by Jim Meirose.
“Isn’t this game great, great fun?”
“Yes it’s fun!” walking off the court each time, after another profitable game, they whacked their thighs with the flat of their hands as they strode off the court headed for the two matching water bottles on the bench they were to sit on and after they drank the bench changed from the bench they were to sit on into the bench they were sitting on which shortly thereafter would be the bench they sat on for a while, aka the bench they sat on in the past, aka the bench they sat on for a short time aka etc etc which also might be termed the bench they will sit on tomorrow or if not tomorrow certainly quite soon after and ask Wilbur if you want to know cars Wilbur knows a hell of a lot about cars you could even say don’tcha there’s not much about cars Wilbur doesn’t know it’s called small talk baby what’s the matter can’t take it well well here’s still more meaningless small talk take this and take that there down get down small talk yes we do mean to punish you with small talks la la small talk hey where hell where the hell are we where did [Limbo is better] all the time go how many years we been playing this game anyway, God. I mean, I mean, said the shorter spouse, slipping off their cesta and dropping it softly to the ground—where would we be had we not chanced upon [“Jai alai, the game”] Jai alai? You know? Where the hell’d we be now?
The other stared pressing the icy bottle to their forehead, wearing a quizzical look
What? Why the look? [“crazy quilt, the pattern”] It hit me—that’s a really good question. There’s no telling where we’d be. But, here we are now. So—there’s no point figuring out where the hell we’d be. Y’know that?
and then,
At that they twisted the cap from the water bottle with a wrenching, tearing sound, lifted the bottle, and drank back, savagely. [So very much better!] The other merely sat elbows on knees slowly rolling the cold bottle from hand to hand, looking out on the empty court. Yah. Some things were hard to know, while others were easy. Where they’d have been now without Jai alai, they could never know. But the court they looked out on. The court would be there. Yes. And. Wherever they’d have ended up of they’d not taken up Jai alai, well—wherever those places are now, they’re still there—power—power—the power to make a place something just like that, snap! The power to make a place into the “place they’d be now if they’d not taken up Jai alai”, was theirs. Power such power—the cap twisted off and they drank. As did the other. They sat cooling off from the superheated series of games they’d just played on this bench,, which, because of them, and of nothing else, would now and forever be the bench on which sat the hot spouses after afternoon after afternoon of boiling hot wheeze-breathing capital building, international, Jai alai. [So very much better!] What power they had, what, what-power and good God , thank God, this water is so cold. Good and cold. Out of this particular bottle which has now been crossed o’er this spouse’s holy hand transformed from another of the billion upon billions of bottles in existence, is now the bottle being drunk back from by the Jai alai court at yet another of the hot spouse’s everblistering fast action snap-on whirlilagigulan afternoon multigame quasimodoanne Jai alai, sessions ( [Limbo is better] lord God that bag is hot—what you got in there—a stash of hot molecules, or what—let me see, give it here let me see—yes it’s a molecular hi-ho stash, ain’t it, Santa? Santa, I want tubular “tell-me” what’s in that bag you got slung back there—molecules? It’s a bag of molecules, ain’t it? . . Hey—hey! What’s the matter what’s wrong . . Gimme it here! I also want to begin collecting molecules. [So very much better!] They are cheap to fix. Easy to maintain. No hards what could crush ya’. [Daddy O Daddy can you buy me a Moses Bar? =Need slacks for Bob=|| Please buy me a Moses Bar please, Daddy! They are the hot potato this season, Daddy! . . where the hell is my phone . . I so need to be like other kids, Daddy! . . here’s the phone . . Please make me be like the other kids, Daddy! . . God! . . Moses Bar, Daddy! =what’s the difference between slacks and pants {please}=||] . . what the hell is wrong . . [Limbo is better] . . Yes! . . Hot potato! Where am I I don’t remember Bag of molecules? . . That’s right . . Oh! . . come fast . . Molecular linguomomo please, Daddy! . . the Jai alai court . . Dank deliriumoso, Daddy! . . where? . . Here’s the vonder—where I am where I was what I’m talking about do you got the schmidt, Daddy? . . Yah that’s the place . . Please pass me the raisins. . . hurry . . thinking about actually This? Huck! . . hurry . . Ho, that; it’s a dog whistle. . . hurry . . [So very much better!] no, talking about (hinckey!) Hot patoto! Yes? Bag of ‘elocules? N’? ‘h! Ye’! oh what the hell what’s the difference thinking and talking about what is the difference ’olucelar linguomom’ ‘lease, Daddy! . . hurry . . N’. nothing matters Dan’ ‘eliroumase, Didd’! ‘os. not like that matters Hura’ ‘e vind’—’hmudt, Dad’? . . . . okay here we are now we’re here, just relax . . . . everything matters much more than I matter ‘osu p’ ‘sans. T’? du-ag wh’. [Lombu as bettir so vury mach bettir!] ‘r t’ ‘hing sp’ . . . . half full water bottle rolling across forgotten okay—got that side?—okay . . . . ‘ally me’ de-i-og w’. Pitot’u! Better make off with yourself before its too late ‘ulas? . . . . Lift! . . . . Mil’ l’uma, Duddy! leave all the cestas and ‘lai balls court shoes an what do you think is wrong with them Doc d cute shorts all behind, Leo, cause Diddy! you won’t need them . . . . go! . . . . where you’re going Hans you won’t need then ‘dt, oh no why won’t I need them Pop Zeigler . . . . be there in about five get ready . . .why not ‘cause you might be dead already you lying swindle you hak hak . . . . . it’s a hot one coming in a hot one . . . . . please keep moving vacate this space before it en. . . . . that’s right . . . . ds like it’s seeming to end . . . . hurry up! . . . . run fast jump high get there out from under the shadow of this this . . . . get out of the way! . . . . before it ends up ending like bad word bad word l’ . . . . get out of the way! . . . . ‘ike end word bad end word bd bd end en . . . . get out of the way! . . . . d end word no word no word word ord wor rd wo d w . . . . . . . . get out of the way! . . . . call me when you know something, please? Call me soon as you know something I’ll be right out here. Right here. Oh turning ‘round from the door looking down hand to head “hand to head”
[Limbo is better]
Party!
[Limbo is better]
Party!
Need to sit down.
It is nearly dawn already so.
So sit down.