It’s noon in New York City.
Henry worked most of the morning, three pages of gibberish about Martians and Angels, scrapping it. He can’t get on track.
Lucia walks into his study wanting to go out,
Quierdo, let's eat close by, somewhere we can walk to.
It’s a fall day in Harlem, they shower then comb patchouli oil into their hair and braid it. Dressing the same, not unisex, more macha in jeans, and flannel shirts, stepping into NIKES for comfort.
Walking East Harlem they can feel something special in the air, people are out in numbers, walking in shades, plugged into their Sony Walkmans, and openly smoking pot.
After walking for twenty minutes Henry and Lucia reach Home Sweet Home, going in and sitting in a booth.
The waitress looks like Judy Garland, she's wearing black, nice looking, older, with a bright red wig on.
They order three sweet potato pies, one to eat there and two to go, craving Mexican coffee, the Garland look-a-like informs them,
customers love the sweet potato pie, more than pumpkin pie, both blacks, and whites, I’m off in a few minutes can we settle up early?
Henry pays, noticing it’s getting dark, clouding over, Henry grouses like an old man as he carries a brown bag of pies under his arm,
God Damn Daylight Savings Time, winter days aren’t long enough.
Walking in Harlem they decide to go for a drink at the Metal Trap Taven, standing at the bar and ordering a pitcher of fresh lemonade spiked with Russian vodka, Lucia tells Henry,
I OD’d on sweet potato pie today, we ate a pie each,
don’t worry Lucia, they're small, you look great, you’re the sexiest MILF in East Harlem.
What’s a MILF, Henry?
Old lady, I’d like to fuck.
Do you think I’m beautiful?
yes of course, I see other guys looking at you.
They catch a taxi, rolling drunk in the back seat they chat, Henry asks,
what have you been reading?
Marquez’s Love in the Time of Cholera in Spanish, Gaby’s native tongue.
you're on close terms with Gaby so you call him by his nickname?
Si Henry, when I read his books, I feel like I’m there,
and what about your husband's work?
Your work is a world away from his, he won the Noble Peace Prize for Literature in 1965, are you in the running?
maybe, but, it's more important to me to feel heavenly,
quierdo, I love your stories.
She senses what's coming, you get to know someone when you've lived with them for ten years.
Don’t say it, I know the look, Henry,
I’m gonna say it anyway, Vincent Van Gogh, known to aficionados as Van Gawk, he was famous in death only, what were we talking about?
We were talking about Marquez.
At their Harlem apartment, go in, walking up three flights of stairs. Henry chuckles saying,
I’m gonna whoop you this time,
in a flash they're leg wrestling naked on the floor, Lucia has long muscular legs, and she twists Henry's body into a donut, spinning it, winning every time.
They order Chinese food and watch cable TV— Cinemax.
Scare Face the Al Pacino vehicle is on, they've seen it hundreds of times and can't keep their eyes open.
By 2AM, waking in front of the TV, Stripes with Bill Murray and John Candy is on, Henry says yawning,
John Candy was a genius,
Stripes, how about mañana doll, let's go to bed, I'm tired.
No comments:
Post a Comment