Lovely Summer Smoke Deluged by Edward Drobinski - HTML preview

Chapter 9

Posie and Kale had trouble sleeping in the middle-July heat. No position was comfortable for long as the initial comfort zone too quickly turned to a swamp. They revolved and slithered. They tried spells on their backs, spells on their bellies, spells on their sides, spells in between, spells sitting up, and even spells ignoring the bed entirely and making use of the floor. They left the house before sunrise, feeling the cool morning air. They passed the all too short garden path, went down the driveway and onto the heat radiating asphalt.

After passing a few of the “colonials,” more attractive in the dawn obscurity, they entered a wooded area, comprised mostly of mature willows. They were surprised to notice a clear path as far as they could see. Dismissing the likelihood of it being the result of any resident, suburban humans, they concluded that there must have been recent deer activity.

They stopped and Posie looked at Kale curiously.

He said; “Let’s do something really different.” Her gaze showed the slightest hint of trepidation. He continued; “Let’s follow the path and see where it goes. Maybe the deer know something we don’t.”

They held hands and began their journey side by side. As the sun rose, Kale looked ahead. He was able to see well in

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front of them as the land sloped a bit downward and the path seemed as straight as the letters “I” (capital eye) or “l.”

(Lower case el.) He said; “This might only be due to the proportions created by distance, but it seems as though the path gets narrower and narrower the further one goes.”

For the first time Posie contemplated what might be ahead.

She shared Kale’s assessment of the possibility, but was not of the disposition to be concerned. She said; “You might be right.

But, if you are it’s irrelevant to me. If the path does indeed narrow we have a number of options. If we desire to be side by side at all times one can remain on the path and the other can walk alongside it. Or we can both get off the path, one being slightly to the left of it and the other slightly to the right.

Or, if we show a bit of patience one can get in front and temporarily lead.”

Kale said; “I like looking at your ass.”

Posie responded; “And I like looking at yours. So there should be no problem.”

Though not disturbed, Kale was surprised, squinted his eyes and said; “You like looking at my ass?”

Posie frowned and said; “Don’t get off on this.”

“I’m not getting off. I’m intrigued. What do you find attractive in my ass?”

Posie looked at the ground and shook her head.

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“Come on, tell me. I have to know. What is your twisted little mind thinking when you look at my ass?”

Posie showed exasperation in her tone of voice when she answered; “That with a skinny ass like that, you’re fortunate not to have been born female.”

After being temporarily speechless Kale said; “I’m not sure if I’ve been insulted or complemented. I suspect the former.”

“Well, it’s your own fault. You kept pestering me.”

“I was hoping that you’d indicate whether or not it was an insult.”

“I don’t know either.”

Kale grimaced.

Seeing that, Posie continued; “You know, it’s like girls look like this.” She pulled her dress tight as she ran her fingers over her hips. “And guys look like that. What it is.

Viva la difference. All right?”

Kale was all right as soon as he was reminded of the outline of Posie’s hips and forgot what prompted the stupid conversation. He reached for her hand and whispered; “Yeah.

Whatever. Who cares?”

In a line as if they were in grammar school, seven chickens followed by a gobbling rooster dashed across their path. One of the chickens must have been very tired of running and flew all the way to the treetops. Kale was impressed as he had never

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previously seen a chicken get more than a few feet off the ground. He excitedly said; “Did you see that?”

Posie responded with a questioning; “Yeah,” as if the view was of something seen daily.

Kale said; “I take it you regularly see chickens fly to the tops of trees.”

She had not seen the flight of the fat bird and only now knew the source of Kale’s amazement. Posie was now amused, looked up and saw no chicken, but said; “Oh, yeah. That was amazing. Sorry, I was daydreaming.” She considered asking Kale if he knew that women were surreptitious cock watchers, but decided to leave that for another day. The willow branches playfully swayed in a mild breeze knowing that they were firmly supported by trunks decisively rooted in the earth. Robins, blue jays, yellow-breasted warblers and other birds made their presences known in a startling wave of beating wings as they, too, sought to beat the heat by completing their well-practiced routines before the unchallenged, ascendant summer sun reached full strength.

