Alison is currently smoking. And was smoking. And is also waiting to smoke. Her 9-year-old, Frank, is with Edmund, his father, for the weekend, and when he does that, Alison turns into a chimney. But tonight is particularly bad. Something about Frank leaving, it always feels like a tape is put on pause in her brain, like a Frank-sized hole opens up in the front hall, and it stands there. She kind of can't move, because any movement will be wrong. She opens her mouth like she's popping her ears, moves her jaw around, takes a drag. Tonight she went out to get something to eat, and she couldn't walk into a place. She physically couldn't walk into one of the ten places on her block. Sushi, too sit-down, I'll feel crazy. Pad Thai? Too heavy. Subway, fuck no. Vegan, too healthy, too sad. So she just walked around, in the freezing cold, sometimes she'd just turn on her heel on the sidewalk, go back the other way, see if passing a second time would change something. She was hyperventilating. Softly hyperventilating, trying not to heave, not to show it. Then, it's back to the house, back to the dining room table, the brown china cabinet, the computer and the cigarettes. It's as if her brain just stammers, like "I--I---uh---I--" from Friday at 6 until Sunday at 9, once a month.
[Buy]
Also, Tomboyfriend is playing tonight at the El Mocambo, releasing their new EP King of the Animals. 5$
Posted by Dan at January 20, 2012 7:34 PM