in the eyes and never wavering just poured him a seasonal beer that was on tap. He thought to himself that it was easier to get him to see his point with a strong beer. The tasting of next season’s ‘beer was the least of his worries. He could figure that out himself. For now he just needed him to see his point.
Officer Hartenstein was obviously not on duty today as he had indicated in previous conversations with him. He wore blue jeans and a hooded sweatshirt that bore the collers of the University of Michigan. John deduced in his mind that he probably had been to a tailgate or two. The keep em coming mentality that he had been trying to discourage all along. He just wanted people to like the way his beer tasted.
The visitor sat and drank his beer in complete silence. Over all these years in this business John knew that he wanted another beer. He poured Hartenstein another beer and also poured one for himself. Despite his love for the craft in beer making he was not the type to drink in the middle of the afternoon. He was too busy for that. He knew it would make him sleepy. But for today he knew he had to be on the same page with the law. Despite the fact that were close friends since their days back at Grant High school. John being the study geek and Mike being the atypical jock.
They sat and exchanged in small talk for awhile. The obvious thing they talked about was the weather. After yesterday’s relative calm they both had expected this weather pattern to be out of here by now. The moisture usually persisted all winter long in Portland. The cold usually did not. The weather patterns had shifted dramatically in the last few years with longer extended periods of extreme weather. John talked about how he liked the city when everybody was not so reliant on the automobile. The town seemed less cluttered and a tad bit more friendly. Northeast Portland was generally a pleasant place to live where people took the tome to know their neighbors. During a snowstorm people stuck together even more as they spent more time walking and less time in their cars.
Mike agreed with John on that point and he commented how his job was that much easier during a storm. But he was a little worried as many of the trees in the city still had some leaves on them and so far it had been a light snow. If it warms up, there might be a problem with tress and power lines. That is when his job became a little more difficult.
John got back on the subject of a town that travelled less by cars and he transitioned to his new idea for Fredos. “Mike here is my alternative idea for how we can meet in the middle. How about this idea, that the only customers I will serve are those that walk to my place. I have the room for about five to seven bikes also with the bike racks that I still own. That way there is no additional traffic in the neighborhood and people would be less inclined to hop in their cars after drinking.”
“People can still drive impaired on a bike. Bikers and motorists have such a love hate relationship in this town.” Mike stated slowly as he sipped his beer. It was mid afternoon and he knew he better switch back to water because he was on duty later tonight. They both sat quietly and listened to the wind and what sounded like sleet banging on two windows on the east side of the room. There was no sounds coming from the street. They both enjoyed the quiet for now.
“Mike you know why I went into this business. I like to brew beer plan and simple. I do not foster an environment of over drinking. I want people to taste my beers and enjoy them. I want to talk about beer. I know we had some sporadic problems in the past but I am confident that with my proposed changes that this was going to work.”
“Why don’t you just take the next step and apply for a license and open a brew pub like every other person in this town has done?” the officer said as he poured himself a large glass of water from the pitcher that sat between them. :Theoretically I could get in trouble with what I am doing here.”
“Actually there is nothing that I am doing that is illegal and you know that full well. For all intents and purposes I am just having a party with my friends. There are probably parties going on all over town right now where people are doing the exact same thing. That being said, I just don’t know if I am ready to be a business man. I just want to what I enjoy for now and I would like to do it the right way. I think my suggestions have merit. You know you and your friends like coming here. You know it is a place where people can call it home for an hour or two.”
“Yes in theory you are not breaking any rules at all. Other groups around town do it in a similar way. Kickball teams or running clubs gather after their events and they take collections for the snacks and drinks. The only time I get involved is if they are drinking where they should not be or if somebody gets out of hand. There is one group in town the hash house harriers that running trails using flour. Many years ago we were afraid it was a dangerous substance but they now work with us to tell us where they are going to run and of course consume beer after wards. It is a quirky bunch, but they are not hurting anybody so we work together.
John sat and thought for a minute and said, “That what I have always done with you and I plan on continuing to work with you. My proposal is to be open 15 hours a week. I only will take customers who come by foot or bike.” John finished his sentence realizing he had no real plan if somebody were to drive and park six blocks away.
Hartenstein never really thought of that either. “How about twelve hours a week through the holidays and we will get together after the new year and see how it goes.”, Hartenstein quickly got up and walked behind the bar and put his mugs into the soapy water in the sink.
“I believe we can make that work.”
Work
Seth had walked down to the couch this morning and he tapped Unix ever so slightly on the shoulder as was sleeping. As she slept she grabbed and held a large pillow like it was a teddy bear. Ih had taken a few progressions of tapping ever harder on her right shoulder a get her out of her deep sleep. She woke up and looked around the room like she did not know where she was, That was because she did not know where she was. She could not or pretended not to know Seth’s name that next morning. Seth looked around and could see that Anthony had already left this morning. He liked the way her hair curled around her eyes in the morning. He reasoned that she could not see him and that is why she did not know his name. All that hair in her face would do that.
He did not like how grumpy she was. She was difficult to get moving. She walked straight into the bathroom without saying a word and emerged five minutes later a completely different person. He also did notice that she was sliding a contact holder into her handbag. Hey there sleepyhead it is rise and shine. You still have some time before you have to be at that pleasant place that you work. You get to see Mr. Personality and his band of up selling plumbing experts.
