I arrive at
David’s house later than I thought I would. David answers the door and
immediately tells me that Billy has already left.
David holds the door open and
asks me to come in. David’s house is a tiny two story residence that sits right
on Washington Avenue before it splits into Western Avenue.
The house is
decorated in floor to ceiling Art Deco. Statues and cherubs line the walls.
There is a bar that sits on a push cart just ready for entertaining. An antique
decanter filled with scotch sits center surrounded by several glasses with
designs cut into the crystal. David pauses briefly on our tour and introduces
me to a woman who is sitting on the couch knitting.
David lives on
the first floor with his best friend Anne. Anne is a 65 year old woman, who
briefly pauses her television watching, to sneer in my direction and then goes
right back to knitting. We immediately dislike each other.
David goes on to
tell me that his Mother died when he was very young. His father remarried a
woman that he never connected with. It quickly becomes very clear what Anne
represents to David and the apartment.
He takes me on a
tour of the rest of the house. It’s a cute two bedroom apartment with a living
room, dining room, music room, back porch and fairly large back yard. The
appliances in the kitchen are all from 1920-1940’s and the stove has to be lit
with a match that he keeps in a tin on a shelf. Every room has glasses that
hold several cigarettes which he buys by the caseload.
There is a screen
door that creaks when opened and slams shut behind you. I’m reminded of
camping. From his backyard and by standing on the stoop you can look directly into
the back entrance of the Waterworks Pub. Over the fence he points out his car a
1935 Packard that sits in the shared parking lot. He tells me that he owns a
1965 Pontiac that he keeps in a garage several blocks away.
He has a hammock
in the backyard and several folding chairs that sit around an open fire pit. He
excuses himself for a minute as he runs back into the house. Moments later the
sounds of The Policemen’s Other Ball and Sting singing Roxanne can be heard in
the backyard.
David returns
carrying drinks and several cigarettes. An hour later I am sitting in the
hammock with him. My defenses are no longer up and thoughts of Billy are in the
front of my mind and I stop David as he leans in for a kiss.
“I can’t do
this,” I say “Billy is my best friend”. “Do what?” David asks. “Cheat on Billy
with you.” I respond coming to standing. “Billy and I aren’t together,” David
says standing next to me. David goes on to explain that Billy and him are not
sleeping together because Billy doesn’t want to. Something about Billy having
issues with letting someone in.
Several hours
later I realize that I am not going home.
In the morning I
step from the shower leaving David there, Anne has already left for work and we
are completely alone. I am standing in the hallway completely naked drying
myself off when I hear a pounding on the back door. I look up to see Billy
pounding on the glass, he jumped the fence and climbed in through the porch.
To be
continued…….
Geoffrey Doig-Marx holds all written and electronic rights to his writing "A Day in the Life". It can not be reprinted in part or whole without his written consent.
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