Read Online Panorama City by Antoine Wilson - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Antoine Wilson
Tags: General Fiction
Ads: Link
concerned I wasnât going to be getting enough rest, that over the course of several nights the lack of rest would add up to a general fatigue, it had happened to me before, it had happened to me in Madera, when I had broken my arm, or rather my arm had gotten broken while playing Smear the Queer with the Alvarez brothers, I had fallen in an awkward way, and because of the cast and the way it was situated I could not roll over freely in my sleep, and as a result I suffered from what your grandfather called general fatigue, which he said was quite noticeable with me, what happened was that in addition to having less energy I was less interested in everything and less friendly, too, I wasnât myself. At the time I did not know the root cause of the general fatigue but I have since come to realize that without sleep the head gets clogged with other peopleâs words. The head needs sleep to make everyone elseâs words into our own words again, it is a conversion process.
Â
Aunt Liz pulled off her reading glasses, she wore glasses to read, she didnât need them to drive, she wore them for things that were up close, like reading books and magazines, and she always wore them while eating, too, it made her uncomfortable, she told me later, to eat blurry food. She removed her reading glasses and rubbed her temples and put her elbows up on the table. She said that this was a vexing issue, she asked if I was sure there was no way to get an adequate amount of rest with the bed, the problem was that she could not afford a new bed, she was just scraping by as it was, her words, when I arrived on the scene. I suggested that I could make some modifications to the bed, that I would be happy to modify the bed to suit my needs, that with the right tools I could modify it myself. I described the extension I had in mind, in enough detail that the method of construction was clear, that the supplies and tools needed were clear, which were a good saw, electric if possible, but otherwise a good handsaw, a hammer or nail gun and nails, or an electric driver with drywall screws, and some plywood and two-by-fours, there was no real point in trying to match the wood to the bed, it was going to be covered with padding, it was going to be covered furthermore with an extra bit of matching bed-sheet, I had the whole thing planned out in my head, it was the perfect practical solution for allowing my body to stretch out completely while in a state of rest and allow free and unfettered movement. But Aunt Liz would not let me modify the bed, despite the fact that I am good with wood. I suggested sleeping on the floor, I could sleep on the floor, it is supposed to be good for the back, source unknown, but Aunt Liz wouldnât hear of it, judging by the look on her face you would have thought I was going to lie down in the street. I wondered what I was supposed to do that night, how could I ensure that I would get a good nightâs rest that night, I had to be at the fast-food place in the morning again, I had to be there for the breakfast shift, I wanted to show pride in my work, I wanted to be my friendly self. Usually I could nap, if I was back in Madera I would have napped, or slept until I had slept enough, and then, only then, ridden my bike into town to look for work, but in Panorama City there was no time for napping, you went from one thing to another, there were no spaces between anything.
Â
Finally Aunt Liz said that she had an inflatable mattress somewhere, she had bought it from a catalogue on an airplane, she had never used it, she didnât think it was very big, it was smaller than my bed, but my legs and arms could dangle over the edges, probably, without too much discomfort, it would be better than sleeping on the floor, would I be willing to try it? Iâm always willing to try something new, it is one of my qualities. And so my first full day in Panorama City, the most eventful day of my life up until then,
Â
Aunt Liz pulled off her reading glasses, she wore glasses to read, she didnât need them to drive, she wore them for things that were up close, like reading books and magazines, and she always wore them while eating, too, it made her uncomfortable, she told me later, to eat blurry food. She removed her reading glasses and rubbed her temples and put her elbows up on the table. She said that this was a vexing issue, she asked if I was sure there was no way to get an adequate amount of rest with the bed, the problem was that she could not afford a new bed, she was just scraping by as it was, her words, when I arrived on the scene. I suggested that I could make some modifications to the bed, that I would be happy to modify the bed to suit my needs, that with the right tools I could modify it myself. I described the extension I had in mind, in enough detail that the method of construction was clear, that the supplies and tools needed were clear, which were a good saw, electric if possible, but otherwise a good handsaw, a hammer or nail gun and nails, or an electric driver with drywall screws, and some plywood and two-by-fours, there was no real point in trying to match the wood to the bed, it was going to be covered with padding, it was going to be covered furthermore with an extra bit of matching bed-sheet, I had the whole thing planned out in my head, it was the perfect practical solution for allowing my body to stretch out completely while in a state of rest and allow free and unfettered movement. But Aunt Liz would not let me modify the bed, despite the fact that I am good with wood. I suggested sleeping on the floor, I could sleep on the floor, it is supposed to be good for the back, source unknown, but Aunt Liz wouldnât hear of it, judging by the look on her face you would have thought I was going to lie down in the street. I wondered what I was supposed to do that night, how could I ensure that I would get a good nightâs rest that night, I had to be at the fast-food place in the morning again, I had to be there for the breakfast shift, I wanted to show pride in my work, I wanted to be my friendly self. Usually I could nap, if I was back in Madera I would have napped, or slept until I had slept enough, and then, only then, ridden my bike into town to look for work, but in Panorama City there was no time for napping, you went from one thing to another, there were no spaces between anything.
Â
Finally Aunt Liz said that she had an inflatable mattress somewhere, she had bought it from a catalogue on an airplane, she had never used it, she didnât think it was very big, it was smaller than my bed, but my legs and arms could dangle over the edges, probably, without too much discomfort, it would be better than sleeping on the floor, would I be willing to try it? Iâm always willing to try something new, it is one of my qualities. And so my first full day in Panorama City, the most eventful day of my life up until then,
Similar Books
