z'meer

at dinner last night at everyone's fav restaurant, the knickerbocker, i was in a booth with my mommy and my great-auntie ('twas for mom's day) and in the next boof sat a woman, maybe my age, maybe a few years older (possibly younger but looked older), with her own mom and pop. i could tell that because she was a little animated in a not entirely happy direction. (in fact, let's say she was agitated. she had agita. sometimes i have that affliction too.) and my boof-neighbor called him 'dad' and then when she addressed the woman, she said, 'mom.' and that's what gave away her company (i saw a play of the same name this weekend; a pretty corny, pointless entertainment).

anyhoos, one plymouth oyster, some shrimp cocktail, cesar salad, and a t-bone later (that was my dinner. and may i please say: YUM) she was telling them how fed up she was. and that she's not interested in meeting a divorced man who looks at her picture online and then decides after all he's not interested. who is he, this loserville, to reject her? huh?!

huh?????

HUH??!?!?!$%#*$!!

(she was nice looking though the anger might have been a turn-off.)

well, as ever, i paraphrase. and i couldn't hear so so clear. but that's the crux. and she should meet someone lovely. and so should i. and they should think i'm lovely too. stat.

it reminds me of the time many years ago when great-auntie and i went to brunch (must have been roughly 1988) at a place now gone on 6th avenue in the village. it was sort of a soda counter but with booths along the joint's perimeter, and i recall the decor screamed peppermint stick. and amid the clatter of plates and cutlery and loud ordering of waffles mit schlag, there was a young man, must have been around 27, with his moms and daddio. and as great-auntie talked to me i eavesdropped as the young man came out to his parents. and they were not so very happy with the news and tried to coax him that if he gives it a shot he could meet a nice girl, have a child, 'just look at your brother' was how they tried to persuade him. not that his brother was gay, but the marriage and kid part of it was the parallel. but he seemed altogether unmoved and a little annoyed too by how little they got his point. or maybe they were trying not to get it.

much later, on fire island, some gradual school pals and i went into deserted beach houses (deserted on account of a huge storm that had rendered them basically uninhabitable) and we nosed around here and there. a warped piano that look like it was about to fall off a cliff. a half-drunk bottle of tangueray. a closet full of plaid flannel shirts and by the bedside a book whose title was something like 'how to come out to your parents.'

we took the gin.