.from Crocodile Words.A novel by Dex QuireJofrey Simpson ODay sat at his desk in his room at Dayfresh House andwrote out the followin letter in lonhand!"o! Snowden #ran$h% &resident of Sunbreak 'ity (niversity!)ast "hursday various *diale$ti+ed sele$tions of "he ,oran that -wrote up for my raduate.level writin $ourse appeared in ourstudent paper%The Sunbreak City University Dailyas part of aliterary insert/ - took se$tions of "he ,oran and passed them throuhanonline 0diale$ti+er1 whi$hstampedthe passaes into spee$hpatterns or *diale$ts of 2alley 3irl% &i )atin% #arney 4rank 5or 6lmer4udd7% and the &ornoli+er/ - am aware that my writin pro8e$t reatly ofended many/ - havebeen $hared with hate spee$h by the fa$ulty senate and the studentovernment9 a portion of the fa$ulty% in fa$t% formed a 03roup of ::1under a manifesto that would keep all students free from spiritualassault9 it looks like my &amela&refontaine S$holarshipwill berevoked/"he editors of The Dailyprinted an *apoloy issue the next day%fourpaesof the,oran% properlytranslated/ "heyalsosaw;ttoprint my email and home address% hate mail and death threats nowaboundin/ "he university board of trustees% the provost% the deansofall the $ollees andthe $oa$hes asso$iation 5you haveinformedme7 believe my enrollment at S'(an onoin afront to theinstitution/ 4inally% S'( alumnus% &rin$e Saleh Hashim 5'lass of *ondayyoutoldmethat awrittenapoloywouldofartowardsmakinall of thisoaway/ ?ouuredmetodeliversaidapoloy to the students% fa$ulty and $ommunity members attendinthe up$omin 'andleliht 4estival of Afirmation/ ?ou also suested- present myself before the mos@ue$losest tothe university toapoloi+e to everyone in$ludin all >uslims all over the world/- really did not anti$ipate this overwhelmin rea$tionAa rea$tion%- believe% far out of proportiontoanythin- a$tuallydid/ - washavin a bit of fun while $arryin out a writin assinment on myway towards pi$kin up a few humanities $redits/ &lease re$eive my apoloy then9 apoloy from the An$ient 3reek%BCDEDFGH% as in! a defense of ones a$tions% beliefs or of a $ause/>ost Sin$erely%Jofrey Simpson ODayStudent Iumber! J:KLMy name is Jofrey Simpson ODayP1"he youn manintrodu$edhimself likethateverywhereAat Sunbreak'ity (niversity% at 'learhaeuser "imber 'ompany and at Dayfresh House/Heannoun$edhimselflikethat tothe4amous Qritin&rofessorand her$lass at "heodore Roethke Qriters House/ He presented himself thusly to4ontina >ayeux% the woman he wanted as a irlfriend/ He hoped others sawhimas hesawhimself! $heerful% tallish% broad.shouldered% lon.haired%mono.browed% smilin% $hipped.toothed% bobbin slihtlyAhappy to belivin in Sunbreak 'ity/ -f they didnt% oh well9 Jofrey $ouldnt worry aboutthem/ ?ou $ame to the bi $ity to do bi thins% to do what you wanted9 tosee if livin and dreamin really had anythin to do with ea$h other/JofreyarrivedinSunbreak'itylastsummer/ Heoftenre$alledthose;rst days!Hehad8ustdis$overed>arket&arkdowntownby&ike&la$e>arketwithitswide.openviewof6lliott#ayandtheSunbreak'itywaterfront/#eyond the bay the Olympi$ >ountains hovered in blue like a row of stonedun$leswaitinto$riti$i+eyourlatestirlfriend/ OneJulyeveninJofreyfound a ben$h on a rassy knoll at >arket &ark and took it all in!A bold sun pressed down at seven p/m/ as at noon and $ontinued to lareuntil nine thirty p/m/ whenthe lihtbean to fade lanuidly%like atafy.stret$hed% fourth movement of >ahler/ "he ;nal rays banked of themountains brihtenin% for a moment% the tops of the skys$rapers that roseat Jofreys ba$k like monuments to Jimi Hendrixs uitar solos/ He$torinseaulls% $la$kinpieons% poli$eseaplanes% $ommer$ial air$raft and"2heli$optersdispersedslowlyuntil somekindof@uietreined/ -nthebayspeedboatssprayedimmenseroostertailswhile$ar.