“Funny Mr. Wise Cracking Book Stealing Hair Dryer owning man. I am happy to have a job in these times. It pays the bills and when I get home from work I never have to think about it again. What is that you do,”
They both sat silently for awhile eating cheerios with soy milk and the bot had a large cup of coffee that Seth had fixed earlier. The silence was deafening for awhile and this made Seth uncomfortable. Then he remembered that Unix had asked him a question. He told her that unlike herself he really did not like his job either and he kept at it because that is what people did in this economy. He told her he had not been to work the first three days of this week and the reason he did not go was that it never crossed his mind to check in during this type of weather. Then he remembered that his boss had called him mid afternoon yesterday and he vaguely remembered that he had not called him back. Suddenly he felt like the soy milk was curdling In his stomach even though that was physically impossible. He had been on shaky ground at work for awhile or maybe his detachment to work made him feel this way.
“Unix I have a boss just like you and in general I despise him. Maybe not in the same way that you despise him. I work in a field where I feel like I am from another country and another culture. I am the lonely token white male. Mostly everybody else is an import or subcontractor from India. I do not so what I love to do anymore. I used to sit and write code all day. I loved that part of the work. There was an art form to it. I was creative every single day. Well most every single day, and on the days I was not creative I was learning something new. Now I am a paper pusher. I am the master of spreadsheets, flowcharts, and project plans.”
He walked both of their bowls and coffee cups over to the dishwasher and turned to look at her. She seemed content as she stared off into space in her own little world. When she emerged she just turned and looked at Seth, the connection from last night seem a distant memory. “Seth you may be the token white male. I am the token non white male and at least you do not have to deal with the sexual remarks. It is their release every day and it could be not a lot of fun.”
“Wait a minute you are talking in circles a bit this morning. So I know I am not the master of male/female communications but what you are trying to say is that you make the best of it?”
Unix managed a brief toothy smile and sat once again staring out at the sleet as it pounded the kitchen window, “not exactly, I just have fun with it. People are going to be who they are. I cannot change that. So I just get creative. On my breaks at work and sometimes on the bus rides to work I compile a list of stock answers to their ridicule. I write them down in a notebook. These are just a list of random answers I can give to my co workers. When somebody says something stupid to me I just answer back from the top of the list. I usually have the first four or five memorized for the day. On several occasions when I was rather upset I walked back to the break room, brought out the book and replied with the first item on the list.
Jack the bathtub specialists once asked me in front of a regular customers if my plumbing needed a larger plunger and I walked back into the break room, opened my notebook and read the line. “You are the reason this country out sources:” I have a blog where I write about my battles with my co-workers. It makes me a little bit of a side income. And I love writing it. It is my creative outlet.
Unix could feel herself going off on a tangent but hat was who she was. But what she noticed to herself was that she was comfortable speaking the truth to Seth. It was not exactly deep dark secrets but a part of her she wished everybody knew.
“Aren’t you worried your co workers will read your blog.” Seth asked as he reached for his car keys and soon realized driving was not a great option this morning. “I better think about getting to work about five minutes ago” and then she realized she had a little more time as she need not take the bus this morning. She only had a five minute walk ahead of her.
“My co workers are not the internet type and even if they were it is highly unlikely they would end up on my web page. I have such a small niche. The snarky angry female worker. I also make up fake names and places. It is a different world for me.”
Yeah that’s a nice world to be in.
“Yes it is at times” Unix said as she signaled that she should be going to work. She just pointed to the door. A very simple gesture. “I really need to get work.”
.
“I really need to go to work Seth started to dial his bosses number and was immediately put to voice mail. He never bothered to leave a message because he had never planned out this phone call. He was at a loss of words.
He simply hung up the phone and followed Unix out the door without putting a coat on. All logic had gone out the window. They walked straight up 42nd avenue into a driving powdery snow that pounded the left side of their faces. Seth wanted to get outside and walk but in the back of his mind he knew that he should be calling into work . Unfortunately, today was not going to be a day where he was even going to attempt to drive the car. Come to think of it he had not even tried to start his car in the past week. That made him nervous. He assumed it would start but there was no guarantee of that. He thought to himself what was he thinking as he walked into the whiteness of a mid November day .
He walked to the Front of the A-Boy plumbing store with Unix. He had no idea why he had walked with her. Maybe it was the vision of her from the night before or maybe it was a simple task he knew he could complete now. He also thought to himself that he would love to see good old Gregor this morning. The incident from yesterday was still burning ever so slightly in his memory and he knew he could do little about it. All he wanted to was talk to Gregor and discuss the incident with him. She asked Unix to go into the store and get Gregor so he could talk to him directly. She shrugged her shoulders and said she could do that. He did not walk into the store with her and he stood by the employee entrance without his coat. Again what was he thinking. Was he acting crazy.
She returned rather quickly with a wide smile on her face. She was singing the lyrics from a Smith’s song that he somewhat recognized.
“You seem happy now, work does that for you?”
“Oh no, No Gregor to deal with today. He called in sick. Wrecked his bike on the way home last night. He will be out for a few days.” She gave a clearly platonic peck on the cheek and told him to tend to his business. “Work to Live my Friend. Not the Other way around.” She flashed a knowing laugh and sly little smile.
