I'm sure it'll be like falling off a bike: once you get started all the memories will come flooding back, and you'll need to take half-an-hour to recover and stop crying and hitting things ;-)
Returning Ben and I sat down at the empty table; I had a plate in front of me and Ben just pulled one over from where it was sat further down the table. I wondered if he'd grab one for Jimmy, but it became clear that he figured that Jimmy could get his own plate. "That's a woman?" he said, his voice low and his thumb jerking over his shoulder in the direction of Josie. "Jimmy said she was a woman, right?" I looked over his shoulder at the giant; Jimmy was talking to her and smiling and nodding; not flirting exactly, but definitely friendlier than he would have been with a man. "Well," I said. "Jimmy said she was, and he's behaving like she is, so maybe he's seen something we haven't?" "She's a well-built lassie, then," said Ben, sounding a touch doubtful. "I mean... it happens, do you remember the shepherd's daughters, out Oklahoma way?" "Lizzie and Magrethe," I said promptly. "I have nightmares sometimes about that Ben. Them standing up there on that ridge with the sheep bleating and jumping off and black smoke rising behind them, lit red underneath from the fires. Mutton's not tasted the same since." "We did eat it for about a month after," said Ben nodding. "But it kept well, those girls raised good animals. But what I actually meant was, you remember how we thought they were a couple when we first met them?" "They were a couple," I said. "It just took a while to figure out that they were both of the female persuasion." "Yes, Henry," said Ben, and I knew then how hungry he was. "But when we first saw them I thought it was Larry and Magrethe." "I know," I said. "I thought it was Larry and Michael and we were both wrong, and they both turned out to be batshit insane." Ben shook his head. "What I'm trying to say is, maybe Josie's like that. One of them." "A lesbian?" "No! For the love of... for the luck of the devil Red, maybe she's a lady who'd prefer to be a man." I looked over Ben's shoulder again, and saw Jimmy laughing and picking up plates. "Whatever she is, or wants to be, she's sweet on Jimmy," I said. “He’s returning, best talk about something else.” "Shanghai Suzie's sweet on Jimmy," said Ben. "I consider that an omen." Two serving dishes, mismatched, chipped, and covered in greasy fingerprints banged down on the table in front of us. "Goat," said Jimmy. "Curried and boiled. Josie's bringing up some potato bread when she's warmed it through. And some cigars, though I don't know the provenance of them." "Fancy words again," said Ben, but he was already spooning curried goat onto his plate. "Better than mutton, hey Red?" "Barely," I muttered.
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I'm sure it'll be like falling off a bike: once you get started all the memories will come flooding back, and you'll need to take half-an-hour to recover and stop crying and hitting things ;-)
Returning
Ben and I sat down at the empty table; I had a plate in front of me and Ben just pulled one over from where it was sat further down the table. I wondered if he'd grab one for Jimmy, but it became clear that he figured that Jimmy could get his own plate.
"That's a woman?" he said, his voice low and his thumb jerking over his shoulder in the direction of Josie. "Jimmy said she was a woman, right?"
I looked over his shoulder at the giant; Jimmy was talking to her and smiling and nodding; not flirting exactly, but definitely friendlier than he would have been with a man.
"Well," I said. "Jimmy said she was, and he's behaving like she is, so maybe he's seen something we haven't?"
"She's a well-built lassie, then," said Ben, sounding a touch doubtful. "I mean... it happens, do you remember the shepherd's daughters, out Oklahoma way?"
"Lizzie and Magrethe," I said promptly. "I have nightmares sometimes about that Ben. Them standing up there on that ridge with the sheep bleating and jumping off and black smoke rising behind them, lit red underneath from the fires. Mutton's not tasted the same since."
"We did eat it for about a month after," said Ben nodding. "But it kept well, those girls raised good animals. But what I actually meant was, you remember how we thought they were a couple when we first met them?"
"They were a couple," I said. "It just took a while to figure out that they were both of the female persuasion."
"Yes, Henry," said Ben, and I knew then how hungry he was. "But when we first saw them I thought it was Larry and Magrethe."
"I know," I said. "I thought it was Larry and Michael and we were both wrong, and they both turned out to be batshit insane."
Ben shook his head. "What I'm trying to say is, maybe Josie's like that. One of them."
"A lesbian?"
"No! For the love of... for the luck of the devil Red, maybe she's a lady who'd prefer to be a man."
I looked over Ben's shoulder again, and saw Jimmy laughing and picking up plates.
"Whatever she is, or wants to be, she's sweet on Jimmy," I said. “He’s returning, best talk about something else.”
"Shanghai Suzie's sweet on Jimmy," said Ben. "I consider that an omen."
Two serving dishes, mismatched, chipped, and covered in greasy fingerprints banged down on the table in front of us.
"Goat," said Jimmy. "Curried and boiled. Josie's bringing up some potato bread when she's warmed it through. And some cigars, though I don't know the provenance of them."
"Fancy words again," said Ben, but he was already spooning curried goat onto his plate. "Better than mutton, hey Red?"
"Barely," I muttered.
Greg - that... is a surprisingly accurate description of my first day back.
Ben and Red, as delightful as ever in this scene. Nice to seem them curious about Josie without judgement.
I have to admit to not being opposed to hearing more about those sheep sisters though...
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