I get a call from an old out-of-town pal. He's laid up in a
downtown hospital after reconstructive surgery on his
bum knee. After some offbeat banter -- something
feels way out of whack,
aside from his leg -- I agree to go see him.
He's skeptical if I'll show up at all, so I deliberately avoid
committing to a day or time for the visit. We're close enough
that cruising by to break up his bed-ridden day is all I really
expect out of the encounter. And surely, all he expects from me
are a few laughs,
right?
The next day, I get to his room and we crack up when I bust him
sprawled out, earphones on, lost in some talk-show hype
on channel zero.
We start to rap about the NBA playoffs, now in full flight, and
quickly agree that watching the Chicago Bulls kick ass -- Dennis
Rodman in particular -- is basically euphoric. My pal shows off
a fresh tattoo. I shake my head, wondering if Rodman-inspired
abandon made him get it.
After more Bullshitting, we laugh our heads off, knowing we're
both buying time before the visit gets soul-deep. There's no
problem here -- we always talk straight up.
The amusement is in knowing there's something he's got to say.
The
coast seems clear, so I reach into my get-well bag to offer him
a swig
of whiskey that I've brought to lift his spirits.
The gesture is clearly appreciated but declined. Buzz aside, the
last thing he needs to do is induce more swelling in his leg.
He makes me touch the gruesome ballooning.
I feel like a bit of a chump for bringing booze to a guy in a hospital,
but we partake of ceremonial swills, chasing them with mouthfuls
of Coke
to throw the nurses off track.
Visiting time is almost up.
Suddenly his marital beans start to spill.
I'm shocked at how much I know
without knowing it.
"Everything's fucked right now, eh, Buddy?" he asks.
"But all I want to do is save my marriage."
I tell him to get right to it, then.
But we both realize that his knee will
heal a lot faster than his wounded heart.
Giggling like school kids, we sneak another haul from the
bottle just before a nurse
comes in to take his temperature -- and give me the boot.
--sigcino moyo