$arryinferriesanddiesel.motored ya$hts left reat un+ippin wakes of foam/ Sailboats like somu$hpaperwaftinoveras$hoolyarddriftedba$kandforth/ "uboatsnosedinternational freihters5bearinhayboundforJapans$ows7 anddarkenedthe watery rails that earlier shimmeredlike freshly $ra$ked$ymbals/-nthepark a bree+esmellinof $reosote% shell;sh brain% dryinkelpand-varsfryinreaseSowedintoJofrey/ Heobservedtourist familiesfromSat stateswaitinbyiratefatherstwistinSunbreak'itymapsasthouh wrestlin kin $rabs/ Jofrey de$ided lo$al Sunbreak 'ityites wereeasy to pi$k out! they resembled newly.minted 6yptian hierolyphs%walkinalonwithastifforearm$lut$hinaStarbu$ks mu/ Jofreyremainedat hisdowntownparkben$huntil darknessnibbledawaytheba$on% lettu$e and tomato sandwi$h sunset/How Jofrey loved Sunbreak 'ityP "housands of rooms in all these ;er$ebuildins% thousands of Sores$ent lihts shinin% he imained% on men andwomendoinintri$ate thins/ 'hurnin% Sowin% $hurninenterpriseAJofrey felt the $ity per$olatin throuh him/ He didnt miss 6asternQashintons lon views of wavy% rollin ro$k at all/: : :?es% Jofrey% until now% life had been ettin better/)astweekJofreysdiale$ti+edversionsof"he,oranappearedinthehih.$ir$ulation student newspaper% The Sunbreak City University Daily/He should have known/ Jofrey, you should have known% he told himself%sittin at his desk% lookin at a blank pie$e of paper in front of him/ At least he was livin in Sunbreak 'ity/: : :Jofreys writin professor% "he 4amous Qritin &rofessor 5the 4Q&7 satin her ofi$e $ryin into the sweater.padded elbow of her riht arm whilelayin down a few blind% left.hand piano $hords until her ;ners $ame upona wad of ,leenex/ QeepinP She hadnt $ried sin$e she was that vi$tim% solon ao% that battered youn wife runnin throuh the niht% rain.ni$ked%hysteri$al% poundin on the door of the 4irst Hill Qomens Shelter/Shedriedherfa$ewiththetissues/ Qhyhadshe$hosenthetheme3odsand>onstersTAreliiousthemeTQhyTQhydidnt sheseethis$ominT Qhy had she told her students she would refrain from reviewintheir ;nal storiesT And% Dear 3od% why had she arraned for those stories toappearAaliteraryinsertAinthestudentnewspaperT2anityTShewantedthe students to love her/ "o trust her 8ust as she was endowin them with somu$h trust/ - wanted to be loved% trusted/ ReveredP "he 4Q& moaned/ She$he$ked her tears and looked at her fa$e in a hand mirror/ She imainedthousands of students% lo$al businessmen or businesswomen by thethousands$lut$hinher writin$lassliteraryinsert asit fell fromthismorninsSunbreak City University Daily/ 3od% what was the $ir$ulationTOU%MMMT LM%MMMT "he readers wouldlan$e at Jofrey SimpsonODaysBarney Frank oran or !alley "irl oran and they would lauh/ Qould theynoti$e the 4Q&s name a$ross the literary insertT Qould they noti$e that itwas her $lassT Sponsored by "heodore Roethke Qriters HouseT Qould theylauh and then look around themselves furtivelyT 6ase the insert ba$k into"he DailyT "he 4Q& lan$ed at the literary insert now spread out on her desk/ Shelookedaway@ui$kly but she$ouldnVt unseethetitle! "he,oran! 4our"ranslations by Jofrey Simpson OVDay/ "he rare winter liht $ominthrouh her ofi$e window drew her eyes ba$k to the print and she read!"he !alley "irl oran!Surely% like% Allah% who is totally awesum duuuuudeP does not do%like% in8usti$e to thuh weiht of an atom% and if it is like% ya know% atotally rody deed that% duuuude% multiplies it and ives fromHimself a totally awesum reward/She $ouldnVt