A STORY. 17. ACROSS THE ROAD, DOWN THE LANE, IN THE FIELD

You leave the bookshop, look across the road, see the narrow lane.

You look left and right, as you learned to do many years ago.

You pause. Are you really going to go across the road and down the lane?

Yes. You cross the road and walk down the lane. There are signs in front of several doorways. Peruvian Mama. Russian Roulette. You sniff. Delicious. Food from different places on earth.

Not now.

You come to the end of the short lane. There’s a road. Empty. Across it is a large field with an old house in it, and a pathway leading to the house. In one window there’s a bright pink neon sign. Zee’s.

When you get to the door, you see a familiar small sign hanging from the door handle. OPEN.

It’s quiet inside. A few people who look like regulars are sitting talking, or alone.

A few booths, half a dozen tables, a raised podium at the far end, with drums in a corner and a mic stand in the middle. Old brown-painted chairs. Old wood tables. Painted wood-panelling around the room, the darkest green.

You notice the large blackboard behind the counter. Lots of choices for coffee and tea. At the top of the list, chai.

That’s what you order, take to a booth. You notice the small jukebox on the wall.

And there you find it, the image you had in your head, of the cowboy with his hat pulled down low.

You take a sip of chai, hunt out a quarter so you can listen.

To be continued . . .
A STORY. 18. THE MUSIC PLAYS
https://elsaiselsa.substack.com/p/a-story-18-the-music-plays

A STORY. ALL THE CHAPTERS ... UP TO NOW
https://elsaiselsa.substack.com/p/a-story-table-of-contents-up-to-now

Posted March 26, 2024