MINERAL DEPOSITS

nonfiction about things that didn't happen

Sunday, December 06, 2009

American Life

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It was a harsh, sunny day in Greenvale, Arkansas. Susie stood
with a tunafish panini on the corner of 5th and Madison.

“Yo Jerry!” she exclaims as her young cousin Jerry appears from the
sliding doors of the seven-eleven. “What's a guy like you doing with
so many bagels?” He gives her a questioning sideways glance.

“What can I say? I'm a hungry guy. I heard that bagels are like eating
five slices of regular bread.”
“Yeah, I think I heard that too.”
“Mm. Well, I got some cream cheese and watercress too, you wanna come
to the park and eat?”
“Nah, can't, got too much thinking to do. You know how it is with the
folks at the moment. This tunafish panini here's the best thing I got
in my life.”
“And it's almost gone.”
“Tell me about it,” she said mournfully.

Four finches flew aimlessly up, careening, dizzily.

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