read on/ She was afraid she miht bein to lauh/ "herewasmore! therewastheBarneyFrankoran/ "herewasthe#i$%atinoran/ Andworse% therewasthe#ornoli&eroran/ QhydidthatkidAhewas a kid% after all% full of earnest mus$le and mis$hiefAwhy did he have towriteupfourversionsTHereyessnaedonase$tionofthe#ornoli&eroran and she swallowed a lauh!W-f you shun the reat anbans of whi$h you are forbidden%Qe will do away with your small titty fu$ks and $ause you to enter anhonorablepla$eof $harverin% andaskAllahof Hisra$e9 surelyAllah ballbusts all balls/WAnd to everyone Qe have appointed amahu$hes of whatparentsandnearrelativesleave9andastothosewithwhomyour;ner.shafts have aardvarkedand amahu$hed% ive themtheirportion9 surely Allah is a witness over all bans/"he ofi$ial boardrooms would not be lauhin/ "hey would be howlin/&erhaps they were howlin now/ "he >uslimStudent Asso$iation% thefa$ulty senate% the advertisers and professional orani+ations thatsupported The Daily% the $orporations and lo$al overnment aen$ies thatsponsored Roethke Qriters House/ "hey would howl and they woulddemand a head/Hers/"he 4Q& had% after all% enabled a mo$kin ra$ist tra$t to issue forth intothe sensitive student $olle$tive/ She had $leared the way for furtherunsavoryoutburst aainstavulnerable$ampusminority/ Qorse% shehadprobably 8inxed the one hundred million dollar endowment to Sunbreak 'ity(niversity from &rin$e Saleh Hashim% a devoted Sunbreak 'ity alum whohad "he Sunbreak 'ity (niversity Daily spe$ially delivered via airmail to histwentieth Soor ofi$e tower in Abu Dhabi/ He $ould aford it/ "he prin$e hadraduated from Sunbreak 'ity (niversity in the Nuslim women% deeply wrapped and reliiously spoken for/He had news for Allah! the s$arves% the hi8abs the burkasAall the wraps% theshow bi+ of reliionAnone of it really worked if the oal was to prevent menfrom ettin turned on by the female form/ "here seemed to be many kindsof female $overin/ Some owns were heavy and some were sheer/ Qhen atall dark strikin >uslim woman stood at a bus stop while Allahs own windtore at her% she appeared% essentially% in near nakedness with liht $olorfulsilks $linin to her shapely body/ Jesus had a better rasp of the male mindwhenhesaidmen% youobblewomendowninyourheart/ >alelustinimaination oes all the way down to the root/ 'lothin is no barrier to themalemind/ Sittininthe$ofeeshopyoumihtnoti$ea>uslimwomanenter% $overed ex$ept for a small net at eye level/ #ut her ankles are bareandherbriskstepswaftopentheSoorof herskirt/ ?ounoti$eshehassmooth brown skin/ ?ou then extrapolate! beautiful skin all the way up toher ne$k/ #eautiful skin everywhere% it must be/ And more% there are twoenerous bumps at $hest level9 for those bumps to show throuh all that$loth they must be extraordinary/Tell -llah it.s not workin$/"he >uslims of south Sunbreak 'ity were mostly from Somalia and theylived mostly in Humphrey 'ourt Homes% the revampedpubli$ housinse$tionnear>artin)uther,in% Jr/ Qay/ "hesewerenewtownhousespainted in understated primary $olors and available for rent or pur$hase/ Somany beautiful Ayaan Hirsi Ali kno$kofs/ -n the mornins moms stood withtheir $hildren on mainline street $orners waitin for s$hool buses/ A s$ene%JofreyreSe$ted% rihtoutoftheDi$kandJanereadersofhis$hildhoodex$ept in this% our new tableau% the mom is owned in full hi8ab% the littlesister heads$arf wrapped and the boy% a little man really% is free and runnin$ir$les around his sister/: : :At the Starbu$ks drive.thru Jofreysat in his =U 4al$on 5helovedtheben$h seats% the dash ashtray% dash $lo$k% dash A> radio7 waitin to pla$ehis order/ He