'the adventures of a thirty-ish university graduate' or, alternately and perhaps much more aptly: 'as mad as a barking fox'

Tuesday, September 04, 2007

i'm not pretending.

a foursome of americans walked intothe fish shop on saturday.

the husband- tall, balding, and slightly rounded- asked a million and one questions without waiting for the answer. his wife- bad dye job, piled curls, blue eye shadow to her brows- whispered to me over her husband's orders. their friend- older, white haired, with a soft, secret smile- watched with a fond gleam in his eyes. and finally, father.

father was, i suspect, suffering from some kind of ailment. he shuffled slowly through the front area, looking solemly at the relics we have hanging on the wall. he carefully examined the picture of my mother with a tail. and finally, he zoned in on the smoked fish. without hesitation, he reached out, and grabbed a single chub by the tail.

of course his daughter told him to put it back, but he smiled, and told her he was buying it. he told her he would hold onto it, and keep it safe until i could price it up for him.

two dollars later and father shuffled slowly out of the shop, his singe lone chub wrapped up with a paper towel for the- i assume- long car ride ahead.

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