Work to Live my Friend
Seth ran the entire 5 blocks back to his house and to him it felt great to run. The snow was packed in the streets so running was slower than usual but the footing was not all that bad. He made a note to himself that he should go for a run later in the day or after it got dark. He loved running in the snow and it was curious to him why he was not doing that lately. He seemed to be ignoring the staples in his life. For now he needed to get in touch with his work. His work computer was still across town and he had no access to his work via the computer and he had not yet thought about driving across town. He knew he could take mass transit and walk the six
Blocks to work. He had options and he knew it, but up until now he was avoiding those options. He regretted the fact that his work made him pay for his own internet charges and that is root of why he never took his laptop home.
It was three o’clock in the afternoon and he sat in his favorite chair and picked up the cell phone and dialed his boss. On the first ring he got an answer. “Hello Armstrong Speaking.” Armstrong answered from his work office in Southern California obviously unaffected by the snowstorm..
“Hi Mike I am just checking in down here in Portland. “
“Seth we were wondering about you. Contact with the Portland office has been few and far between. How is the snowstorm. We have several servers that are down and I went over your head and approved the reboots. I really need you at work. Don’t you have your computer at home so you can work?” Seth sat there and listened to his boss spiral a little bit but there was no real panic in his voice. His voice was actually calm and reassuring. Which made Seth feel a little better.
“Thanks for covering for me on the Server issues. I have to come clean with you, I do not have my laptop at home. You know how I feel about working from home. You feel the same way. The company does not pay for internet so my take is that we are not expected to work from home.”
“Look here Seth that is why we pay you what you do. You are the only one in your area with decent English communication skills. Day after tomorrow we have to present out implementation plan to headquarters. I really need you to log into your computer and review the implementation plan. You know I do not know all the technical aspects of this proposal so I really need you to review it. In the future I want you take your laptop home every day so at least you can be available in situations such as this.”
Seth could himself getting mad, and he sat in silence and measured his response since he was expecting a harsher conversation.
“Tell you what Mike, I do not see myself driving anywhere anytime soon. If need be I can take the train across town and walk over and get my laptop and sign in if you think it is necessary. Is it possible to zip the files and send it to my personal email.”
“Sounds like plan. Do me a favor, the next time I call you please get back to me immediately. I realize you have some tough conditions but I have a business to run.”
“Sounds like a plan Mike. I tried calling….” Mike cut him off immediately and told him to just be ready if we need you.”
The thought of going out to Beaverton depressed him. Even more so in this weather. But he understand his boss had let him off pretty easily.
Seth put down the phone and thought about the other phone call he had to make.
He really needed to Kendra and explain about Beetle. She knew how Beetle was her getting away was a stretch of any imagination. What tickled his mind is why he had thought of Beetle right now and why it did not have his undivided attention the last few days. What a weird state of being the last couple of days. But he knew he could put that away for another day. He was in the mood to go for a run. If he could get three miles in he would be perfectly fine. It would clear up his mind as always did. Instead of calling Kendra, he picked up the phone and called William Donovan. Donovan answered on the second ring and he said he would be over in five minutes.
The met on Donovan’s front porch. The wind had died down and the snow was now a picturesque steady slow snowfall, They stood on the front poch and the Hollywood district was a picture of quiet. No buses were making their runs down 42nd ave, the snow made the most quiet sound one could hear only if you were listening for it. The streetlights were aglow were with freshly lit soft flowing snow. It was a perfect night to run. Almost any night was a perfect night for Seth to run. He only had to give himself the time to do it.
They ran the four blocks up a usually busy 42nd and did not see a single car. They turned left on Stanton and as they ran under large maple trees they could a hear a tree limb or two crack under the weight of the leaves and the snow. Down by 34th a tree limb blacked their path and they had to gently step over it. Once they crossed 33rd they broke into an easy stride and Seth noticed he was sweating profusely despite the cold temperatures. He cursed himself under his breath for predictably wearing too much clothing. They made a left on 24th Donavan finally broke the comfortable silence.
“Hey Seth I ran into your old girlfriend earlier today. She was with an older lady down by the Senior Center. You never would guess who was her. I’ll give you three guesses.” Donovan blew his nose with one finger as moss experienced runner do in cold weather.
“Bill I am not really in the mood for a guessing game but my mind is clear as a bell right now and I am going to take a wild stab in the dark. Let me guess who was with here. I’ll take Beetle for a thousand dollars. She got off the air plane and Beetle could smell the scent of her European cologne so she followed her nose all the way to the airport and they were reunited in front of 40 other passengers who had heard her talk about the dog the flight in from Newark.” Seth picked up the pace as the made a left on Broadway just because he was felling chippy and good. “Come on tell me who was with her.”
“So you talked to her Seth.” Williams said as they matched each other stride for stride as they headed back toward Grant Park. When they entered Grant Park there was once again scattered limbs down but since the park is mostly fir trees they did not have to navigate much snow. A half moon could be seen through the clouds and trees and it almost felt like the snow had stopped for a second. They picked up the pace for the final seven blocks where there run almost felt like unspoken competition. When one or the other picked up the pace the other matched and the final block of two was close to a sprint.
