Skip to main content

One Fine Day: April 15th 2004- Part IV

The line-up is eight people dense at the bank. Normally this would make me a little antsy but I am not really looking forward to this part of my day. A little drag does not bother me. Besides the daylight is shining through the windows just right. I can handle this line-up.
Still, I do not envy the rush of people who come in just after I do.
Two college-aged boys are standing right behind me. The one is cute in his modern take on 70's clothing. His friend is just the other side of pleasant chubbiness.
"Can you even believe Randall and that new dog of his?" Heavy asks, incredulously.
"The benefits of puppies. Woman-folk cannot resist," Hunk replies.
"Yeah. But man, it is not like he is good-looking."
"Well, it's not like he has gotten a date out of it yet," says Hunk. "Makes me wonder what kind of puppy he would need to get one. Actually, it makes me wonder even more what kind it would take for your ass to get a date."
"Shut-up," laughs Heavy.
"Hmmm...A Jack Russell would work."
"You think?"
"As long as you named him You've-Got-Pretty-Eyes."
I think this is funny, but keep my laughter to myself.
The Four Tops come on the radio over the loud speaker, deeply intoning I Can't Help Myself.
Hunk starts to sing along. He appears to know every word.
Heavy looks at him, strangely.
"What?" says Hunk. He starts to shake his hips as he plays over-zealous drums. "Sometimes you just gotta boogie."
"Yeah," Heavy rolled his eyes. "Sorry, I am just not digging it with you."
Hunk throws his friend an irritated look, then keeps on singing with a little smile on his face.
It makes me happy witnessing his little piece of happiness for the day. It was not likely a memory he will keep. It is just one of those moments in time when you do something enjoyable for yourself to keep you going from day to day.
But it was a memory I will keep for him and that is cool in itself.
I am such a bogart.
"Can I help you?" calls a teller from behind the long desk.
I look up to see where the voice is.
As I start walking towards the lady, a sense of dread washes over me...

(To Be Continued)

Comments

Very nice cliffhanger, Bogart, don't keep us waiting to long...
Queenie said…
You are not a very good student.
Karri Bowman said…
boys are such big nerds....you captured them perfectly....

Popular posts from this blog

The Village Itself

Across the road from my home is an apartment building. It is made of brown brick and has three stories. It also has plenty of windows I often forget about while I go about my daily and nightly routines. I also forget my curtains are white, lacey and see-through scraps purchased from an aisle in Wal-Mart. Fifteen apartments. That may all house people with binoculars. It was the muggiest night this past summer had owned. Brenda was down for a visit and when she comes, it usually means a night spent over on my couch for her. Brenda lives in another town. It was one in the morning, no sleep to be found between the two us. We sat slouched on my front porch trying to capture the occasional breeze offered, sucking it deep into our lungs, praying it would cool us down. Our glasses of Pepsi sweated warning us how warm the drink would taste in our mouths. "Tilly! Tilly!" the shout sat our spines straight as we looked across the street to the where the sound was coming fr...

Rosy Cheeks

My son's circle and lined wall, created with the permanent red marker, became something he liked to show-off. I guess the other kids who come here liked it, too.   I guess he wanted to show-off more. That is one of the many hypothesis I have about how the Map of Africa came to be. I just keep hoping my kid is some kind of odd little genius.  On the morning I discovered the map of Africa, I was not speechless and I could breathe. "What is this?" I demanded. And loudly. My son shrugged his shoulders. "I like it. It's nice. Took a long time." He had chipped paint off the wall. His walls are white. That morning, it was discovered his room used to be beige.   And it was starting to look like a room in an abandoned house. I thought to myself that maybe this look would be the in thing  20 years from now and he could make millions. He could be a visionary. It was a good enough excuse for me to leave the room. I used it...

..What Are You Waiting For?

She had a real calm smile; it took its time creeping up into her eyes. And there she was looking up at me. She was sitting, right down there on the sidewalk, up against the wall of the bank. Her hand was wrapped around a red pen; buried into a magazine. And I was walking by her. Her eyes were brown. I did not smile back at her. One can never be too sure about anyone who is downtown. A few days later; it was grey and chilly, and I saw her again. With the same simple smile; this time growing into recognition. She stood just inside the entrance way of the video store, ducked, despite the fact she was barley five feet tall and the doorway was at least ten. Funny girl, I thought. Her smile passed by quickly, and then she bent her head down, to the inside of another magazine. She took a long, lipstick drag off a cigarette. "What are you doing?" she asked, when I was passing by her a day and a half later. And I stopped my step, for I was truly stumped. I looked down at my br...