yeah, I didn't write anything, but still I thought


[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ The View Askew WWWBoard ] [ FAQ ]

Posted by Duffless at hide101.suffolk.edu on July 08, 2002 at 10:22:44:

In Reply to: I never got an entry from you... posted by The Bastard on July 08, 2002 at 10:19:31:

I might have a chance ;-)

: : : This was actually on of my favorites, and I'm happy it scored this well. It was written by none other than Pixies Chick

: : : Just bout Bob

: : :
: : : Silent Bob pulled the screendoor again, trying to latch it, then felt the hinge
: : : pull away as the door fell off. Home sweet home. He sighed and set down the bag
: : : of groceries he had carried in, and walked over to the phone to see if he had
: : : any calls. No, none.

: : : Bob pulled the casserole out of the freezer and set it on the counter before
: : : seeing the mail that Jay had put there. Condensation soaked the paper and the
: : : ink smeared when he tried to pull it off. As if he didn’t have enough of that at
: : : his printing job. He pushed the bag of groceries aside, set the cassarole in the
: : : sink, and sorted through the mail, trying to see if anything had value.

: : : “What happened with the door, dad?” Jay asked.

: : : Bob shrugged and smiled. Jay set his books on the counter and turned on the
: : : oven. Jay was about thirteen and skinny as a rail. Must have been something
: : : about that age that made it seem impossible to contain the energy he possessed
: : : in such a narrow space. Sometimes it seemed to leak right out of him, as if he
: : : actually could be in two places at once. To Bob’s mind, he often was – one part
: : : of him seated with his books, the other floating above the world. Bob often
: : : felt in awe of this young man.

: : : “Your friend called again,” Jay said, “The one you were with when you met mom.
: : : He says he’s in town for this convention and he wants us to go. Have you talked
: : : to him?”

: : : Bob shook his head, shrugged, and turned back to the sink. He really couldn’t
: : : explain why he hadn’t talked with Jay, or why he hadn’t given him the address
: : : right away when they had moved this last time. Jay, the other Jay, had been his
: : : best friend, “hetero-lifemate,” until this change in their circumstances. It had
: : : been a dozen years since he had seen him. Maybe a dozen years is enough.

: : :
: : : Bob pulled the folder close in under his jacket and focused on the bobbing head
: : : of the young teen walking ahead of him into the crowd. The tables were thick
: : : with comics and it seemed the jostling crowd didn’t care about the cargo Bob was
: : : guarding.

: : : “So that guy with the beard, he knew you a long time ago?” Jay asked.

: : : Bob smiled and nodded.

: : : “What?” Jay asked. “He knew you before?”

: : : “Yes,” Bob coughed. He cleared his throat, “Banky knew me and Jay from before I
: : : met your mom.”

: : : Jay smiled wryly, “So that’s the Jay I’m named after? He’s kinda… uh… Dad, is he
: : : kinda different than when you knew him?”

: : : Bob suppressed a laugh. “No, not at all.”

: : : “And you went across country with him and mom? Didn’t he make you crazy? He’s so
: : : loud,” Jay said.

: : : Bob did laugh this time. “I used to like that a lot. Uh, Jay did a lot of the
: : : talking for me. Jay… had ideas. I followed him around a lot.”

: : : “YOU followed HIM?” Jay’s jaw dropped. “Dad, that guy couldn’t find his way
: : : around this arena, and this place is ROUND. How did you manage to keep from…. I
: : : mean, how did you get stuff done?”

: : : “There just wasn’t that much to do,” Bob replied. “You think a lot. Bethany read
: : : to you a lot. Maybe that’s why. We just didn’t. Jay and I just didn’t.”

: : : Bob saw the shadows in the young man’s eye and regretted mentioning Bethany.
: : : Four weeks this time, and they hadn’t heard a word yet.

: : : “Dad, that Daredevil you got signed – what did you have him write? You didn’t
: : : want me to hear what you said to him. What’s up?”

: : : They’d reached the outside of the arena, and Bob pulled the book from his coat.
: : : He paused and leaned against the car.

: : : “I don’t get everything you read. I don’t get a lot of the heavy stuff you talk
: : : about. Since that …”
: : : Bob paused and looked up, composing himself. Why was it always so hard to talk
: : : about this? About anything?

: : : He started again, “Since that group targeted your mom for working in that
: : : clinic, I know you got a bum deal. Your life is just too different from what it
: : : was. I don’t know what to say about it. Maybe your mom can talk with you
: : : sometime about all that.
: : : “I wanted to tell you one thing, though. When she asked me if I could watch you
: : : for a while, I didn’t get it at first. I didn’t know what all that would mean.
: : : Uh, what, what I mean...
: : : “I got this book though. The guy in this book, he can’t see. He has problems,
: : : too.”
: : : Bob cleared his throat. “Uh, but he gets this thing that happens to him. He gets
: : : a kid. He’s a superhero and he gets to raise this kid that somebody leaves him.
: : : That’s the story.
: : : “I guess, uh… I guess I feel like that. I guess I feel like I got lucky like
: : : that, too.”




Follow Ups:



Post a Followup

E-Mail/Userid:
Password:

Subject:

Comments:

Optional Link URL:
Link Title:
Optional Image URL:


  


[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ The View Askew WWWBoard ] [ FAQ ]