They walked the last block to the house. It was a rule they both had about running. The rule was never ever let your neighbors see you run. It sounded good. The reasoning behind it was the walk in the last few blocks allowed your muscles to cool down. It provided for less soreness in the morning. Live to run another day.
“So you talked to her Seth?”
“Yes Bill I talked to her. Very briefly, you know the usual stuff about the trip. It was nice to talk to her. So who did you see her with? Don’t tell me she has a new boyfriend already. It can’t be that serious she has only been in town a few days and who finds a boyfriend during a storm like this. Speaking of such things, guess who stopped by house last night. You remember that girl from the Moon and Sixpence? The one who got up and just disappeared. She stopped by and stayed the night. Well not exactly stayed the night. Well exactly stayed the night. She ended up sleeping on the couch. Wow I am chatty after a run with all those endorphins. Of course I talked to Kendra. Hey do you want take the train with out to Beaverton with me tomorrow. ”
Seth just sat stood underneath the streetlight and steam was radiating from his body. He was literally steaming as the cold air mixed with his warm body. He was sweating profusely on this cold weather day. And he liked nothing more than that. His mind felt so much clearer now. A kind of calm came over him and he extended his hand to Bill and said. “It’s been a long time we need to do this more.” He reached out and shook Bill’s hand like they usually did after a satisfying run.
Donavan reached out and returned the handshake. “I never always know how to read you but yeah I saw her with Beetle. I just assumed you found her and had talked to her.” Bill felt a bit of uneasiness with his error of admission in his sentence. In a transparent attempt to deflect the conversation he asked Seth how his Achilles tendon was holding up. He banked on it being a guy’s conversation where they never really get to the heart of the matter but they leave enough out there to think about later.
“You have got to be kidding me, she had Beetle with her. I am really glad I did not call her like I almost did an hour ago. That would have been a conversation for the ages. I mean it would have lasted ages just to figure what the other was talking about.”
“Do you really go into conversations like this all the time. If that is what you expect out of the conversation guess what you are going to get out of the conversation?” Donovan said dryly as he started heading toward his front door.
“Wow” Seth said as shook his head . He looked toward the sky and he could see the moon giving away to the clouds moving in from the west. Everybody in Portland surely understood that their winters came from the ocean, He sat and remembered the lyrics he had remembered from a brand new R.E.M song he had heard on his favorite radio show on Oregon Public radio.
i can taste the ocean on your skin
that is where it all began
i dreamed that we were elephants
out of sight, clouds of dust
and woke up thinking we were free
He had heard that song four days ago and it hit head just right. It him perfectly in the ear .He thought of Unix and he thought of Kendra briefly. And then his mind wandered back to Unix.
He thought about her for what seemed like a long time. He remembered her walking through his living room in next to nothing and for all intents and purposes a suit of armor. He did not even notice his mind drifting back into the conversation
:”Wow Bill I never really never even thought about that. That will be moment of Zen today,:” as Seth started walking back toward his house. Once again the wind picked in from the east and he noticed he was starting to get cold,
Seth stood on his front porch and took of his running shoes. He could see Bill doing the same thing next door. Then he heard Donovan shout from his front porch.
:Did I hear you correctly Uni stayed at your house last night.
He did not repeat the question because he knew that signaled a lie was going to make something up . Even though he wanted to.
“Long Story.-No Story. I’ll tell you about it tomorrow. You are making an all expensed trip with me tomorrow to the epicenter of the Universe. Of course that being Beaverton.:
“Sounds like a well thought out plan. I will be over in the morning. Have some coffee brewing you cheapskate.”
“That I will do.:
A New Day
The Hollywood Burger Bar has been around for longer than the few people who gathered there this morning. The Burger Bar to many of the locals, is more famous for its breakfast than its name sake Burgers. The snow had continued at a slow steady pace over night with little additional accumulation. In Portland a snowstorm is a media event milked by every media outlet. Some people spent more time watching storm events on television than they did in the storm itself. Today was no different. Business was slow this morning and those who stopped in tended to stay awhile to chit chat. That was the experience at the Burger Bar. The restaurant is set up with a horse shoe shaped by so when you eat there you sit face to face with the other patrons. The mood is friendly and people sit down and talk to each other.
Opal had her breakfast at home, but this morning she decided to stop by the Burger Bar for a cup of coffee. She had left very early this morning giving herself plenty of time in case the conditions were terrible. The conditions were not terrible, with dry hard packed snow on most of the sidewalks. But she found she had some to her walk this morning. She had felt better than she had in months. Things were not great, but she was encouraged by her life style changes even though she was wary that she could go into relapse at any time.
She just sat there and drank her coffee and enjoyed watching the snow falling outside. The coffee was good but not great. It was perfect for a morning such as this.
Cabot got up this morning and thought about going to his yoga class. A warm bed on a snowy morning was exactly what his body needed. He felt guilty about it for about 10 seconds until sleep quietly overtook him. He fell back into a deep restful sleep. He dreamed about his yoga class.
Emily never got up this morning. She had worked late and had fully planned on sleeping in. She set her alarm clock for 930 and when it went off she did one of her favorite things. She pushed the button on the top and fell back to sleep.