was about eiht $ars ba$k and he observed a very bla$k% veryra$eful armhandlin$ustomer $ofee $ups andmoney at theservi$ewindow/ -t was a female arm% he $ould tell% and its dark motions stood outtremendously from the world around it/ A white arm would not% he believed%set of the same visual ambush/ Surely the other waitin drivers had beenstru$k by this bla$k% sensual% foldin.unfoldin arm/ 4rom shoulder to elbowto ;ners% the whole assembly was nimble and sure% with the hand$on;dently a$$eptin $oins and passin hot drinks% spillin neither/ Qas sheone armedT Qho $aresT Jofrey had to meet her% the whole her/ "he shapelyarm and expressive ;ners suested an ample sensuality like a Japanesewater$olor of a sinle $herry spri hintin at a tree under full blossom/4or the next three mornins Jofrey waited in his 4al$on at the Starbu$ksdrive.thru% entran$ed by the motions of the lithe and Suid bla$k arm/ #utwhenhepulleduptothedrive.thruwindowwithhis$hip.toothedsmile%ready to ofer his beams of adoration% the arm% and its somati$ owner% werenowhereinsiht/ QassherealTQashe8ust imaininherTAdiferentbarista% a uy% took his order/He refused to enter the shop and ask some white barista hey where isthebla*kbarista01ouknow, theonewithskinsodark, sobla*k2 Bla*kreally is beautiful/ "a$ky/ Io% you dont talk about $olor like that in bi $ityAmeri$a/"he next mornin Jofrey broke routine andparkedhis $ar in theStarbu$ks parkin lot and walked into the $ofee shop/ "he loaded smell offreshround$ofeemadehimpauseforamoment9 it $arriedahint of8unlereen/ "hewalls% abstra$t beie% textured% wereunderstated9 the$ustomers% sittin or waitin% newspaper ensnared% were understated/ "hebla$k armbarista wouldstandout bewit$hinly here but% as withhisprevious lu$k% she was nowhere to be seen/#a$k in his $ar Jofrey swerved around and entered the drive.thru lane/Six $arsidledinfront ofhim/"henhesaw thebla$karm/-nthe4al$onrearview mirror he wat$hed a $ar anle up behind him% he swiveled and%hand sinalin% beed the $ar to let him ba$k out of the line/ 4ree of thedrive.thru he sured into a parkin spa$e and ran ba$k into the $ofee shop/He saw her/ "he open $ounter of Starbu$ks let you observe the baristasat work/ She was busy tendin to her $ustomers at the drive thru windowand% yes% as her sinle arm indi$ated% she was dark and beautiful% possessedof theSammablesexualityhehadimained! small forehead% real nose%syrup.brown eyes% the Afri$an ne$k% $ommandin $heek bones% Suores$entsmileAeven under her heads$arf you $ould tell/Iote to self! Tell -llah it.s not workin$/She was a de$lared >uslim but whatever male attentions her heads$arfAor hi8abAwarded of were diverted to her butt whi$h was spe$ta$ularlyroundedandperfe$tionitself/ Outlined% three.dimensional insuper.tihtbla$k waitress sla$ks% it ofered itself as ob8e$t of blissful $ontemplation/ Amira$le butt as round as twin Jupiter moons but never fear% shes ot herheads$arf on/ 4aithful dauhter of Allah/ A butt like that probably served asAllahs inspiration for the $reation of universal orbs! suns% moons% planets/Iever mind that her butt was so sensational that men forot what they wereointo order standininline/ Iever mindthat her butt made menre$alibrate their entire sexual histories and present married lives! Should 3throw it all away0 4ould 3 if 3 *ould0 4ife, kids, barbe5ue, %e,us0 To *lasp abutt likethateveryni$ht0Sheindu$edthouht.uilt infar$tionsinmen/Arraninor rearranintheir souls furniture/ >any% manymust have$ontemplated $onvertin to -slam/Alas///alas///Jofrey did manae to talk to her/ HernamewasAbdyia/ HerteethwereblastinwhiteasthouhstillreSe$tin