There
is a scent comes off the pavement at this time of year, when the air is still
more dry than wet and the first of each rain dampens the parched concrete, a
momentary perfume destroyed through its own creation.
Brother
Skunk lies flat upon his back on the bedroom floor breathing his fill through
the wide-thrown window. The infrequency of familiar smells might do this,
unlock memories with an intensity afforded no other sense, and so moving
amongst time as he is, he hears his own voice sound as from a distance,
distorted by the little salty accretions now pooled in either ear, and borne
back from happier days upon the already disappearing fragrance of the season.
Skunk
(but smiling): I eh, I missed this thing today ehhh... when I was on my lunch,
I was out for lunch and when I got back the assistant manager was, he was...
really keen to tell me that ehm, there’d been a guy in eh, an American guy had
been in the shop and he had gone through the... He’d noticed the Faulkner
display, and eh, he stood at, he was looking at the books in, in the display
and he asked about that
and
sighs, and then something inaudible and then
Skunk:
I wish I’d been there, or the guy had
hung around or something but... eh, and then my, I got my, after lunch he had
gone ehm, but eh, the assistant manager said that he had eh, he’d spoken to him about it and eh he’d asked him, he
said you know, what was it he said? He said, he asked him eh “you know the only
way you should read Faulkner?” and eh, the assistant manager said, didn’t, was
a bit nonplussed ‘cause I don’t think he’s read... anything, I think he’s read,
he read “As I Lay Dying”, but this guy said “You know the only way you should
read Faulkner? It’s on your knees”,
and eh
and
sighs again.
Skunk:
I did go out afterwards, clumming up
and down the street just in case he was still around or, if he was a tourist he
might have been looking at some of the, the, the cathedral or something but, I
didn’t see... anyone that matched the... So, that was that anyway.
He
rolls over onto his stomach assuming the recovery position, which sometimes
helps.
Skunk:
I think eh, oh the other thing with the, I had a phone-call from the... to say
that euh, he’s repaired the E.T. doll, so, I’m going to pick that up, he was
shut after, he was closed by the time I got out of work so... I’ll pick it up
tomorrow at lunchtime. That guy’ll probably come back tomorrow at lunchtime, no I doubt it. But I’ll pick that up
tomorrow at lunchtime and go
sighs
Skunk:
..either I’ll take it back tomorrow or Saturday, and I’ll see...
and
sighs again
Skunk:
..oh we’ll see.
