Country City Girls
an excerpt

Pinkyes, pinkyes, pinkyes. Sometimes it works but sometimes it falls on deaf ears. Pinkyes, pinkyes, pinkyes. Televised, televised.

The other thing about this place is that your friends sometimes crawl up your ass. They crawl up your ass and leave things there. Things that come out later. Black, red. Blackred, blackred, blackred. Will not be televised, will not be televised.

How did it go? That thing. I am he and you are me as you are he. Televised, televised. That was a good one. Stupid bloody Tuesday man. One and one and one are three. You should just say one and one and one. No should. No should.

He carefully laid down on the grass, continuing to roll the goose turd between his fingers in a contemplative manner.

She was the one who said there is no should, but that was so long ago I’m expecting never to get a card. Makes sense, makes sense. Things are cleaner now. Of all the people, she might be the one to understand. Of course, I told them that I had connections in Chicago and at the Vatican. They weren’t expecting that. They just looked. They just wanted to know about my feet and my finger. They were part of a larger organization, but my back is covered from the mob to the pope. When your back is like that, then you don’t have to worry about bad dreams. Or larger organizations. My back is covered, back is covered, back is covered. Jojo.

He nodded his head sagely. Now that he thought of it, he did miss that radio. His favorite song was the test of the emergency broadcast system. Not the three harsh, punctuated blasts of noise, but the long, sweet hum right after that. That never lasted long enough for him. He always thought it should be at least twice as long as it was.

He heaved himself up carefully from the grass. After a certain point, when a person has been living outdoors for long enough without bathing or eating or changing clothes, they lose their race, becoming brown all over. John may have been Black, or Asian, but it was nearly impossible to tell. Nobody got close enough, usually.

He continued to hold the turd as he walked slowly down the path to the water. So you think you can, you think you can, you think you can. No you can’t, no you can’t. Some can; you can’t. Oops, that’s two that’s two that’s two. Now that’s three, that’s three. Crisis averted. Time to roll out the carpet, maybe? Or not. Not time yet. Time to answer the phone? Not time yet. Not time yet. Not time yet. Phone, phone. Televised, televised. Pinkyes, pinkyes, pinkyes.

So many fiancées. Judge Kevin Lonsdale makes lawyers feel so comfortable in his courtroom that one even said trying the case felt more like a collegiate discussion. Who the hell cares? Basketball, basketball. Now there’s evidence of a larger organization. I don’t believe it. Don’t believe it. Don’t believe it. Televised, televised. Join now and get a free phone! Not on your life, buddy.

He chuckled knowingly and kicked the newspaper out of his path. The sun came out behind a cloud. He could feel his head getting warm.