no.
I couldnât get into Breathless, though, something thatâs never happened before
Mostly I thought of Emma instead, what sheâs doing, who sheâs with, the huge amount of fun she must be having. The thoughts kept turning round in my head like clothes in a tumble-drier.
Only part of the film I really got into was the end, Jean Paul Belmondoâs theatrical demise.
âBattle of Algiers next week if you fancy it.â Mike has the programme spread out on the table.
âSure.â
âYou seem distracted Bud.â I guess thereâs no hiding some things.
âNo.â
âBetter out than in.â
Heâs right. Truth is Mikeâs been a better counsellor to me over the years than Dr India will ever be. Maybe itâs because I can tell him anything.
âItâs just the Jenny thing.â Well anything except that Iâm having an affair with someone he knows better than I do and whoâs the parent of one of the kids at my school.
âSheâs not a blood relation, man. Itâs cool.â
I take a good swig from my bottle hoping he wonât see my liarâs blush. âI know it in here,â I say, pointing to my head. âI just donât know it in here,â and this time I point to my heart.
âLet the dog see the rabbit.â He looks at my crotch and grins. I guess you canât always take the Marines out of the man. âHear about Wolf?â And I let him tell me all of the things I already know until the bell rings for the next film.
His legs stretch out into the aisle while my feet rest upon the top of the seat in front.
La Haine opens. Hits the ground running. Has my attention from the start.
There are no cracks for my mind to fall into.
I think about the title for a moment. Wonder who I hate the most.
When allâs said and done, I reckon itâs me whoâs at the top of the list.
show and tell
Twenty-five minutes to the bell for the end of the day and Iâm all out of ideas.
Theyâve had enough stories to fill a collection and I need to string the show-and-tell out for as long as I can manage.
âI got it for my birthday when I was 4.â Max holds up his Buzz Lightyear toy and moves it around in circles over his head. âAnd it can talk, see?â He fiddles about with a plastic ring and pulls the string.
âTo infinity and beyond,â Buzz says and all the children sitting in the circle laugh.
âThatâs amazing, Max,â I tell him. âCan he do anything else?â
Max holds his toy at armâs length and looks at him for a moment. âSure.â He throws him up into the air and catches him. âHe can fly.â
âItâs a flying toy,â David says and gets jumps to his feet to get a closer look.
âNow, now David. What did we say about being a quality audience?â He doesnât answer my question, just sits down and folds his arms. âThat was lovely Max. Whoâs next.â
Those with things to say breathe a collective gasp, straighten their backs and have their fingers over their lips before Max is seated.
I look around and try and build the tension, so much easier when theyâre five than when theyâre eleven.
âAminta.â I know she hasnât got anything with her, but itâll make her feel like sheâs part of things. The poor thing blushes and moves in tight to her cousin to find safety. At least Iâm another thirty seconds closer to the bell going.
âAurora?â
Aurora stands up, hiding something behind her back. She looks round the circle to check she has everyoneâs attention and she does.
She holds out a photograph. Itâs of two old people holding a baby.
âThis is me when I was a baby.â She turns the picture so that everyone can get a look.
The room gives a collective sigh.
âWho are the old people?â David shouts out.
Aurora looks at him but says nothing, then
Michael Paterniti
Franklin W. Dixon
Michael J. Zummo
Ben Bova
F. Paul Wilson
A.L. Loire
Tom Cox
Sophia Knightly
Paul Crilley
Nina Bruhns