As I write this, it is only 8:47PM. I doubt I will still be awake when the battle lines are drawn later tonight. There is going to a water balloon war at 1:00AM. It is going to worse than the Sharks vs. the Jets. It is going to be a free-for-all on lower Decatur Street tonight, a wet melée.
Punk Barbie was at first disappointed that I was not interested in being her comrade-in-arms. Then she, remembered, “Oh yeah, Mr. King, I forgot, you’re a reporter. You need to see everything so that you can write it down for posterity.”
I may stay up. Punk Barbie is encouraging me. She has arranged for me to get up on the balcony so I can see everything and not get wet. “This is going to be the best water balloon fight ever!” Punk Barbie says.
Aunt Tiki’s is an ammo dump. Someone just brought a trash can full of filled water balloons inside and stowed them by the front door.
I just looked up because someone sat across from me. I thought he was wearing a chain mail shirt without undergarments. It was actually made of cloth mesh. He was wearing his mesh shirt with its hood up. “Hello, Mr. King,” he said.
Truth be told I did not remember this guy. I recognized his voice though and that brought it all back, well, some of it, the parts worth remembering, which were negligible. I could not remember his name. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t recognize you dressed like that,” I said.
“I just came from work,” he said. He was also wearing red plaid pants.
None of this is made up. This is what it is like to live here.
“Who is that man in the hat at the end of the bar?” two tourists from Indianapolis asked after I had moved to my favorite seat by then, which is opposite of where I was sitting when Mr. Mesh showed up. That seat is my second-favorite.
Punk Barbie said, “That’s Mr. King.” Hearing my name I looked up and tipped my derby from a distance.
“He comes in and he reads and he does whatever he does. We try to not bother him.” Hearing my name again, I looked up and tipped my derby to Punk Barbie. Happiness loves company.
Now, I am going to tell you about what I know about the water balloon fight thus far. I am writing this in real time. I hope I can stay up past midnight.