September 21, 2005 ("Cyril in Texas" & "Blind Date", parts 1 & 2)
French citizens. The friends were all citizens of a half-assed France. The friends
were all half-assed citizens of a French stance. Carol was more American, more eggnog,
more cream-of-wheat. She represented dull victory. The others, the main hand
of them -- five or six! -- counted up to a contingency. They were essentially
legal. There was sex, all legal. There were partners, and those were legal.
Legal if they moved in together, not true of the gays, but the gays were more
used to it. Gays were more in favor of interviewing because they were newer,
not new like immigrants, new like shoe hat or blessed by an era. The group
were not married yet. They ought to get married: Kitty Durango will quick marry Cyril
after quick divorcing HERO (humph harumph his real name). Carol will marry Dude
who never married Cheryl who had their son. Carol will help raise the boy. Fingers
will not marry -- and here is how he would like it -- both Suzy and Carly. He wants a pair
of them: not the one but the two. Not two wives, not a pair of yet-sisters. A pair of skates.
One pair of not-friends, his real running shoes. Call the legislator.
Carol is blessed with two hundred acquaintances from towns around the country.
She interprets the gays to the straights: They are all nice people, she says. They
want what other people want, only they believe they’re better at relationships.
It’s based on hard work and trying. Carol okays Fingers but doesn’t get Carly and Suzy.
They are two-colored, orange and white, a cookie split down the middle -- a white
Halloween treat. Treat them right! she would offer as a suggestion, but Fingers already
treats them kindly; the two girls don’t want more than they are getting, but they want these
basics to continue. They want more of some.
Once married, the two new pairs plus the three others, who aren’t married
would win up the town. The married pairs -- Kitty & Cyril particularly -- would trump
Fingers and his ho-hum business plan involving two women, without a legal wife.
Carol and Dude would raise his son with Cheryl -- “Jesus H. Cheryl,” Dude called
his former non-wife once, so that Carol checked her flags: Is it sacrilege to call someone Jesus?
The son was the actual one. Benny was such a good name for a son, Carol told him.
Benny was in third grade. He was frankly horrible at school. Carol would need
to tutor him for Cheryl, whom she supposed was not equipped. Dude
would welcome the assistance but not this year. They would get married but not
go ahead of the pack. Carol and Dude already seem married, Carly said ruefully,
meaning it's a rut.
There was a song, an old gay tune, a real silencer among the old --
who were all wildly against gay people, and these were people living in homes
and hitting at each other with canes. I warn you, get away from me, old man,
the song went. The people said it was a song by an old woman to her husband.
Ann Bogle
