don’t look at my screen! the warning is all over his scroungy face. he doesn’t like for anyone to look at his screen, like we care that he sifts porn and not data in public.
n strips the ceilings of tape. i remove my jacket from a chair.
you’re golden, n said. you don’t have to move.
t sits up straight when he types. another fellow opens his laptop. he usually reads or stares at his screen. i haven’t seen him type.
there are four of us actively using our laptops. i’m looking for a god to make me feel safe, like everything is going to be alright. i think everyone wants that. the four men behind their screens want it. for most it is employment and the dollar.
they say don’t give up. i don’t know what that means anymore not to give up.
is it a question of progress or erasing history?
i have been reading murakami iq84. he has an obsession with round shapes and authenticity. possibly the only authenticity we have is the breast.
a young man with cleats and short bright red hair slurps on his chai tea
there’s a thumping. i can’t make out what it is. n plays her boyfriend’s music. it has a lead vietnamese singer. one dude shifts in his chair. i look at his screen for too long which is impolite. he types from time to time and looks to his iphone for whatever he is looking for.
i washed my hair yesterday. my hat smells like offal.
an asian man removed a candy from an awkward wrapper. he asked n for a key and went outside to the bathroom. he left his laptop unattended which is unusual for someone to do. he has on white van high tops. i think i would like a pair. i don’t think i’m too old at 45 to have a pair. he looks like he’s in his late thirties.
n uses five alarms to make sure that she wakes up. p stays up all night to see other bands play. they talk about how they grew up at different rates when they were young. n said that she was five foot three when she was fourteen and done growing.
the postman came in talking about the change in weather, how at certain times he can get by in a t-shirt.
a poised woman reads the mercury newspaper.
a man with thick white ankles on a red moped.