Unix got up this morning in a fit. She considered not going to work but she didn’t mind work all that much since Gregor was going to be out a few days. Her alarm went off at 7:00 when it really should have gone off at 630. She was behind for the day, but for the first time in a long time she felt like she had some control of her life. She had hot chocolate and warmed up bit of a baguette that she had sitting around. As far as she knew it could have been her room mates food. She didn’t care all that much. It still tasted good. Then she looked at her tidy calendar on the wall. All her activity for the morning was misdirected. Today was her day off.
Seth got up this morning irritable fidgety and in grumpy mood. Most people who had to go to Beaverton in the morning got grumpy like this. For people who preferred the city, Beaverton was a nameless faceless suburbs. It was sometimes referred to as Tree City USA because they certainly cut a lot of them down to build subdivisions and then name them after trees. The grumpiness was only temporary as he was happy to back running and his body felt good.
Gregor felt better than he had expected today considering the fall he taken a few days ago. He had a little too much to drink and managed to crash his bike on the way home. In all his wisdom ge had his helmet in his back pack and he had neglected to use his light. What he actually felt was humbled and a little bit lucky as he seriously considered some changes he may need to make in his life. He really didn’t miss work at all. He was happy to be at home for a few days. He just wouldn’t let anybody know that.
Anthony never reflected how he felt. He just got up every morning and headed where he had to be. But for today his campus was closed and really did not know what to do with himself. He could spend the day catching up on a paper that was due on Monday or he could practice for the speech he had to give tomorrow. Instead he walked out in front of his place and built a snowman with the kids next store.
Kendra woke up at 530 on this snowy morning still trying to recover from her European jet lag. She knew she would nap later but for now she did exactly what was need to be done today. She was a goal oriented person and on today’s list she had scribbled two thing to do. Those two things were to unpack all her bags and complete her work on her resume. She enjoyed being home this morning. She completed both tasks by 930 while listening to the Jazz station from Mt. Hood Community college. Despite the bad weather the post office has delivered a package to her door.
Beetle got up at 530 this morning with Kendra and went out in the yard. She did not like all the snow as it was difficult to find a scent. She walked back in the house 5 minutes later and curled up into a ball right next to Kendra as she typed.
John got up to go to work at his usual crazy hour and his wife was extremely mad at him. She usually got up with him and helped him with his lunch and breakfast. He let her sleep in this morning. He put together a large roast beef sandwich with Swiss cheese, mustard and a large garlic pickle. He was tempted to eat it right then and there for breakfast. He simply walked over to the refrigerator, opened it up and put the sandwich on the second shelf. He wasn’t going to go to work to today. He called the line supervisor like he had done many times before. They asked him if he could work a short afternoon shift and he said that he could do that. He could certainly use the over time. He walked down stairs and started to monkey around in the bar. He was happy and content to be doing this. This is how he love to spend his day.
Sonia sat her kitchen table. She sat and watched the snow swirl around her window sill, Snow is one of those thing that people are content to sit and watch for long periods of time. She sat at the table and took out a pen that started writing letters and poems. She could do this for hours and be perfectly content. That was probably what she was going to do.
It had snowed at various rates for the last four days. This was unusual for Portland in the winter time but not completely out of character. The city took on sparkly clean look despite the constant grey side. With these type snowstorms in the end the Pacific Ocean usually wins out and the relative warmer currents of the keep the temperatures moderate. We lived in a brand new world where weather patterns were intense. Most people on the east side of Portland agreed that it was due to Global warning. People right across the river in more conservative Vancouver were quite so sure it was global warming.
Both places could agree that was some cold weather. And we as a city will deal with it in our own special way.
Max Train
Donavan knocked on Seth’s door at 9:30 just as he said he would. Seth had steaming hot coffee ready when Donavan arrived on his front door. Seth had remembered asking Donovan if he would like to make a trip to Beaverton with him. As he stood there in kitchen pouring coffee he could think of reason why he wanted him to go, They were good enough friends that a trip like this not be out of the usual. Beaverton was not exactly a vacation destination spot and he did not need help getting his laptop. All he had to was go to his office, swipe his card key, walk to his desk and gather in the computer, Certainly not the .kind of task that requires two people.
There air was tension free,. There was no sense of urgency or need to keep a tight schedule. Seth seemed upset that he had not checked his personal emails. He really did not want to go into his office and have to chit-chat with somebody that needed your help or guidance on something. It just occurred to him that if he walked into work that people would wonder why he could make it to work but not do any actual work. He knew he was over analyzing this and he knew why he worried about work He knew the reason loud and chystal clear. This was because he knew deep inside he does not give his best effort at work. He knew word had half of his focus during his eight hour day. Actually his eight hour day had shrunk to about a six hour day. He knew when he had done enough and when he felt that he had, he simply went home for the day.
He went home and did the things he liked doing in his life. He loved having time to go for extended runs. He loved walking down to bar at night and having a few beers. He loved working in his yard or projects around the house. It was a strange time in his life. He had seen himself having a job that he loved, and a wife that he loved, He had fully expected to be married by now. For now he enjoyed what he was doing. He did not like being at the mercy of a schedule. But he understood that the paycheck that came with work he did was important to him. He hated to admit that to himself . He hated the idea that his work had more influence on him than he was willing to admit.
