busker

reading & dining

to hear james marcus read from his amazonia, count the 'zoners, and dine après.

carla is late so we sip our leitgeist-eamin' coffes as we walk to the bkshop. as usual when i urge promptness, there is bags of room.

marcus reads well and is as pleasant as his style. we get our copies signed and i get jm to draw his old man in mine, which gets a real smile as he comments i am the first to ask him to do that.

dinner at mitchelli, served not v good food by a truculent waiter who annoys us both. i talk too much and leave most of it; carla also talks but finishes everthing.

as C is freshening, the waiter asks, Out clubbin' now? over which i can disappoint him with a 'no, back to our respective homes'. i should have said 'beds'.

as we walk to the ferry, i tell C that he probably hoped to have been the cupid to a passionate end to the soiree. she smiles.

we say good night and i am consumed with sadness and longing.

next morning as i wait for the shuttle where we said our farewells, it is filled with a lightness and wellbeing.