{"id":628,"date":"2013-09-24T05:06:10","date_gmt":"2013-09-24T09:06:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thememorexe.com\/?p=628"},"modified":"2021-03-23T02:40:36","modified_gmt":"2021-03-23T06:40:36","slug":"entertainment-tonight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thememorexe.com\/wordpress\/?p=628","title":{"rendered":"Entertainment, Tonight"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u2026 remembering hospitality;<\/em><\/p>\n

some having entertained<\/em><\/p>\n

angels unawares.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2014Hebrews 13:1 (KJV)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I<\/b><\/p>\n

12:00 p.m.: The light through the blinds is bright enough that I wake up. It\u2019s about time. Cat notices I\u2019m awake, she licks my forehead, a sure sign that she is hungry. I am excited to be awake relatively bright and early, perhaps I can get some writing done today. Coffee is not a bad idea, look in the freezer, no coffee. Feed the cat. Lie in bed contemplate going to the deli round the corner for coffee, basking in the zebra striped sunlight I fall back asleep.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

4:30 p.m.\u2014Get up to get coffee. Debate whether to shower or not. Walk round the corner to the deli, when I look in: there\u2019s that obnoxious guy who leers at me. Once he said,<\/p>\n

\u201cI am going to take you dinner, you think I am joking!\u201d<\/p>\n

On another occasion he had said:<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are my girlfriend!\u201d<\/p>\n

At this point, I\u2019d had enough of him. There are other options; actually it would be pleasant, I decide, to stroll down to Atlantic Avenue to the Arab strip, fine French-Colombian roast to be purchased there. It is several minutes before I realize I am walking in the reverse direction. I find myself right outside Emily\u2019s house. She is practicing her scales at the piano, I listen by the window a couple of minutes before I ring the doorbell. It is always a pleasure to see Emily\u2014<\/p>\n

\u201cHey girl!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was just on my way to get some coffee\u2014\u201c<\/p>\n

\u201cReally, you want some coffee?\u201d<\/p>\n

Why not? She makes coffee, we read cards\u2014as usual as of late the Magician shows up and we talk about that and erstwhile lovers. It\u2019s five-thirty and she has a student coming in. Outside, it\u2019s getting dark. I remember I need to get coffee.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Since I\u2019ve had some\u2014I don\u2019t really want coffee anymore. I walk down to Court Street and now I\u2019m in the mood for red wine. At the liquor store I pick up a nice full-bodied Syrah. Next door is the butchers, I realize I am hungry. Cornish hens. I walk past a vegetable stand. Asparagus, new  potatoes, red peppers, pearl onions\u2026<\/p>\n

And then cheese and crackers. Looks like I\u2019m home for the evening.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

6:30 p.m. \u2014I am struck by the deliciousness of the simple pleasures in life. The choice to eat out or have Cornish hens roasting; the sublime-ness of actually having money to spend. How devious to run a citrus bath, while dinner cooks, a film score from the speakers; the affordancy of the phone off the hook and solitude. I have the option to paint my nails, vacuum clean or write. I do neither. I sit down to a dinner of rosemary stuffed hens, roast potatoes and caramel onions; asparagus in lemon butter sauce. Red wine.<\/p>\n

An hour later I want dessert, with coffee.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

8:30 p.m.\u2014The strong pull of dessert is unmistakable.<\/p>\n

I falter, on PBS Woman of the Year<\/i> is showing, but I guess I can rent it later. Best to walk down to Atlantic Avenue before the shops close. There\u2019s a guy walking a pair of greyhounds down the street. When I lived with Andreas, we owned two greyhounds (his actually), Harriet and Agnetha. I\u2019m not fond of dogs, but these were beasts of breathtaking beauty. When I walked them I renamed them Actaeon and Jasper. We would hurtle full speed across the bridge. Actaeon, Jasper and I, Diana\u2014Goddess of the Hunt. I might not love Andreas anymore but I miss the dogs.<\/p>\n

My reverie has taken me elsewhere, I find myself on the Brooklyn Bridge. The Jehovah Witness Clock says it is nine on the dot. There is no point turning back, the Arabs will be closed, besides Manhattan might hold the key to my desires: French restaurant on Lafayette or the Bowery, Le Jardin<\/i>, where the raspberry sorbet expresses the charm of the civilized. An autumnal chill settles in, the night is dark, but clear. I whizz past Chinatown with the speed of thought. At Le Jardin<\/i> I peek through lace frosted windows\u2014overcrowded. Of course, it\u2019s Saturday night, what was I thinking? Absent-mindedly I wander into Marion\u2019s<\/i>, my usual haunt. It\u2019s crowded too, but I figure if I sit in a corner no one I know will see me. At some point I make my way to the bathroom and run headlong into Ulrich seated at dinner with an art-type crowd. A hawk-like Italian woman glitters at me. Ulrich introduces her as Principessa di something, I decline to dine with them and make my way back to the bar.<\/p>\n

On their way out Ulrich comes over,<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to see Maxwell at the Supper Club, you should come, we\u2019ve got comps\u2014\u201c<\/p>\n