They had already crossed Sandy Boulevard and at almost the exact same time both of them suggested that they should go to the Hollywood Burger Bar. The aroma of freshly made eggs must have followed them in the snow or maybe it was a ritual the two of them had when they had a sudden day off day from work. They simply made a u-turn and crossed Sandy Boulevard. Once gain. There was no traffic to speak of. A cross county skier in a Timber’s army scarf pushed up the middle of the usually busy Sandy Boulevard like was on the groomed courses on Mt. Bachelor.
They had not been inside The Hollywood Burger Bar for quite some time but it was the same as it ever was. It was a slow morning and only three other customers were in the place. They sat down next to a pleasant older woman who was just finishing up her morning cup of coffee. The Burger Bar’s set up encourages people to talk to each other. For people who have been there before, they know that a trip to Burger one is going to engage in a conversation with a neighbor or a complete stranger. That is just the way it is. Seth and William both ordered coffee, eggs and toast. As they waited for their food to arrive Donovan started up some small talk with the lady just finishing up her coffee. She quickly introduced herself as Opal Byers and Seth and William quickly introduced themselves.
“Hey you two, I would love to sit and talk for awhile but I need to be over to the Senior Center right after nine o’clock. Where are you two headed today.” Opal asked as she reached in her pocket to retrieve some change for her bill. All she had in her purse was assorted loose change. She did not like to carry more money than she needed. It was too tempting to spend it.
Seth answered in a sarcastic tone. “We are going to take the Max train to Beaverton. The beauty of being tied to a large Corporation. They want me to work today. How about you”
“Like I said I am heading to the Senior center. Not that it is any interest to you two. I go there on most days. It is kind of my home away from home.”
“What exactly is that place. I walk by it all the time.” Donovan indicated to Opal that she need not worry about paying for her coffee. He signaled with his hand that he would take care of it.
“So you are the same woman that was standing outside with Kendra and her dog yesterday. Sorry I did not recognize you. We walk around in this weather and we are all bundled up in coats. Sometimes Portland can be a very small city. A snowstorm makes it so much more. ” Their order of food arrived as he was speaking and he immediately put the corner of his toast into the yolk of the egg.
“Yea that was me. I met her of few days back when I was having trouble getting around. She is such a nice young woman. She stopped by the center and she was going to help me with some administrative issues that I had. We had a weird day yesterday, and she ended up helping. I really like her because she listens to me. I know it is kind of odd that a complete stranger has this kind on interest in me. I take what I can get. When a person is genuinely nice to me I do not ask to many questions. Like the two of you talking to me here. “
Seth listened rather intently and half heartedly added. “Yeah she can be like that. She likes to help other people.”
“So you know her also. I am sorry I just forgot your name.” Opal said as she hit her hand on the side of her head.
“Seth”
“Yes I know her, she is my old girlfriend. She just got back in the States. She is like that. She reaches out if she thinks you need some help. Don’t feel bad about it. You should relish it because it also makes her feel good. She has this certain way with people. She listens with all her heart. I miss her at times. Speaking of, you should be heading over to the Center”
Opal got up slowly to leave and thanked the both of them. “I’ll tell her you said hello.”
“It was a pleasure to meet you Opal”
Seth and William finished up their meals in relative silence and headed out into what had become a dry blustery cold day. The streets were now covered with a layer of ice that made walking difficult. The snow had ceased and the sun was slowly winning the war with the gray clouds. Seth could see a train was approaching from the east and he knew he didn’t want to wait another thirty minutes for the next train. And like clockwork, the ticket machine at the Max station refuses to recognize the presence of a credit card. He asked William if he had any cash but predictably he did not. Seth looked at William and Seth at William and nothing more needed to be said. They were going to get on the Max train without paying. This time last year you were pretty safe getting on the Max train without your fare token. Seth had never been asked to show his ticket in the years that he has lived here. Recent reports in the newspaper said that Metro was clamping down. He knew people who had got citations recently. As Seth ran onto the train, he suddenly in a sudden state of panic, remembered the last thing he needed was a another citations. He wondered if he got another citation would the fines increase exponentially.
The Max train onto town usually has an assortment of people from all walks of life. One could usually count at least one Goth, somebody who talks to themselves, a single Mom with a baby and a local talking to visitor about Voodoo doughnuts or Powell’s book. Today was the stereo typical ride into town Curious to both of them there was a middle aged man in skinny jeans holding a skate board. Seth and William looked at each and shrugged their shoulders. Why would somebody be skating on a snowy day such as this. On the Max train there was rather anything extraordinary. Usual everybody was astonishing in their own way. One could not help to feel ordinary sitting and riding the train into Portland. The trained mover rather slowly today. It was Metro policy to order the trains to go slower during icy weather. It was a safety issue.
As the train inched up the hill past the Goose Hollow and into the mile long tunnel, it started to lose speed rapidly. The train came to a complete stop in the middle of the tunnel. Sometimes mass transit does that. Trains stop for logistical issues. They do not want trains arriving a minute apart at the next station. So sometimes trains wait. Suddenly they were sitting on the train with museum of misfits and hipsters, The train got considerably quiet. People whispered to the people next to them. All Seth could here was a collective whispers as hit sat and did nothing. A baby started started to cry right next to the two of them. Even though you could not see them, a man in wife beater complained to his wife that it was her fault they were on this train, They sat there in virtual silence for a full three minutes. It seemed like an hour to the both of them.
