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Thanks,
K
It’s raining today. Because that’s what my world is about right now. I don’t know what to say to that woman so I’m putting her off. She’s cryptic and then angry. I’ll call her when I’m good and ready. The blog is better but things and meanings are getting lost in our correspondence. It’s rained for days so this shoot has to happen in the rain. No more waiting and hoping for a couple of dryish minutes.
Another notification.
John
Just text the woman. My god. My fucking god. Just text her for all the sweet love of fancy fuck. Just got lectured because YOU didn’t call your mom from my mom. Don’t need your shit too.
Thanks,
Kaiser
I turn my phone off and shove it in my back pocket. Liesel switches out my umbrella for a bright orange one and I think of the tropical wildflowers.
“Can you even see the clock?” I yell at no one.
I drank too much last night. I might hurl on this crowd here at the Astronomical clock in the old city part of Prague.
I’m stinky, sticky and hungover. Sleep didn’t help. I look at Liesel under her little shelter tent and yell, “And that’s another thing. I can’t sleep anymore.”
She yells over the gathering crowd. “And how is that her fault?”
“Oh, it so is.”
“And so is this rain!” I get closer to Liesel and Bill and say, “It’s all her fault. All of this Prague shit. It’s all her fault, I don’t know how yet, but it is.”
Bill points behind me and I’m losing my mark in the crowd. “Go.”
I turn and stay under the umbrella. I get back to the taped X on the ground, turn in a tight circle and lock my umbrella with someone else. I don’t understand what they’re saying. I try to speak French to her but she yanks her umbrella away and mine flings over the crowd, landing face up at the feet of an older gentleman who looks like he’s in a hurry. He doesn’t break stride, picks it up, uses it, walking out of the square.
Now I’m getting rained on in sheets as Bill and Liesel laugh. He puts the camera down and I realize all of that was captured. I jump up and down in the quickly forming puddle and the clock hits on the hour. I wipe the rain out of my face and Liesel clears the path from the camera to me.
“I’m going to be electrocuted.”
“You were the one who set all this shit in motion. You’re on, lover boy, action,” she says in my earpiece. I adjust the mic on my lapel and roll up my wet sleeves. I slick my hair straight back.
“Vanity, Greed, and my favorite of the 7 deadly sins, Lust are all represented on this clock and on the hour the twelve apostles come together to chase them off. Zane Unleashed is most certainly off his clock here. That’s the worst pun ever. But look around me. I’m here with all these people in the pouring rain to see this piece of voodoo magic made in 1410 by a clockmaker clearly on Gruit. Which for those of you who don’t know, was like a psychoactive ale. A beer with a mushroom trip kind of kick. And I could really go for one right now standing here in the middle of Prague waiting for the apostles to drive away my demons.”
I turn to the clock then back to Bill as he pans up for the big clock finish. Then back down to me. I kick the puddle then wiggle my ass a bit. Tossing out jazz hands when I finish. I catch the eye of this old couple dressed up in their American tourist best.
“Care to dance?” I reach my hand out to the woman in the “Yellowstone Rocks” visor.
She looks at her husband and he says, “We’ll dance but this partner is mine.”
He puts their umbrellas down and twirls her out in the rain as she howls with laughter. Then I smile at the couple next to them. They do the same and soon other people are noticing the dancing.
A little girl comes up and puts out her hand like she’s asking me to dance. I nod and spin her around while her parents dance next to us.
Soon I’m joined by the entire plaza putting their umbrellas down, Bill climbing any structure to get a better angle and view of hundreds of strangers dancing in the rain. Even Liesel’s dancing in the makeshift booth.
We’re all grabbing joy wherever we can. That’s what Kat said we have to do. I twirl the little girl around and then yell, “Everybody on three.”
I start and they all follow, “Da da da daaa, da da da da daaa. I’m singing in the rain…”
I toss my arms open and Liesel snaps a picture and in my earpiece she says, “Send her this picture because this is all her fault.”
