Silver Springs
he was a FOOL, i tell you
Gunnar moved his feet. Right, left, right, left, right. His mind wandered to the thought of Mamie. She had hugged him goodbye outside of the diner, informed him that she had to meet someone, and waded back into the city. He waited until she was out of sight to smile.
The meeting was at the community center and he grinned at Billie Hawthorne who waited for him outside. “Hey man,” Gunn greeted him.
They clapped their hands together and pulled each other in for a quick hug. Gunnar stopped for a second. Billie had a different scent to his collar. Or the scent was familiar. Gunnar couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was.
Gunnar didn’t know that Billie had just been over at Mary Lou’s house. They had fucked in her shower. She sprayed her perfume everywhere when they had finished. He’ll know soon enough, but we’re not there yet.
“So how are you?” Billie asked Gunnar. They had a ritual. They’d smoke a cigarette, talk about what a necessary drag it was to get clean, they caught up, offered each other a ‘chin up,’ and finally they would swallow their anxiety down and walk into the AA meeting together.
“I saw Mamie,” Gunnar said offhandedly as they lit up their smokes. Billie immediately wanted melt onto the concrete. But he merely grimaced as he exhaled smoke and said, “Really? What happened?”
“You know she’s working in that diner on 5th and Robinson? I went in there with Jamie and she actually waited on us. I left, but I came back a few days later. I wanted to see her, you know?”
Billie’s heart sank. “What did you guys talk about?”
“She looks so different now. You wouldn’t even know. She has this white blond hair and she’s looking like a lost doe. I can’t fucking stand it,” Gunnar muttered.
Billie and Mamie had been reading magazines on his bed when a Blondie video came on the television. Mamie looked up from her reading and watched the entire thing before saying, “God, I want her hair.”
Billie watched Debbie Harry bob up and down. “Then get it,” he muttered disinterestedly. She looked at him and giggled, “Fine! I will.”
They drove down to the pharmacy store and got bleach. Billie held some of her hair up while she splayed the gooey stink onto her scalp. They sat and read more of their magazines while they waited for her hair to fade. She washed it out and blow dried it, said she loved it, and then climbed on top of him to kiss his nose.
“Oh yeah, that is weird,” Billie said.
Gunnar looked at him and muttered, “I don’t think she’s happy. I think we could be together again.”
Billie nodded. “Well, uh, we’ll see.”
Gunnar smiled at his best friend. “Yeah, we’ll see. But I’ve got this feeling.”
Billie looked down and felt a lump in his throat rise, but he swallowed it down. He had never understood what making a fool out of someone was until this very moment. He felt ashamed in every way possible. He was a disgusting excuse for a friend.
They finished their smokes and walked into the community center with the very same girl on both their minds.
The meeting was at the community center and he grinned at Billie Hawthorne who waited for him outside. “Hey man,” Gunn greeted him.
They clapped their hands together and pulled each other in for a quick hug. Gunnar stopped for a second. Billie had a different scent to his collar. Or the scent was familiar. Gunnar couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was.
Gunnar didn’t know that Billie had just been over at Mary Lou’s house. They had fucked in her shower. She sprayed her perfume everywhere when they had finished. He’ll know soon enough, but we’re not there yet.
“So how are you?” Billie asked Gunnar. They had a ritual. They’d smoke a cigarette, talk about what a necessary drag it was to get clean, they caught up, offered each other a ‘chin up,’ and finally they would swallow their anxiety down and walk into the AA meeting together.
“I saw Mamie,” Gunnar said offhandedly as they lit up their smokes. Billie immediately wanted melt onto the concrete. But he merely grimaced as he exhaled smoke and said, “Really? What happened?”
“You know she’s working in that diner on 5th and Robinson? I went in there with Jamie and she actually waited on us. I left, but I came back a few days later. I wanted to see her, you know?”
Billie’s heart sank. “What did you guys talk about?”
“She looks so different now. You wouldn’t even know. She has this white blond hair and she’s looking like a lost doe. I can’t fucking stand it,” Gunnar muttered.
Billie and Mamie had been reading magazines on his bed when a Blondie video came on the television. Mamie looked up from her reading and watched the entire thing before saying, “God, I want her hair.”
Billie watched Debbie Harry bob up and down. “Then get it,” he muttered disinterestedly. She looked at him and giggled, “Fine! I will.”
They drove down to the pharmacy store and got bleach. Billie held some of her hair up while she splayed the gooey stink onto her scalp. They sat and read more of their magazines while they waited for her hair to fade. She washed it out and blow dried it, said she loved it, and then climbed on top of him to kiss his nose.
“Oh yeah, that is weird,” Billie said.
Gunnar looked at him and muttered, “I don’t think she’s happy. I think we could be together again.”
Billie nodded. “Well, uh, we’ll see.”
Gunnar smiled at his best friend. “Yeah, we’ll see. But I’ve got this feeling.”
Billie looked down and felt a lump in his throat rise, but he swallowed it down. He had never understood what making a fool out of someone was until this very moment. He felt ashamed in every way possible. He was a disgusting excuse for a friend.
They finished their smokes and walked into the community center with the very same girl on both their minds.
♠ ♠ ♠
"Love is so confusing. There's no peace of mind."-Blondie
there's really three narrators.
mamie and gunnar of course.
but there's also this one.
an all-knowing perspective.
hope it's not confusing!
xo j.