\u201cNah, I think I\u2019ll pass,\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Principessa personally asked if you would come,\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere do you get these people from? Who the hell calls herself a principessa anyway?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s bona fide, she was a principal with the Paris Opera Ballet for years. Now she\u2019s here on the board of the Costume Institute at the Met\u2014\u201c<\/p>\n

\u201cSo nice, these people with money\u2014\u201c<\/p>\n

\u201cYou surprise me, aren\u2019t you curious in the least?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, but I\u2019m on the prowl for something else.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFor example?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCoffee.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCoffee?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, coffee.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLots of coffee at the Supper Club, doll\u2014\u201c<\/p>\n

\u201cWell that and dessert,\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDessert?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, dessert.\u201d<\/p>\n

I can see he feels I\u2019m simply being contrary tonight.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell good luck on your quest, it sounds like quite a challenge\u2014\u201c<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m well up to the task.\u201d<\/p>\n

They leave, but so do I, some guy in a vanilla suit has been throwing me come hithers from the other end of the bar. He looks like he\u2019s about ready to head my way and I\u2019m not in the mood.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

II<\/b><\/p>\n

The streets crawl with weekend types. I meander into the Propeller Lounge<\/i>. Foreign territory, as I\u2019ve never seen or heard of it before. Sort of what I was looking for: exotic and loungy\u2014trance-y eastern music, Very Marrakesh. I make my way to the back where it is cozy with couples, cushions and dim lanterns. The couple next to me are being effortlessly annoying. She indulges the conceit of being the only beautiful girl in the world, and he\u2019s preying on her idiocy. At some point she gets up for the bathroom, he glances over at me and smiles. He takes out a cigarette,<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you have a light?\u201d<\/p>\n

His English is richly accented. I toss him a book of matches laying there on the table. He lights his cigarette all the while watching me,<\/p>\n

\u201cNice matches. Thank you\u2014\u201c<\/p>\n

I shrug.<\/p>\n

\u201cMay I keep them?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou shouldn\u2019t play with fire.\u201d<\/p>\n

He smiles, confident, seductive: so lucky am I to bask in his charms. He pockets the matches,<\/p>\n

\u201cI will keep them\u2014\u201c<\/p>\n

\u201cFine if you like\u2014\u201c<\/p>\n

\u201cI like.\u201d<\/p>\n

Suit yourself Romeo, see you later. His friend returns and a couple of minutes later, they leave.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

They are back in a half hour.<\/p>\n

\u201cHave you seen a wallet here, we might have left a wallet here\u2014\u201c<\/p>\n

We? Apparently she was speaking for the both of them. Everyone in the vicinity sort of shifts and pries between cushions. He looks hassled, she turns to me.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you remember we were sitting right next to you\u2026 did you see anything after we left?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re looking for a wallet, leather, sort of burgundy?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes?\u201d She gets excited, \u201cDo you know where it is?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI have it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh. Great! Can we have it back?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe?\u201d<\/p>\n

She seems baffled, and he equally puzzled: a language barrier\u2014she\u2019s trying to explain to him in Spanish,<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry, I didn\u2019t understand, did you say you had the wallet?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou heard me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo you have the wallet\u2014\u201c<\/p>\n

\u201cYes I have the wallet\u2014\u201c<\/p>\n

\u201cSo can we have it back then?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe?\u201d<\/p>\n

Her face darkens.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you have the wallet or not?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not repeating myself\u2014\u201c<\/p>\n

\u201cCan we have it back please?\u201d<\/p>\n

I laugh, she doesn\u2019t get it.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe?\u201d<\/p>\n

I whip out a drivers license from on of the pouches, she attempts to grab the wallet from me but fails miserably: my deftness is legendary.<\/p>\n

His name is Gabriel.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell it appears for all accounts and purposes the owner of this wallet is one Se\u00f1or Gabriel Barcelon and not an entity called \u2018We\u2019. I suggest that Mr. Barcelon deal directly with me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gabriel intercepts in Spanish, I can\u2019t follow, but I know enough to know that I\u2019ve aggravated them. At this point we have an audience, the resident din lowers by considerable decibels.<\/p>\n

She decides enough is enough,<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m getting the manager\u2014\u201c<\/p>\n

\u201cMay I intervene?\u201d<\/p>\n

Who invited you? It takes me a minute to realize that this is the same vanilla suit from the other bar. I hadn\u2019t noticed him here before, it is as if he has popped into relief. His eyes\u2014 dark flashes are disturbing.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo. Go away it\u2019s not your business\u2014\u201c<\/p>\n

\u201cAs you wish.\u201d He bows and vanishes into the crowd<\/p>\n

The manager weaves his way over,<\/p>\n

\u201cThere seems to be a problem here, they claim that you have his wallet, is this true?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo they would like to have it returned, is that a problem?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not so hot on this \u2018We\u2019 business. Gabriel wants to talk about the wallet\u2014then he can do so directly\u2014\u201c<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s really going on here?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA simple transaction.  An exchange. Ask him why he left his wallet here with me\u2014if not that he wanted me to have it,\u201d<\/p>\n