The train then inched forward and then started to head west bound again. The train emerged into the brilliant sunlight and the glare of the newly fallen snow. Seth reached into his pocket and put on a pair of fairly smart sunglasses.
Donovan thought this to be off the charts funny. It just struck in his funny bone when he least suspected it. He started to laugh uncontrollably. Even the skate boarder looked at him funny. Then the skate boarder started to laugh like crazy. Donovan suddenly realized that everybody was looking at him which made him stop laughing. He then turned and stared at the skatboarder but still everybody on the train was staring at him. He looked the skate boarder in the eye and said to him in a matter of fact tone “Dude why do you have a skateboard on a day like this?”
The middle aged skate boarder stopped laughing and looked him up and down. He seemed to relish the idea that he was now the center of attention. The riders on the train car where listening for his answer.
The skateboarder walked over to William and put his mid finger to Donovan’s throat. It was rather non threatening. He slowly said in the voice of a stoner, “Dude the same reason you wear sunglasses. Because it is going to sunny some time soon.”
The train pulled into the Westside transit Center and the PA system instructed riders to get off at this station. There had been an incident on the westbound track and the next train would be ready in about ninety minutes. “Thank You for Riding Max, Sorry for the Inconvenience.”
Seth got out of the train and asked William if he minded walking. His reasoning was that it was only a half hour walk to his work, He also thought to himself that the announcement was sugar coated. He did not know what the incident was and how long they would be waiting.
Donovan’s reply was true to his personality. Donovan was the type of person who went with the flow. He viewed life as a series if adventures He viewed today as no different.
They simply walked off the train and headed to the overpass that emptied out into the beautiful metropolis of Beaverton. They kept walking on the ice. Their footsteps echoed as they walked. They did not say a word as they headed down a path by a cul-de-sac that Seth had remembered from the runs he did at lunch. Then they noticed they were not alone on this walk. The skateboarder on the train had followed them. It was curious to Seth why this odd man was following them. He then noticed he had a duffle bag from the company where he worked. He had the same bag in his closet . The company had given them away at a company party at the zoo many years ago. That party was probably ten years ago. This was back when his company was doing well.
“Are you headed to the same place we are. I noticed you have the bag we received a few years back?” Seth asked the man with skateboard.
The man with the skateboard kept walking as he was bundled up so Seth repeated the question a little louder. “Are you headed to the same place we are.”
“Not sure, I am headed into work. My line supervisor asked me to come into work for a few hours so I said I would.”. The man with the Skateboard continued walking with them for.
“So am I. I have to retrieve my laptop computer. Wonder how many people will be in the office today. It sure is a mess getting around. It looks like we may have some clear weather ahead.”
“Hey sorry to give you such a hard time back there on the train. You were the smartest of us all wearing sunglasses. Who would have thought we would need them today”
“No problem at all. It was all in good fun. It certainly could have been worse.” Seth said as they approached his building and the man with the skateboard continued to another building.
“That what snowstorms do. They force us to talk to each other. I noticed you too got on at my stop. Do you live in the neighborhood.”
“Sure do, we both live in the heart of Hollywood.” Donovan stopped in his tracks and turned and faced the man with skateboard.
“So do I. I live up on Freemont Ridge. You guys have to stop in sometime.”
“You are asking us to come visit you at home. We just met.”
“Not exactly. I have a little neighborhood business. It is all word of mouth. I am a home brewer. Here is my card with my address. I like having people taste my beers. It is all on the honor system. Pay what you like. The only rule we have is you can’t drive there. You have to come on foot or by bike. Not sure when we are opening for good. Have some things to clear up”
Seth stood fumbling for his card key and turned to the man with the skateboard and said. “I have heard about that place. It sounds like a place I would like to tryout.” He took off his sunglasses and looked at the card in detail.
“John it has been a pleasure to meet you. I will look you up.”
Seth swiped his badge once and he could not get in the building.
Unification
Unix was not feeling all that good about herself lately. She had the ongoing struggle with telling the truth. Or maybe it was basic communications. She had found herself staying at a man’s house twice in the last week. She had not intended in staying over on either occasion. One thing just led to another. She was worried that she was sending out the wrong signals. All of her life she has had trouble with telling the truth and it was something she wanted to get desperately under control. She just felt that for her that sometimes life spun out of control and she could not do anything to correct it. Her life was not all that hectic. In fact .lately, it was pretty ordinary. Unix was desperate for a man, some days she wasn’t even sure if she preferred men but she was pretty sure she did. She was not desperate for a better job. Work wasn’t going to define her. She could not exactly place her feeling on it. She wasn’t even sure she wanted stability in her life. The more she thought about it, the more she was confused what was missing from her life.
She did not hate her job and certainly did not love her job. She hadn’t exactly run into a guy in her life that had knocked her off her feet. She certainly wasn’t looking for it. She was probably closer to avoiding a relationship than actually being in one. She knew she was lucky to own a home. Her parents had helped her with a down payment and having room mates made the mortgage payment well within her needs. She was very happy with her body. She was still as trim as when she was in high school. If somebody asked her to play soccer tomorrow she could hold her own. She walked nearly everywhere as she eschewed the use of the car. She had strong political beliefs but she never got involved. She hardly even voted. She loved to read books but she rarely read. The last book she read was a murder mystery. It held her interest as she sat by the pool last summer. In her late twenties she even pictured herself as a mother. She liked the vision of that but didn’t want to do it by herself. She could take that or leave it. She just found herself hoping from one thing in her life to another. Nothing ever stuck and nothing ever existed for long.
