#beautiful

A weird little vignette practicing voice, scene, and dialogue.

Me an Dem buzz through the foothills……….carapace of his granddad’s
Lincoln jacked up on an old Charger chassis ………. loud, heavy
the way Dem likes it. Blonde hair on his browner arm glints ………. he
says, “Yer bootlegging again,” tappin the paperback I got opened on
my lap but ain’t really readin.

Dem’s got his way with words ………. uses em wrong cept somehow they
come out jus right ………. knows a lotta things but I never see him read
says I read enough for us both. ………. First time we met ………. at Mel’s
place, he took a drag an looked right at me, said “octothorpe beautiful”
an I thought he meant my hair ………. how the curls get tentacly in wind.
Got me right away.

But it’s kinda true ………. I’m takin library books across a border, whole
box of em tucked between clothes and Dem’s rifle. ………. His thumb’s
tracin the eggplant colour stain that goes from my shoulder to up behind
my ear. A muscle twitches ………. mine or his I can’t say.

“You still studyin up on pigeontronics?” he asks. ………. “It’s peristeronic,”
I correct ………. but he’s already rubbin little up and downs on my neck,
shows he’s teasin. ………. “I just bin wonderin why they did it,” I say.
“Carryin all those messages in a sky fulla planes and smoke. One of them
was named Cher Ami an got awarded a medal ………. but what did she care?”

“Same reason as some folks put vinegar on chips,” Dem says ………. his
thigh flexes ………. gears down ………. swerves right ………. stops sideways
at a burger shanty, dust plumin like a proud peacock. “OK Dem I’ll bite
why do some folks put vinegar on chips?” ………. He’s already unfoldin his
legs out the side to stretch. I skootch behind the wheel ………. reset the seat.

“Lethargy,” Dem says, goin around to the trunk, loadin the rifle low. “For
some folks it’s just more pleasant ta be showed what to do and then just do
it. Pigeons is like that,” he hollers from the back.

“That ain’t lethargy, that’s inertia,” I say, twistin out the window. His mask
hides his mouth but his eyes smile back. ………. “Same thing,” he yells, hoists
and cocks in one swoop. He’s So. Damn. OctothorpeBeautiful. The eggplant
on my neck feels hot in the sun ………. itches. ………. I hover the clutch an gas
………. wait ………. smell of vinegar comin through the window now.