Puddle, remember the lefty kid? I donno if he has a part to play later in the story, but even as a walk on his part is important. He shows... but I'll let you see if you spot what he shows, and why Charlie notices him:
A gangly kid, maybe sixteen, wearing a scruffy mariner’s jacket, angled in a few steps ahead of me. He clutched a drink container in one hand and leant on a sleek tripod cane with the other. He moved deliberately, making sure all three feet of the cane were planted securely before shifting his weight to it. Yet, his air was one of purpose and confidence so that you didn’t notice how slowly he walked. I shortened my stride so as not to overtake him. I wasn’t in any hurry now.
He stopped in front of the dispenser for the line that went through the city and out to the up market, riverside neighborhood where the Morrows lived. He planted his cane and activated a control. A ring budded out from the front face of the mat, octagonal shaft. Placing his drink in the ring, he pushed back his jacket and fumbled in the pocket of his dungarees. He paused and fumbled again, muttering, copper skin going a shade darker between thick black curls and jacket collar as his confidence wavered. But, in a moment or two he found the correct coins and dropped them into the dispenser. With a click and a whir, his ticket half slid out of the slot. He fumbled slightly as he retrieved it and slid it into the slot on the barrier. For all the ergonomic and accessibility improvements that had been made since I was his age, the world was still awkward for us lefties. He reached for the drink, thought better of it, and scuttled through as soon as the barrier opened, apparently glad to be on his way.
Off to Anchorage for court tomorrow noonish. Didn't get totally prepared, but will have enough time to work on it tomorrow and the day after. Worked the weekend at Salt Mine No. 2, and had my beauty sleep interrupted big time. Packed and ready to go tomorrow; now to sleep. See ya.
Woke to cloudy, which morphed to blue and white, now back to cloudy. River running a pretty shade of jade, and even with the deck of the bridge. Mid-fifties. Did a bit of garden policing, and started a new batch of laundry. Two packages of chicken gizzards in the oven. And pretty much all's right wit' da world.
First flower alert!! The colt's foot is out!! Bright buttons of sunshine, and always my earliest flower! Bless their hot little hearts.
I love your daily accounts of Spring in Sugarland, puddle! ♥
We had rain all day here, and I had to go out in it. Blah. But that's all right, because it's so good for the land. Plus we saw yesterday that the Bays have had Ice Out and today we learned it happened overnight, Saturday into Sunday! That's incredibly early, though I think the earliest has been March 10th.
Thanks both of ya! Cat, feel better. Not gonna guess why the young man's there. Charlie likely would have noticed him because he was handicapped, native, and a lefty, and wearing a sea jacket. But Charlie's pretty aware/perceptive. . . . so. . . .
Uh, duh. Of course Charlie notices him because of his jacket. *thumps head* Your mind works a whole lot better than mine does, Puddle. I had thought it was only because the boy, like Charlie, is left handed. Sheesh. My brain needs a thorough vacuuming to clear out all the accumulated dust and gunk.
My idear is that the boy shows just how unremarkable disabled folks are in this world, or at least in Charlie's perception. Dito Natives. Hmmm... Considering that you drew the exactly opposite conclusion, it looks like the passage needs some more work.
Well, the catch is, that since Charlie's narrating, he has to notice the things *you* want noticed (which are so common they're not noticeable, lol!). The left-handedness *does* stand out as the thing he comments on. . . .
And Cat, it was *your* mind that dreamed up the mariner's jacket in the first place, lol! It's just that sometimes our unconscious mind works a good deal better than our conscious one, eh?
Our Howard's first!
ReplyDeleteNote at the end of the last thread...
