It is only 11:38AM. I am going to get today’s chapter out of the way so that I can get to work on something that will be revealed shortly. Let me describe my workday:
“What are we watching?” I asked Emily. It was the opening of a Marvel movie. That is all we knew.
“I don’t know,” Emily said. “I haven’t changed the channel from last night.”
The opening scene started. “I am betting this is Captain America,” I said.
“The remote is next to you if you want to change it to something else,” Emily said.
If this is really Captain America, I would not mind watching it. As I told Emily, “It will be nice to see something patriotic.”
Time passed.
“Is Vincent coming today?” Emily asked.
“Vincent is like a Mardi Gras Indian,” I said. “He does what he does. Only he knows why or when.”
Emily looked at me. “That’s kind of like the pot calling the kettle black,” Emily said.
“That’s what Vincent says whenever I make an observation about his character.” I took a sip of club soda. The sun came out from behind a cloud.
“Is this the part where you say that Vincent is you if you had taken a different turn in life?” Emily asked me.
“Yes,” I said and I left it at that.
More time passed. Four people older than me sat next to me. I do not understand why with a whole empty bar people always want to sit next to me.
These older people are all either 63 or 64. I know because they told each other about it. They look much older than I am. They have odd voices and odd accents. They are from the North Shore.
After those four left, I go to chat with Emily again. You will never guess what she asked me next.
“Are you still working on that book about the monkey? What was it again? A monkey and a dog?”
“I write about it every day,” I said. “I am sure it annoys people but I cannot help myself. The book will not write itself.”
This is why I am talking about the last hour and a half. I have a work to do. I am writing about this monkey versus dog fight like Herman Melville writing about Moby Dick.
I am Whalehead King.
Now, I am going behind the paywall.
This is the paywall.