13:55 Eastern Standard Time
Posted by Elderjuice
on October 1, 2012. Filed under Writers.
Posted with the tags:13:55 Eastern Standard Time, Nick AlexanderYou can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
Excerpt nine from Nick Alexander’s gripping 13:55 Eastern Standard Time.
Catch up | Part one Eight Million | Part two Ok Sticker | Part three 13:55 Eastern Standard Time | Part four Slipping through | Part five A bus in Berlin | Part six A Really Good Decision | Part seven Yanks and Paddies | part eight Frozen
The slowlands
Alice looks around in amazement. “My God!” she exclaims. “I had no idea that places like this still exist.”
Jude is grinning at her. “Isn’t it great!” he says, taking her by the elbow and guiding her between the stacked plastic crates to the left of the doorway and the pile of galvanized tin baths to the right.
Once inside, Alice can barely believe her eyes. Her mouth open, she shakes her head and breathes, “Incredible!”
The store has a worn wooden floor, and a solid oak counter running from the front window to the rear wall. Alice runs her fingertips across the surface. Every square inch of the counter space is covered with miscellaneous hardware: tools, pots, pans, tubs; sawing, cutting, drilling equipment, and displays proffering varnishes, insecticides, penknives…
The rest of the store, to the left, looks more like a warehouse than a store. Boxes are piled high with only narrow alleyways between them, and from the ceiling coming down – as it were – to meet the boxes, are suspended gardening tools, horse-riding equipment, even a wheelbarrow.
Alice breathes deeply. “And that smell!” she exclaims. “What is that? Linseed oil? It’s like something from The Waltons in here.”
Will – who is weaving through the narrow passageways between the stacked goods – replies, “Isn’t it fabulous! And you haven’t seen the best bit yet! You haven’t seen the secret attraction of Cole’s Hardware.”
“We stopped coming for a while,” Jude says. “When we were broke. It’s a bit more expensive than the big stores, but we love it here so much.”
Alice shakes her head in wonder and follows them into the maze. “So what’s the secret?” she asks. “What’s the secret best bit?”
“Hello!” A voice booms out from the right hand side of the store.
Jude tips his head sideways indicating that Alice should follow, and weaves through to the counter.
“Well, if it isn’t my favourite pair of fags!” the shopkeeper exclaims.
“Jess!” Jude says, taking his palm in a long warm handshake.
“Jude, Will,” the man says, now noticing Alice’s presence, and calming his buoyant tone. “Ma’am,” he says, nodding at her deferentially.
Alice nods and, taking in the deep brown pools of his eyes, the gentle smile lines around them, and the general massiveness of his seven-foot frame, takes his hand. “Alice,” she says.
“So how have you been?” Will asks.
Jess nods and grins. “Good,” he says. “All the better now you guys are back and keeping me in business.”
Alice looks at Jude who rolls his eyes. “Jess is lucky if we spend fifty dollars a month here,” he explains.
She coughs. The man’s regard is just a little too intense for her. “I was just saying what a beautiful store you have here,” she says, feeling a little flushed. “It’s like a museum.” She suddenly thinks that that might not sound the way she means, so she adds, “Like a kind of museum to how life used to be, how life should be.”
Jess nods and smiles warmly at her. “That’s the way I try and live it,” he says, crossing his arms and leaning on the worktop. He looks as if he is settling in, as if he has decided to watch her for some time.
Alice looks at his huge hands clasping his elbows through the plaid of his shirt. She opens her mouth to speak and then – forgetting what she was going to say – closes it again. She frowns and rolls her head from side to side rubbing her neck against the collar of her jacket.
Then, suddenly aware that Will and Jude have returned to the rear of the store, she points vaguely behind her and stammers, “I should really … go … help…” and turns.
With eye contact broken, Jess straightens and stretches before gently lifting a flap in the counter-top.
“So what can I do you for today, boys?” he asks, addressing the depths of the store.
“Tarp,” Will’s voice comes back. “Black tarp.”
***
As they climb into the pickup, Alice watches as Jude pushes his tongue against the inside of his cheek and grins saucily at Will.
“What?” she asks, both blushing and frowning.
Will shrugs and shakes his head. “Nothing,” he says. “Nothing at all.”
Jude guns the engine and pulls out onto the main street before asking, “So what do you think, Alice?”
“Oh, totally amazing,” Alice says. “And such good smells! Awesome shopping experience.”
“And Jess?” Will prompts, laughter in his voice.
Alice shrugs. “He seems sweet.”
Will frowns, steals a glance at Jude and then frowns lopsidedly at Alice. “Sweet?” he asks. “Sweet?”
“Hot is more like it,” Jude says.
Alice shrugs and nods simultaneously. “That too I guess,” she says.
Jude is laughing. “He liked you,” he says.
“Didn’t take his eyes off you,” Will adds.
“And did you see how quiet he went?” Jude says.
Alice frowns to herself. “I thought, he was, you know, … gay,” she explains.
Will whoops. “Gay? Jess?”
“Honey, you need to attune your gaydar,” Jude says, camping it up.
