One day last year I bump off Dave who live cupola miles from me. I tell you ‘bout it.
Old Man say, ‘Take canoe from floating village, paddle down Mekong, far as Delta, take moped to City, bump off Dave.’
I squint inscrutably, say to Old Man, ‘What you give me if I bump off Dave?’
Old Man stroke goatee hair on chinny-chin-chin, thinking, say to me, ‘You bump off Dave. I give you… Banana!’
‘Banana!’
Old Man nod sagely, ‘Mm! Banana!’
‘Okay, I bump off Dave!’ I say!
I say cyanide to wife, and ten kids. In my country we all look the same, men, women & kids: same, same but different! Women wear long dress with slit up thigh, make legs look longer! Then I spray my buddy with DEET, take canoe from floating village, paddle down a Mekong, far as Delta, steal moped. In my country, every buddy ride moped at dawn to bump off some buddy. In my country, every buddy ride moped at dusk to bump off some buddy. Same, same but different! On road I see thousands of moped riders with no helmet. I see man on moped with cow on back. I see woman on moped with tall buoy, drinks cabinet and nine kids on back.
I turn off at City, to bump off Dave. I stop to talk football when I see him in street. He big fan of Russia since just after war. Dave recall going to Hey Ann on moped in his early to mid-50s, when Hey Ann was consumed with napalm smog. Dave frequently went to games when he couldn’t see half a pitch, especially floodlit matches, wrapped in smorgasbord of mist, fog, smog and chilly evening air. He tell me bout his first ever pint of rice wine, drunk, he drunk to celebrate victory over US. Dave take girlfriend to match, who decide it wasn’t ‘her kind of thing’. Girlfriend ask if he take her home. So, he bump her off. You didn’t have to be alive to be taken home to village on back of moped. In my country, every buddy ride moped at dusk to bump off some buddy. Same, same but different! That’s the thing about sport. Mention goal, a kid, try for kid, an indigenous race, or ‘good innings’ and our intellectual Tardis take us straight to moment when we watch it, who we share it with, what happen at time.
I bump Dave just off after conversation.
Dave die before Mother’s Day.
I really miss our chats.