Reading is one form of escape. Running from your life is another. The one thing in her life that she had a true passion for was her art. She just could not make the time to do it. There was nothing more in life that she enjoyed more than painting. She could sit and paint for hours. The time would melt away. She never ever really loved the final product when she was done. And she never seemed to be done. A painting would sit in her easel for a day or two and she would change it. The sky was never quite right or the shadows were not to her liking. She loved to paint nature. But she could never get the painting exactly as she liked it. Part of the problem was that she did not spend enough time out in nature so she never really knew what it was supposed to look like. What bugged her about that is that she loved being out in nature. She could stare at the stars and the trees for ever. She remembered loving watching the patterns nature made. She didn’t care if she was at the coast or in the mountains. She loved the city and she had become a city person. But right now, she wanted to escape to the county for just awhile. Or maybe it was cabin fever.
She did not have to go to work today. She was in retail. One of the perks of working retail was she got a day off from work during the week. She had been a social animal recently and she needed a day away from people. Her first instinct when she realized she had the day off was to go back to sleep. She looked out the window and it seemed like it was blustery cold. She could hear the wind seeping in through her inexpensive windows. She could feel the cold coming from the windows. She had an old fashioned furnace that was still fueled by home heating oil, She abhorred how the prices had risen. So she was stingy with the heat. Today she was not. She walked over to the thermostat and turned up to a decadent sixty eight degrees, Her cat sat by the air vent soaking up the heat.
She sat back down in her bed and sleep seemed like the obvious option. She had been prepared to be up at this hour, and she felt a calm she had not felt in a long time. She was content with her morning and she had no reason to escape life through. She sat content laying in her bed just looking out the window. She had decided to buy this house mainly because of the view from her bedroom. She had a wonderful view looking over the bird sanctuary with the city of Portland gleaming in the background. It was one of the most beautiful views in Portland and she had it out one window in her house. She bought this house that was falling apart based on the view from her bedroom window. She sat and watched and what struck her as note worthy was neither the sanctuary or the city as a backdrop. What caught her attention was the sky and the mountains.
The sky after all the cloudy grey nameless days was now on fire with a brilliant blue that really meant it. It was a blue uncluttered by anything on earth. The mountains in the backdrop where snow covered and full of life. She knew she wanted to head to the mountains. She could feel the crisp clean air in her lungs. Being at altitude made her feel on top of the world. It is a cliché of all clichés about a life lacking in clichés. During this moment of absolute calm Unix became full of energy and movement. She paced the room like a father in a delivery room yet she had the calm of a person in a yoga studio. She knew she had to paint the picture she had in her mind. She wanted to paint deep dark fir trees contrasted by the deep blue sky of the cascades. Better yet she wanted to there, witness it, live it and finally put paint to canvas. She wanted to fall asleep painting the evening sky. But she knew that it wasn’t going to happen today. Well the driving to the Cascades was not going to happen today. Still she could put paint to canvas.
She walked over to her cd player that sat on the counter and popped in an old Cowboy Junkies cd. She had not taken the next step and invested in an IPod. Today she would have preferred vinyl even though she had never owned a turntable. She was waxing nostalgic today without an anchor. Her memories were only memories as told by her Dad. The music was merely background as she set up her easel and aligned her paints. An empty canvass intimidated her. Still she tool out her favourite medium brush and dipped it into the deep blue paint. The paint moving from her paint brush felt like she had erased a blank slate. That scared her for awhile. She knew she had to mix in some white do get the color of the sky just right. And on a day like today there had to be flashes of yellow and warmth.
She painted through much of the morning and into the early afternoon on her own little world. She was as calm as can be and as frantic as a humming bird on caffeine. She even started a second canvas which she set up on the other side of the room. She even had the fore sight to put a tarp in the living room between the two paintings. She paced all over the room painting on each canvas with equal vigor. The second painting was in stark contrast with first sky driven creation. The second painting was more in the style of Henri Matisse. It had a fondness for bright colors. It was a simple fire place scene. It was if she was painting the fire from Seth’s fireplace just the other night. Every road you remember memories of going down that road before while never being aware of the memories you are presently building.
She was happy painting where she wanted to ne but just as happy painting where she was now. She was joyful to be inspired and painting.
When I Root I Root for the Timbers
Kendra had been working around the house getting things done that she expected to get done She was a practical person who planned out her days and used her time well. He thinking for the most part was rather logical and predictable. But there was a side of her that she could not explain. Even to half of her friends it was a part of her that never fit her underlying personality. She was a fan of the Portland Timbers.
She always had been a fan. She followed the team through dark years and some good years. She had her same seat every year. Her section was until never recently all that full. It was the same people year after year who sat with her, The only tie they had was their love for the local soccer team. She didn’t need these people in her life. She only needed them on game day. She looked forward to Timber’s games with unbridled enthusiasm. It was her escape from reality in her regimented week. A time to let her be herself, It was a someplace to be what other people did not expect.
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