Puddle, remember the lefty kid? I donno if he has a part to play later in the story, but even as a walk on his part is important. He shows... but I'll let you see if you spot what he shows, and why Charlie notices him:
ReplyDeleteA gangly kid, maybe sixteen, wearing a scruffy mariner’s jacket, angled in a few steps ahead of me. He clutched a drink container in one hand and leant on a sleek tripod cane with the other. He moved deliberately, making sure all three feet of the cane were planted securely before shifting his weight to it. Yet, his air was one of purpose and confidence so that you didn’t notice how slowly he walked. I shortened my stride so as not to overtake him. I wasn’t in any hurry now.
He stopped in front of the dispenser for the line that went through the city and out to the up market, riverside neighborhood where the Morrows lived. He planted his cane and activated a control. A ring budded out from the front face of the mat, octagonal shaft. Placing his drink in the ring, he pushed back his jacket and fumbled in the pocket of his dungarees. He paused and fumbled again, muttering, copper skin going a shade darker between thick black curls and jacket collar as his confidence wavered. But, in a moment or two he found the correct coins and dropped them into the dispenser. With a click and a whir, his ticket half slid out of the slot. He fumbled slightly as he retrieved it and slid it into the slot on the barrier. For all the ergonomic and accessibility improvements that had been made since I was his age, the world was still awkward for us lefties. He reached for the drink, thought better of it, and scuttled through as soon as the barrier opened, apparently glad to be on his way.
I'm diving Under the Wing....
ReplyDeletebut did leave a sleepish note on the last thread. 8-)
Off to Anchorage for court tomorrow noonish. Didn't get totally prepared, but will have enough time to work on it tomorrow and the day after. Worked the weekend at Salt Mine No. 2, and had my beauty sleep interrupted big time. Packed and ready to go tomorrow; now to sleep. See ya.
ReplyDeleteWoke to cloudy, which morphed to blue and white, now back to cloudy. River running a pretty shade of jade, and even with the deck of the bridge. Mid-fifties. Did a bit of garden policing, and started a new batch of laundry. Two packages of chicken gizzards in the oven. And pretty much all's right wit' da world.
ReplyDeleteFirst flower alert!! The colt's foot is out!! Bright buttons of sunshine, and always my earliest flower! Bless their hot little hearts.
Susan ♡
ReplyDeletepuddle ♡
Cat ♥
BBB won't let me long in, so I'll post here:
ReplyDeleteReed ♡
Phil ♡
I love your daily accounts of Spring in Sugarland, puddle! ♥
ReplyDeleteWe had rain all day here, and I had to go out in it. Blah.
But that's all right, because it's so good for the land.
Plus we saw yesterday that the Bays have had Ice Out
and today we learned it happened overnight, Saturday into Sunday!
That's incredibly early, though I think the earliest has been March 10th.
Rainy here today. In a probably unrelated development, I feel terrible.
ReplyDeletePuddle, I agree with listener in enjoying the accounts of flowers and birdies. Always helps me feel slightly better.
Traveling mercies for our Alan.
Thanks both of ya! Cat, feel better. Not gonna guess why the young man's there. Charlie likely would have noticed him because he was handicapped, native, and a lefty, and wearing a sea jacket. But Charlie's pretty aware/perceptive. . . . so. . . .
ReplyDeleteUh, duh. Of course Charlie notices him because of his jacket. *thumps head* Your mind works a whole lot better than mine does, Puddle. I had thought it was only because the boy, like Charlie, is left handed. Sheesh. My brain needs a thorough vacuuming to clear out all the accumulated dust and gunk.
ReplyDeleteMy idear is that the boy shows just how unremarkable disabled folks are in this world, or at least in Charlie's perception. Dito Natives. Hmmm... Considering that you drew the exactly opposite conclusion, it looks like the passage needs some more work.
Well, the catch is, that since Charlie's narrating, he has to notice the things *you* want noticed (which are so common they're not noticeable, lol!). The left-handedness *does* stand out as the thing he comments on. . . .
ReplyDeleteAnd Cat, it was *your* mind that dreamed up the mariner's jacket in the first place, lol! It's just that sometimes our unconscious mind works a good deal better than our conscious one, eh?
ReplyDelete