As they traversed the path they learned that the distant segments which appeared smaller were of similar proportions when viewed closely. But, Kale still remained concerned, though less so, over the narrow appearance of the remaining path still in the distance. He was either displaying an early disposition of

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one who worries about events projected into the future or the fact that he had not yet taken a course in landscape painting.

The birds pecked at the ground, unafraid of or disinterested in the human couple. Kale said; “Animals know things, instinctively. Humans have deferred their instincts to science. The birds know we don’t want to hurt them and come near. I really like that. It makes me feel like Saint Francis.”

“That’s a nice thought, but I wouldn’t recommend sharing it with anyone else.”

“I already have.”

“Thanks. Now, I’m feeling a bit more comfortable with being watched. They’re probably looking at you, saying; ‘There’s Saint Francis. Let’s see what kind of interesting things he does today.’”

“You leap to erroneous conclusions, my Princess. I’ve only told the birds and the trees.”

Posie’s face went blank, and she said; “I suppose that’s an improvement. ………… I suppose ………………….. Tell me; what kind of a response did you get?”

“The birds chirped and the tree leaves rustled. I don’t know what they said as I do not yet speak Chirp or Rustle. Do you know any books on the subject?”

“It’s a good thing that you’re not dangerous.”

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“How can you be sure?” Kale widened his eyes like the Phantom of the Opera and with a feigned palsied hand grabbed and tickled Posie’s waist. She screamed in jest and they ran down the road, Kale (or the Phantom) in hot pursuit.

Out of breath, they stopped and held hands, seeing strong light ahead. They were still in by the willow forest and were protected by their leaf canopies. They enjoyed the flickering light which gave them an other worldly feel, as if they were in an early silent movie. But, twenty feet ahead was brightness, stark illumination.

Kale said; “It’s too early in the day for harshness.”

“There is no good time for harshness.”

“It’s straight ahead. The only way to avoid it is to turn back.”

Posie sighed and said; “Just hold me awhile.” He put his arms around her and she did the same, burying her head in his chest, thinking that she could feel and hear his heartbeat.

In too short a time he interrupted the melancholy, restful delight saying; “I’d like to stay right here forever, but that’s not possible.”

Her eyes implored and her mouth cantankerously said: “Why not? Who says so?”

He kissed her forehead, sighed and said; “I don’t know. I just don’t know. I do know that my father had something to do

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with it. He always said; ‘Keep moving.’ I guess I can blame him.

He’s not here to put up an argument.”

“Did you always listen to your father?”

With a silly look on his face Kale said; “Yes.”

“I had no idea that you were such a jerk.” She broke away.

Kale grinned and said; “I said that I listened to him, as in I heard everything he said. I didn’t necessarily OBEY what he said. Some parts sounded fine and some didn’t.”

Posie angrily said; “I’m having an emotional crisis and you’re joking? I ought to ……………..”

Kale lifted her from the ground and tried to kiss her face, and kissed her hands with which she protected it. He said; “I’ll leave it to you. If you want to go back, I’ll go. If you want to stand still, I’ll stay here till we die of dehydration. If you want to move ahead, I’m with you. Don’t you understand; I’m with you no matter what.”

Posie relished hearing the words. She knew that’s how Kale was, but needed to hear it every so often. She also thought that she was being handed the tough decision, however she realized that she kind of asked for it. Kind of. Before she would have time to think herself into inertia, she grabbed Kale’s hand and ran to the harsh brightness, hoping it was benign illumination.

It was neither, at least not in their first perception and understanding of it. It was a sunny field, just a sunny field.

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Though they would have been happy with this a few minutes ago, all the talk of “harshness,” “going back” and “why” led them to be nonplussed by the very ordinary field. They almost disdained the drab, brown dirt with grassy patches, which may have once been a cornfield. They viewed each other with raised eyebrows and pupils pointed at the sky and simultaneously grinned. Kale kissed her parted lips, looked up into her eyes and said; “It’s just one gigantic, well lit, obstacle free path.”

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