Gabriel tries to articulate something, we are all watching: perhaps he is struggling with the English vocabulary? But no sound comes out, his face turns pure alabaster and he collapses\u2014<\/p>\n

\u201cGabriel! Somebody help us please! Call 911\u2014\u201c The Girlfriend is in hysterics<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone clear out, we have an emergency here\u2014give the man space, he needs to breathe!\u201d<\/p>\n

No one moves.<\/p>\n

The manager and the girlfriend loosen Gabriel\u2019s collar and sleeves. The Vanilla Suit pushes his way through,<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a doctor.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the floor, Gabriel\u2019s eyes flutter white.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s happening to him?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s overdosed\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, we haven\u2019t done anything this evening\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

He looks up at her, it\u2019s not sympathy in his face, something else,<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe not collectively. Any private trips to the boy\u2019s room?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was the one who went to the bathroom\u2014not him!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAh. Do you have any idea what transpired then?\u201d He is looking at me now. The Girlfriend is illuminated with some arcane understanding:<\/p>\n

\u201cYou fucking whore! What have you done to him! I\u2019m gonna kill you\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

She lunges for me, screaming<\/p>\n

\u201cSomeone get this woman out of here\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

She is dragged off by a bouncer, kicking and screaming.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome peace of mind\u2014Can we get some space here, for the man to breathe? Has anyone called the paramedics?\u201d<\/p>\n

No one moves.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Gabriel stirs, the Vanilla Suit bends over to listen to his breathing.<\/p>\n

We all weigh in a little closer. Pale skin looms beneath a tan, the unconscious man\u2019s eyes open and flutter, a slow release of richly shaped syllables emit from his lips\u2014he is speaking in Spanish,<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s saying something\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

The Vanilla Suit translates:<\/p>\n

\u201cSomething about a young woman\u2014 a hungry ghost,\u201d<\/p>\n

Everyone looks at me for a second and recall that somehow I am the culprit…<\/p>\n

The Manager snaps out of his trance for a second,<\/p>\n

\u201cDid anyone call 911?\u201d<\/p>\n

No one budges. He realizes that was his job in the first place\u2014and weaves his way back to the bar to get to a phone.<\/p>\n

Gabriel still speaking, the Vanilla Suit still translates:<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2014puzzled by this element, an object that switches hands, exchanged, one object for another, until the ultimate transaction is made\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

What was he on about? Could this possibly be the muttering of an unconscious man\u2014or is the Vanilla Suit off on his own tangent? I look at the stilled crowd, everyone fascinated: hanging on to every word. Everyone in a trance.<\/p>\n

The Vanilla Suit stops for a second to clarify what he has just heard, everyone holds their breath. After a beat of consideration, he continues:<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2014an object that you do not recognize, yet an image which troubles you. I will give the interpretation. Very simple, you\u2019ve suffered a trauma from which you have never recovered, it might have happened last night, it might have been weeks, months ago. Or even a year. It does not matter because every moment has become the same, never moving past the initial point of trauma always looping back on itself\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t like the tone of this. I want to leave this bar. Now.<\/p>\n

I find myself frozen, forced to listen, Gabriel\u2019s voice turning raspy and louder.<\/p>\n

The Vanilla Suit continues:<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd how does Newness enter the world?<\/p>\n

Lucifer falls from heaven:<\/p>\n

A shooting star, you make a wish; a comet crashes and\u2014<\/p>\n

With that reverberation a resonance in the body, a subtle jolt: and you begin to crave things. You craved things dark and bitter, things that cause you to stray from your quotidian orbit. Had she realized that in fact the death she had been avoiding was the ultimate in Novelty, the superlative in dark and bittersweet? If she could only accept this she would transcend her mundane hauntings\u2014\u201c<\/p>\n

He stops frozen.<\/p>\n

Something startles, even frightens him…<\/p>\n

Slowly I realize I have dropped a facade: I feel myself a hissing mass, vaporizing past the crowd that has become a parted sea of horror around me. I do not know\u2014or care\u2014what they see:<\/p>\n

My illusion severed, I release myself into the swirling tradewinds of the crisp Manhattan night.<\/p>\n

\u00a91997, 2013 onome ekeh<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The couple next to me are being effortlessly annoying. She indulges the conceit of being the only beautiful girl in the world, and he\u2019s preying on her idiocy. At some point she gets up for the bathroom, he glances over at me and smiles. He takes out a cigarette,<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you have a light?\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3510,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,6],"tags":[8,196],"class_list":["post-628","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fiction","category-short-story","tag-company-girl","tag-short-story"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thememorexe.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/628","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thememorexe.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thememorexe.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thememorexe.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thememorexe.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=628"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/thememorexe.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/628\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3526,"href":"https:\/\/thememorexe.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/628\/revisions\/3526"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thememorexe.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3510"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thememorexe.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=628"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thememorexe.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=628"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thememorexe.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=628"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}