sun of the aate sands of an -ndian O$ean bea$h/ He ordered atall late and when she let fall the four pennies $hane into his hand Jofreyfelt her palmand;ners for afewse$onds/ Qhats thewordfor thisintimate tou$hinAsmall Sesh.feelsAthat straners doevery day% manytimes a day% in fa$t% and mostly involvin $oinsT Qe dont have a word for itin 6nlish% do weT "he lan$in $onta$t with her soft palm spoke to Jofreyof hervulnerablewarmthandtheblissthat awaitedherblessedfuturenaked enfolder/ 4or Jofrey hadase$ret pro8e$t/ HeAhewantedabla$kirlfriend/Jofrey wasnt oin to let Sunbreak 'ity pass him by/ He wasnt oin tomeet bla$k women in 6astern Qashinton/ Io way he was oin to $ome toSunbreak 'ity% after life in the outba$k where there were no bla$k womenand not seek out a bla$k irlfriend/#la$k women were the model he feltthat all otherfemalesstrovetowards/ "heyhadheft anddurabilityandseemedbuilt forruedo$ean.oin% lon.rane% uphill% lo$omotive.stylesex/ "hats pretty mu$h the only way to put it and he was oin to o for it/Abdiya and Jofrey talked but the $onversation didnt mu$h o Jofreysway/ Abdiya said! Sure she was >uslim but she didnt make a bi deal of itXbi brothers///?eahXXAnd mom% a stri$t >uslim///XAnd a dad% owner of a halal but$her shop in AuburnXShe lived with them/ /6ad she ever dated any non78uslim $uys0 XIoT /9h/JofreyXlikea'oyoteslinkinawayfromameal of newbornpor$upines 5after ettin a whif of nearby >ama &or$upine7% Jofrey slinked5slank% slunkT7 away% thinkin% feelindefeated! thepro8e$t must oonbutXunder 3odVs heavenXtell -llah it.s not workin$/: : :Jofrey had a studio apartment free at Dayfresh House% in ex$hane forhelpin out with revolvin population of re$overin dru addi$ts/ Heansweredtothehousedire$tor% #en>arble% whoeveryone$alled*the'ommander be$ausehewasaretirednavy$ommanderandbe$ausehe$arried still the airs of a man used to havin hundreds of youn people obeyhis every wish/ He wore a small ponytail/ "he talkative dru addi$ts rea$hed$onsensus that the 'ommander missed out on ponytails when he fouht in2ietnam and that now he was $at$hin up/ He had thi$k forearms and whilehe didnt talk mu$h about the war rumor had it he worked the swift boatsand liked to ambush and ut his prey with a $ommando knife/ "rue or not%the Dayfresh residents seemed to approve a presidin spirit who was on$eslathered up to his elbows in human uts and orans/Qalkin into Dayfresh House for the ;rst time Jofrey smiled andwhispered the phrase to himself%:Shabby $entility;2Iow he knew what itmeant! abrassumbrellastandbytheentran$edoor% asmoky$handelierwith blot$hy liht reSe$tin sli$es of himself in mirror strips alon the walls%asloeinred$arpetwithhih.rade% oakSoorin$ra$kinunderneath%$abriole.leedwin$hairsand$ofeetabless$rewedtothe$arpetwithmetal tabs and next to the wide stair$ase% a lare oil paintin of a peasantwoman $rossin the &ont Ieuf at dusk/Jofrey hadastudioapartment withabay windowthat overlookedRainier Avenue/ He thouht about 4ontina >ayeux% a woman he metre$ently/ Jofrey didnt think he should share with her every sinle thin thatstru$k him as unusual9 she miht think him a ba$k$ountry hi$k/ Dayfreshresidents looked as varied as any roup of adults walkin to and fro in aro$eryparkinlot but at least half of them$amefrom8ail or paroleprorams/ 6a$h had $ommitted to a minimumthree month stay thatin$ludedtherapysessions% one.on.one$ounselin% spot drutestinandroup outins/ Jofrey felt like a hi$k! it took him so lon to ;ure out whyall the residents walked the halls $arryin tea in tiny paper $ups/: : :Jamus Delano was Dayfresh Houses only bla$k resident/ 0-m a ;rst%1JamussaidtoJofreyoneevenin/ Hewasblo$kinthedoorwaytothekit$henonhiswaytothebathroomwithatowel overanarm% apurpletoothbrush in one hand and an 3 y mom was the ;rstbla$k Reistered Iurse in Sunbreak 'ity/ >y dad was the ;rst bla$k bankpresident/ >y sister the ;rst bla$k Iordstrom Headstone exe$utive and -mthe familys ;rst druaddi$tP1 Jamus thenlet out ablast of shoutinlauhter so laden with psy$holoi$al bu$kshotAinse$urity% shame% de;an$e%bluster% self immolation% 8ollity% resentment% hilarity%Athat Jofrey $ould onlystand there% a poor fro+en headliht fa$in a family of pran$in mule deer/Jamus turbine.eyser.lauhwashedawayeveryso$ial nubandtenet%leavin you feelin mentally sli$ked down and prepped for his next$onversational bi+YrritZ/ ?ou were always embarrassed for Jamus butsomehow you always felt the 8oke was on you/0And look at meP1 Jamus s$reamed% lauhin/ 0How $ome -m the onlyaddi$t to ain weiht on heroin% huhT 6veryone else trims down but look atmeA- et fatP1 Jofrey ba$ked up slihtly% $auht in the shrapnel hysteria ofJamus lauhter/0#usiness is really my thin%1 Jamus said/ 0- think%1 he paused with hissinature dramati$ $aesura% 0- think - must have otten hooked on drus toes$apethe$ontinual blastof businessideasthatrunsthrouhmymind/"hey dont ive me any rest/ -m not brain/ "hey 8ust dont/ "he ideas8ust pour in/ "ake the ayeux this afternoonandnowhe lay on his fold.out >urphy bed replayin theen$ounter! "hestrikin bla$k woman who worked as a Safeway $ashier at the >), store insouthSunbreak'ity/ he$auht her onsmokebreak% outsidethestore%standin next to the train of enmeshed shoppin $arts when Jofreyintrodu$ed himself/He ;rst spotted her a $ouple weeks ao passin throuh the NU.or.)essline and he liked what he saw/ She had a slender% $ompa$t frame that shemaneuvered with $on;den$e that made her seem taller than she was/ Sheusually wore ana$$essory that made her seeminterestin as well asbeautiful! abriht s$arf% asilkblouseorapairof Robin.Hoodishankleboots/ Sheworeherhairshortishbut partedandteasedout likeramennoodles9 it hihlihtedher narrow% darkly$arvedfa$e/ Shehadall theoods/ "he serious frontae and all the rest/ She had all the deliverables/Qhen it $ame time for Jofrey to stand a$ross from her to pay he noti$ed the$iarettes in her po$ket/ "his was ood% Jofrey thouht/ "hat meant thatshe would take a smoke break outside/And so the day $ame and Jofrey approa$hed/Iowhereplayeditinhismind!Afterintrodu$inhimselfoutsidetheSafeway entran$e he 8ust stood beside her/She had re$oni+ed him fromthe line and reeted introdu$tion with a smile/ 0>y name is 4ontina%1 shesaid/ Jofrey asked her for a $iarette9 He ot a $lose.in view/ She had aninterestin line under an eye% not a wrinkle but a line/ 4ell, maybe it was a wrinkle, he thouht% 9, so she.s older than 3 am,bi$ deal2 0>ay-readyourpalmT1Jofreyasked/ Sheheldoutherpalmood.naturedly/ He Sipped her hand over/ 0- was trained in a diferent tradition/A$tually% we read the ba$ks of hands/1 She held it steady/ -t was wonderfullyswirled% wonderful that a $ommon happenstan$e of $reationA;nersAwould $ontain so many load.bearin messaes/ He be$ame absorbed in herknu$kle swirls/ Her nails were done% had been done% re$ently/ )a$@uered%ni$ely ;nished in a snow leopard pattern% white on yellow with no $hips/ He$ouldnt et over that dark skin made ;ner swirls and wrinkles stand outso/ >aybe he held her hand too lon9 she withdrew it and asked% [Qhat didyou seeT[Jofrey said% 0A handsome youn straner will $ome into your life/ Soon/1She smiled% easy in $onversational and so$ial manner/ She liked people/Jofrey fell in love with her earlier% when