Keith Brogan flirted with whores, careful to stay out of eye-shot of any money-hounding pimp. His aimless roaming of the streets had developed within him the habit of taking a big whiff whenever he walked by any unpleasant looking person — or basically anybody that appeared to maybe smell a bit on the overly ripe side of hygienic — which was chiefly an unconscious habit, and he marked down as some inconsequential tic with neither psychological implications nor urges toward a general fascination with life's seedier side. It's not that he stuck his nose right up in there or anything. It was more subtle than that, a negative desire, a refusal to not smell, to not hold his breath, which he reacted to by doing just the opposite: taking as deep of a breath as possible.
A willowy unwholesome-looking whore said, "Honey, I'll let you pop the zit on my ass for five dollars, and you can lick the white gooey stuff up for that other five." She was bored, and probably would suck him off for ten, but willing to wait and see what type of a joker and liar he actually was. They both stood on the corner vaguely staring at one man swatting at what seemed an endless barrage of flies and opening and closing the dumpster's wide, creaky top. The other man stood still, as if somewhere else.
****
And right before he tumbled into the final shade, he knew himself to be amongst the lies of another man, but he wished to be that man anyway, that that man's life, Keith Brogan's life, was infinitely more valuable than his own, because he had not lived it, and he wanted to live everybody's life, because he knew he was not himself and he never would be, and to be somebody that he couldn't imagine was the way of peace.
Marc lives in Barcelona and works most nights as a bread baker. Every millionth baguette he quits his job, writes, and is always surprised when his stories see the light of day. His work has appeared or will be forthcoming in Thieves Jargon and Pindeldyboz.
Comments (closed)
kid
2009-11-02 12:47:45
Are you on your millionth baguette yet?
Madre
2010-01-27 16:39:08
I loved your story. We need a character assignation!
The world is waiting for your novel!