There are four of them, three guys and a girl.
They stand in line for the Porta-Potties with the rest of the festival goers.The guys yabber saying ‘fuck dude’ and ‘hell yeah’ while tipping back
Tecates and passing around inside jokes like joints. Even behind sunglasses, it’s
unmistakable, their eyes are on the girl.
The girl has long tan legs and is gangly
beautiful. Her left arm drapes across her modest chest, hand grabbing her other
arm's elbow almost apologetically. She slouches a little, possibly because she's
taller than the tallest guy in the group. She laughs along but makes no sound,
her shoulders shake, she smiles a partial yet beguiling smile. Unlike the other
girls in line, with powder-perfect cheeks and Pin-Up hair, her lips are bare
and her hair lays loose.
I wonder which one likes her the most? The one
who punches swear words like he’s stabbing at the air? The one who runs his
thumb affectionately across his tattoos as if they were recently inked? Or the
one who wears a silver skull ring on his middle finger and keeps checking for
his wallet?
The girl's nail polish is chipped, a remnant
of some event’s past, the messiness not even an afterthought. Her wrists are
adorned with a variety of thin bracelets, the kind gathered over years, from cities
visited, friendships made and kept, mementos gifted. They’re not the kinds that
come in a set.
She only moves when the line moves. She is
present but not rapt, engaging in their chatter, yet often shamelessly somewhere
else. When she wanders, the three try urgently to entice
her attention.
She gives them a ‘here goes’ look as she turns
to brave a recently vacated john. The guys nod their encouragement but continue,
for a good ten seconds, to discuss Richie Ramone who’s releasing a solo album
and how that can’t be a good idea,
before they abruptly hush and huddle-up, foreheads nearly touching.
I hear, "…she…she…she…she…she…" laced
with such unreserved awe that I hold my breath.
And then they giggle, they boy-giggle.
And then they giggle, they boy-giggle.
Boy gigle, I love it!!!
ReplyDeleteI love how compassionately you observe and illuminate the intricacies of being human. Your writing deepens and expands my awareness ... my sense of being human and alive. And it’s never “showy”. And I admire the hell out of it.
ReplyDelete@buffy & @quinnmama ...you two would love each other. i would use one of my 3 wishes to have all three of us share a day together... love you both insanely!
ReplyDelete