Curiosity Industry
Part Four
Jim saw Herman ahead on the shoulder of the road. To his eyes, the boy looked more an outline, a suggestion in a shadow than a person. Not too long gone were the days Jim suffered himself, thumbin’ and dreamin’ not of tomorrow but of being down the road a piece. He slowed and pulled close.
"Where ya headed?" Jim asked using a white handkerchief to shield his mouth and nose.
"The Queen City, mister."
"Cincinnattitown! What you headed there for?" Jim asked.
"My uncle's got work for me in his shop."
"Uncle eh? What's your name?"
"Herman Matchstow."
"How old are you?" Jim searched over the young hitchhiker, thinking he might be a run away.
"Sixteen sir."
"Sixteen? Shouldn't you be in school?"
"Times tough for my family....," Herman paused and eyed his benefactor suspecting some trickery or another were afoot. "What's your name?"
"Jim Crumbell. Kinda young to be going to Cincinnati for a job ain't ya?"
"Times are real tough."
“I know times are tough son. I’ve been all over. I know folks is struggling.”
"It's real rough for my folks right now."
"How so boy?" As a businessman, Crumbell needed details not vagaries to close a deal.
"My papa's sick. Mama tries to make money but it ain't easy for womenfolk to make enough to feed a family all on her own." Herman glanced away from Jim hoping to make it appear that his hungry stare was a trick of the twilight.
4 comments:
I read recently that this Roman Lelefski is a huge underground sensation in The Gambia and Yemen. It's no wonder that he's finally catching on here in Qatar where I live.
I came for a snack, and I got a meal! The gods bless this man.
Did anyone see the Lelefski piece on Dateline the other day? Awe-inspiring, yet chillingly absurd.
There are a number of Lelefski stories circulating - he, in typical Lelefski fashion, refuses to confirm or deny any of them.
One: Some say that Lelefski, born and raised in Warsaw (as if you couldn't guess that one), is a concentration camp survivor. To a degree, the bleakness of his fiction bears this one out.
Two: Others say that he emigrated to Brooklyn before Hitler and then Stalin had their way with Poland. This also makes some sense; although Lelefski is willing to confront darkness, he does so in such a clear and lucid way as to suggest he hasn't personally gone through hell and back.
Three: Others say these stories -- one or the other, that is -- belong to his grandparents and Lelefski is actually in his late 20s. Proponents of this theory consider Lelefski a fraud.
Four: Others say there are clues in the contorted hand gesture which only appears after a few drinks. You've been warned.
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