Alice nods. “Guess I do,” she says. “I just thought, when he called you his favourite fags … I guess I didn’t think a straight guy would dare say that.”
“Jess has bad habits,” Will says. “It took him a while to get used to us. I think we were the first gay guys he ever knew socially.”
“He’s great though,” Jude says. “He’s our gentle giant.”
“We love Jess,” Will says.
Alice nods and runs her tongue across her lips, then settles back into her seat for the drive home.
After a minute though, Will nudges her with his hip. “Well?” he asks.
Alice blushes again, but pretends she doesn’t know what he’s talking about. “Well what?”
“Well what about it?” he says. “Should we invite him over while you’re here?”
“Of course not!” Alice says, irritated.
“He comes to dinner all the time,” Jude explains. “It would be the most natural thing in the world.”
“Don’t be silly,” Alice says peevishly. “What would I possibly want with Jess?”
Will sniggers. “I know what I’d do with Jess.”
“Given the chance,” Jude adds.
Alice tutts and shakes her head.
“Think about it,” Will says, his tone now serious.
“Will! He works in a hardware store. He lives … wherever that was… I mean, get real.”
The cab falls silent, and they drive listening to the noise of the engine, the sound of the tyres on the highway.
After nearly half an hour, Alice is feeling nervous. “Have I said something I shouldn’t?” she says. “I mean, I don’t mean to…”
Will shakes his head and rubs her shoulder. “No, you’re fine Alice,” he says. “It’s your loss.”
Jude clears his throat. “I was just thinking how interesting it is. From a writer’s point of view, I mean. To see you do what you do. To see it so clearly.”
Alice nods. “I see,” she says, then, “So go for it. Share!”
Jude snorts derisively and then shakes his head. “It’s amazing really,” he says. “I mean, you just met the hottest guy we know…”
“Really!” Will laughs.
“And he couldn’t take his eyes off you.”
“Really!” Will says again, with a nod.
“And in a single phrase, you…” Jude adds, turning from the highway, “you made him insignificant.”
Alice frowns and turns to watch the countryside. She wonders if she can spot another fox.
After dinner, Alice heads through to Jude’s study. He is sitting at his laptop.
“Jude?” she says, startling him.
He glances over his shoulder at her and then looks back at the screen. “Alice,” he says flatly.
Alice sighs. “Look, I don’t want there to be bad feeling, Jude. I’m sure your friend is lovely, it’s just…”
“He lives in the wrong place and works in a hardware store,” Jude says.
Alice coughs and shifts her weight to the other foot. “Well, yes,” she says. “I guess.”
Jude shrugs. “It’s OK,” he says.
“I do appreciate your honesty, you know,” Alice adds. “I do hear you, you know. I do hear what you’re saying to me, and I will think about it. And I am grateful. For the concern.”
Jude shrugs again and then swivels to face her. He smiles. “That’s OK,” he says. “You’re welcome.”
Alice nods, shifts her weight again, and then starts to turn back towards the kitchen.
“Alice,” Jude says, causing her to pause. “You’re into poetry right?”
Alice nods. “Yeah,” she says, relieved that, judging from Jude’s voice, normality is restored. “You know I am.”
“Fall comes, with cold winds and grey skies…” Jude recites. “Mind struggles to hang on to the optimism of summer, with recompense of log-fires and potatoes, but we are not convinced, and dream of springtime.”
Alice cocks her head to one side and stares at him. He is looking at her with a neutral, unfathomable expression. “Again?” she requests.
Jude repeats the lines.
Fall comes, with cold winds and grey skies…
Mind struggles to hang on to the optimism
of summer,
With recompense of log-fires and potatoes,
But we are not convinced, and dream of springtime.
Alice smiles gently, her eyes half-closed. “It’s lovely, Jude,” she says.
Jude nods and smiles. “I know,” he agrees.
“I didn’t know you wrote poetry,” Alice says.
Jude snorts. “Jess wrote it,” he says.
Her mouth slips into a restrained smile. “Jess wrote it,” she repeats quietly.
Jude pushes his lips out and beams at her. “Jess wrote it,” he says again. “Do you want to read the others?” He waves the manila folder at her.
Alice nods, smiles and takes it. “Thanks,” she says.
“They’re not exactly high art,” Jude says. “He’s no poet laureate, but they’re always interesting. He has some good ideas.”
Alice wanders through to the kitchen and opens the folder. A half sheet of paper falls out from the mass of pages. She turns it towards her and reads the handwritten words.
So much choice in the city,
skipping from soul to soul.
Like too many TV channels,
frantically changing, ever dull.
Look for love, passion, joy,
well, you have to dig deeper.
Stop changing channels,
hunting more, better, sleeker.
Yes they move to the city,
to find stronger love, brighter friends.
But out here in the slowlands,
is where a heart mends.
Catch up | Part one Eight Million | Part two Ok Sticker | Part three 13:55 Eastern Standard Time | Part four Slipping through | Part five A bus in Berlin | Part six A Really Good Decision | Part seven Yanks and Paddies | part eight Frozen
The slowlands
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