Panic In Detroit (Episode 1 of First Paragraphs From Novels Never Published)
This was inside my head while waiting for my flight in Detroit today:-)
I am waiting
I am waiting
Waiting for someone to come out of somewhere.
-Rolling Stones, Album: Aftermath, “I am waiting”
About 80 meters to her left, on the other side of the window overlooking the tarmac, a man stands in a urinating position, holding the fuel hose out front with one hand and his other hiding his face. He is waiting for the jet to finish fueling. About 10 meters to her right a german tourist, replete with strange shoes and knit cap, plays with the computerized information kiosk. She bites her bottom lip and rhythmically sways her phone up and down wondering if she should call. Perhaps if she stays here she can disappear into the mosaic of travelers and pilgrims. The ideas of disappearing and peace escape her brain in the form of an exaggerated yawning stretch. She curls her fingers cat-like in a move from those insipid yoga classes she took while escaping the boredom of the intelligentsia at the Sorbonne. She winces from the bruises on her back and guesses that the congealed cut on her ear is worse than she thought. If Jules were with her last night he would have kissed each wound and made her drink that awful herbal tea mixture. Perhaps even removed the slivers with his teeth and tongue. His remedies were comical and throughout the three years together he was always part lover and part witch doctor. No time for nostalgia. He was doomed from the start. She slings her flannel bag over her shoulder and shuffles toward the gate. The loudspeaker whines that “all sections are boarding” and she instinctively looks back at the German tourist to notice him rapidly punching a number on his mobile phone. She scans the room for the exits. She takes a step toward the gate and then notices a figure three passengers ahead of her in line. That cap with the indigo sanskrit insignia. She’s seen it before. God no. Not again!
Arthur Albrizio says:
indeed
November 12th, 2007 at 9:41 pm