A STORY. 87. A QUESTION AT THE DOOR

It’s settled. Sitting there in the comfortable old armchair, you’ve made your decision. The next time you come to the used bookstore, you will open the book of love poems and maybe read a few - or anyway, at least one. Better than reading about gaps and never a match, always a catch.

You close MOMENTS, put it back on the short stack of books beside you, and head for the door.

But then the woman at the cash, usually busy reading and nicely silent, stops you. Just as you’re about to walk past the cash, she leans forward and clears her throat a little loudly, in the way that you know there’s something she wants to say.

You stop, turn your head to face her.

“There’s a meeting at the Cafe tonight,” she says. “8 o’clock. About the dangerous law that’s close to being passed - to take away more of our freedoms - for our own good, of course. One of your students saw you at the Cafe a while ago, and suggested we ask you to come and say something, about the ethics of it - the immorality.”

A student of yours. That’s the problem with small towns. You can expect someone to notice, no matter what you do.

You know about the law. You’ve signed several online petitions. But this is something else. Talking about it. And not as the teacher in a class.

It’s not something you usually do.

You sigh. You can’t think of any reason not to do this.

So you say yes, you’ll be there. 8.o’clock.

You remember a poem you’ve glanced at.

evening shadows
            porchlights bright
evening walking
            dog by my side
  no longer hungry
  not yet tired

eight o'clock
            and I'm just fine

But you don’t have a dog and you’re not just fine about going to this meeting.

More words come back to you.

eight o'clock
eight o'clock
            the best time
            the very best time

Maybe for some people, like for whoever is walking the dog with evening shadows and porchlights bright. But these days it’s no longer summer. There are no longer evening shadows at 8 o’clock. It’s dark at 8 o’clock.

You’re not looking forward to 8 o’clock.

https://elsasemporium.com/8-oclock.html

To be continued . . .

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

Posted Nov 1, 2024