Amabile by Edward Drobinski - HTML preview

Amabile

Page 9

he always used, and placed his keys in the ceramic bowl by the door with a clink that signaled the official end of his workday.

“Evening,” he said, loosening his tie. “Who’s winning?”

“Me,” all four children answered at once, which made him laugh; another part of the routine.

Dirk washed up in the downstairs bathroom, the faucet squeaking faintly as it always did, the water running for exactly the amount of time Elena insisted was necessary. When he emerged, he gave the Monopoly board a ceremonial glance, as though inspecting a construction site, then kissed Elena on the cheek before taking plates down from the cabinet.

“Two more turns,” Elena called, which meant dinner was almost ready.

The siblings hurried through their moves with the practiced urgency of people who knew the rules of the household clock. Morey bought a house. Ludwig mortgaged one. Hannah collected rent with quiet triumph. Irene landed on Free Parking and cheered as if she’d won a scholarship.

By the time Elena set the casserole on the table, the game was paused in mid battle, pieces frozen in place until tomorrow. The children washed their hands, Dirk poured water into the glasses,

Amabile

Page 10

and the family settled into their seats with the comfortable choreography of people who had done this every night for years.

Nothing dramatic happened. Nothing needed to. The beauty was in the repetition; the small, steady rituals that made the house feel like a place where time didn’t rush but unfolded, one familiar moment at a time.

But young, maturing Morey saw things differently.

A Well Respected Man

The Kinks

'Cause he gets up in the morning

And he goes to work at nine

And he comes back home at five-thirty

Gets the same train every time

'Cause his world is built 'round punctuality

It never fails

And he's oh so good

And he's oh so fine

And he's oh so healthy

In his body and his mind

He's a well respected man about town

Doing the best things so conservatively

And his mother goes to meetings

While his father pulls the maid

And she stirs the tea with councilors

While discussing foreign trade

And she passes looks as well as bills

At every suave young man

And he's oh so good

And he's oh so fine

And he's oh so healthy

In his body and his mind

He's a well respected man about town

Amabile

Page 11

Doing the best things so conservatively

And he likes his own backyard

And he likes his cigs the best

'Cause he's better than the rest

And his own sweat smells the best

And he hopes to grab his father's loot

When Pater passes on

And he's oh so good

And he's oh so fine

And he's oh so healthy

In his body and his mind

He's a well respected man about town

Doing the best things so conservatively

And he plays at stocks and shares

And he goes to the regatta

And he adores the girl next door

'Cause he's dying to get at her

But his mother knows the best about

The matrimonial stakes

And he's oh so good

And he's oh so fine

And he's oh so healthy

In his body and his mind

He's a well respected man about town

Doing the best things so conservatively

Written by Ray Davies.