standin in the $he$kout line hesaw her patien$e with an elderly Somali woman who was fumblin with herwelfare$ard/"helineforherreisterwasusually lon andmostly men/"hey liked lookin at her and espe$ially when she kept pullin her smo$kba$k over her bi un$ontainable left boob/ "he men in her line turned intohappybees% heavy.ladenwithpollen8usttreadinmidair% notwantintoleave/ Her smile% all.shatterinandbriht% was like the approval of abeloved tea$her/ - better et in there fast% Jofrey thouht/ Jofrey pi$ked adayAtodayAandwaitedinhis $ar fortyminutes untilshe took her smoke break/ Beautiful >n$ers, she.s $ot tiny interestin$ lines under her eyes2 3f shewas this $ood in the small stuf she would be ma$ni>*ent in the bi$ stuf, ofwhi*h she has plenty20-ll take up smokin if youll have $ofee with me%1 Jofrey said/0Qhat are youT1 she lauhed/0An interested party/10?ou know what - mean/ AsianT -nterested in whatT1So far so ood% Jofrey told himself/ Steady as she oes/ Shes askin me@uestions and she hasnt mentioned the hated word! boyfriend/ "he uliestwordinthelanuae%boyfriend/ 4u$k/ Hewantedtokill all boyfriends/(nless you were the boyfriend% that was diferent/0-nterestedT -nterested in you%1 Jofrey said/0Seriously/10>eT Qell% some -n8un/ A little/14ontina made a small hummin noise and said% 0-rish and IativeAmeri$an/ "hats a doo+y/ ?ou dont smokeT10Riht/1 Jofrey $ouhed/ 0'an - see you outside SafewayT10Qe are outside Safeway/10?ou know what - mean/ How about Starbu$ksT10Qhat do you doT10Student/ Qorker/ Qriter/10Qriter huhT10- take a $lass anyway/ At the Roethke House/ Heard of itT10Iot really/10'ofeeT10O,/1Jofrey% on his bed% athered what fa$ts $ame to him! He had se$ured adate with 4ontina% $ashier at Safeway at the lo$al Safeway of >artin )uther,in% Jr/ Qay/ Her full name was 4ontina >ayeux% friendly% ssparky% so alert/She had a beautiful line under one eye% a $harmin ae wrinkle/ 5>en areportrayedas$avemen% tit.olinboorsinthemoviesbut theyaremoresubtlethanthat/ "heylikesmall dis$repan$ies inwomen/ Didnt sheA4ontinaAhave a bit of fat around the hipsT "hat was O,/7 Her beauty was$entrifual% wha$kin and stunnin at ;rst and then $entripetal% drawin in$ustomers in line/ &artly% it was her dark skin% 8ust dark enouh to remindeveryone that Iature was a 8olly% 8oyous% mis$hievous 'reator.-mp/ #la$kerthan the bomba+ine stripe in a pair of tuxedo pants/Iow Jofrey summoned his mind to haul in more detail! Her nostrils aresowell $arved% liketwoteardropsontheirsides% pointinatea$hother/Symmetry so perfe$t% it looks planned/ Iow if that is not an Arument fromDesin - dont know what is/ ?ou miht $ounter!4hat about Tamburlaineand his pyramid of skulls outside the *ity wall0 There is perfe*t symmetryfor you and $eometri* perfe*tion to boot2 4ould somethin$ like that be "odinspired0 4hat kind of "od would desi$n su*h monstrosities0Qell% it is abattle after all% 3ood vs/ 6vil% in the universe/ - would say that one pair ofteardrop nostrils e@uals one pyramid of skulls outside the $ity wall% but letsmove on/ "he Artist then dabs in a few imperfe$tions 5if you $an $all themthat7! that super $ute narrow spa$e between her two front teeth and one ofher boobs is bier than the other/ Her ;ners% so bla$k and textured% heldso mu$h $hara$ter/ "hey seemed to talk to him as they handed Jofrey his$hane 5in bills% the $oins spun down around a ma$hine into a metal $up/Detail% Jofreydetail! Herarmsweresuperbla$kanden$ir$lin9 theywere s$ulptures of sensuality/ #e$ause of her bla$kness perhaps% her teethwere a white bea$on9 her earsAall bla$k earsAwere beautiful/ "he sayinfrom the N