Hi, I'm still alive heh. I just I wanted to bring Enoch back in to the
story some how. I'm know where which direction I'm going with the story,
but I'm not sure I like that direction. If any of you have any ideas,
please tell me
Enoch Mex is walking home. Jenna May is walking down the sidewalk some way away.
Jenna May is a small lean strong scraggly long brown haired girl, with dark eyes and the complexion of ivory soap. Her face is plain, with high cheekbones, with no color except for a few large moles on her cheeks and chin.
She wears a few over washed over sized plain dresses. Today she wears the orange one, which is so large, is like a flowing tent, and the neckline is so low she pulls it up every few minutes. You can see yellow brown banana colored circles of skin where bruises are healing right under her collarbones, and morose purple bruises down her arms.
She is an loser like Enoch- except unlike Enoch she carries herself with her head high, and she sits with her legs wide apart, cusses and knows about where babies REALLY come from.
She is admired from afar by boys and whispered about by the girls. She tells gruesome sleazy stories at recess about children falling into large menacing machinery, animals that ate people, people that ate people, witches and ghouls, excrement and people falling in it, sex, and guns.
The boys and some girls would crowd around to listen to her talk, and as she told these stories her face would change and become scary and scrunched and sometimes she would wrench her eyes shut as if it hurt her to speak and speak soft as if their ear bones would shatter and then suddenly open those fierce eyes and howl out the words as if she was announcing the end of the world.
She had a pretty interesting mind for a girl Enoch thought.
"Jenna ! Jenna May!" He trails behind her. He runs besides her.
"How are ya Jenna ?"
She stares at him with disdain and disgust. Her lip is curled in sneering.
He smiles goofly. A smile that has encouraged many playground hassling.
"Wanna come over to my house? My mama makes good sandwiches." HE says, yes they will come to his house and have fun. They will make paper airplanes; he would listen to her stories, and then eat the sandwiches and go to each other's houses and eat ice-cream cones and become life long wonderful friends! Men can be just friends with women right?
"Your mama. Your mama. I bet you'd piss inna pespi bottle if yo mama tole ya to." She laughs, her laugh is cruel and forced - it is not true, it is only to hurt him.
"No I wouldn't." he says dumbly. It isn't true, it is silly. Silly Jenna. She doesn't know what she is doing. She mustn't jeopardize their unconditional life long bond!
"What about yo pa?" She yelps.
"He's's dead."
"Probably so he don't have ta listen to ya trap anymore."
Ha ha ha. She is witty, yes when they become friends she will defend him against the bullies with her wit and cruelty. Yes yes yes! And one day, when she is a full grown woman, he will defend her because when she is of that age, all the men will be taller, stronger and wittier then her and he will let her cower behind him!
"He crossed the street and got a car crashed into him."
"He was stupid. Just like you!" She calls grinning.
"He was stupid. I'm glad he's dead. Daddy couldn't do nothin." Enoch agreed, for nobody ever told him he was a smart man, nor was his father was. He had a remarkable idea, that one day when he had a son- he would be not a smart man either. Enoch decided he would never have a son, maybe he would have a pretty daughter that would adore him, because nobody cared if a woman was smart anyway, and a quiet mild wife that would take care of the daughter and all he would have to do is make enough money. It wasn't hard making enough money, unless you were drunk all the time like Daddy because they never had enough money because he spent most of the money getting "li'ckered up" his mama said.
" Let's go to my house-we'll have fun I promise." His voice is wheedling and high, this is important doesn't she see?
"I feel sorry for your mama having to deal with you- it'd be better for her to give birth to a piece of steak then you. You shouldn't known better then come up to me Enoch, you know I ain't going nowhere with a shit like you. "
Her gratuitous meanness bewildered him, and expelled him from his own lovely party. He has lost his voice and indelible humiliation filled moment that has ever happened is strangling him now, and Jenna's eyes are dark and empty just like him.
"Yes .you will." He finds his voice, but it is quivering and trembling and naked.
"Who's gonna make me? You?"
"No. Not me. My friend will." HE shouts.
"You ain't got no friends Enoch Mex!! " Jenna tosses her scraggly hair back.
"Shut the hell up." He cries, he cannot stand it, if he doesn't hurt her he will die. Maybe he will die tomorrow. Maybe he has already died, and Jenna is a punishment for his sins, and this is heaven.
Jenna stares at him.
He does have a friend, somewhere. Yes he knows it, he hears it with his feet, and his friend is below the ground close to his father.
" I have a friend and his name is Jonathan Cade."
Jonathan Cade! Jonathan Cade he read off the tomb stone. He is his friend! His friend, his one and true friend- it doesn't matter that he is dead, but if he were alive he would like him Enoch decides. Yes, Johnathan Cade is a good name, a name of someone good and brave.
" He's tall and strong and tough and he'll hit you so hard you'll feel like ya was struck by lightning. He'll run grab you and shake you so hard, ya brains will rattle in your head. He'll pull your hair out and he'll shove your own hair down your throat! " Enoch cries words sputtering freely. His heart swells up with sweetness that feels like buttermilk caressing his throat. He feels his heart pounding. Oh lord; if there is a Jonathan Cade, there is justice.
"I can hear with the soles of my feet. And Jonathan Cade will break your ass in half so you can't walk and nobody will help you up, cause everyone loves Jonathan Cade and not you - cause you're so ugly. UG-LY! You'll just sit there, all alone, on the ground with that mean ol greased swirl bas- tard. "
No, Jonathan Cade couldn't be friends with that greased swirl smoking bastard, not his Johnny. His Johnny was good and kind, and strong and brave. The greased swirl bastard he decided, was connected to Jonathan Cade because envied Jonathan Cadet and possibly killed him. Infact he had no doubt in his mind that that bastard killed him. HE swallows.
"And the worms will get you both!" He screams, and now he had hurt Jenna he could tell! He gnawed at the very core of her, as if Jenna was some giant watermelon that he must devour to appease an unquenchable thrist.
"Unless you come to my house." He says, grinning.
She pushes him; he felt his legs topple over one another and dizziness like a fawn. His jaw locked together on his tongue and he felt his mouth full of stomach acid and spit and blood. He landed on his tailbone and he felt the crushing soreness that seems to resonate through his entire body like ripples in a still pond. He felt his brain hit his skull and his brain felt detached and dull shadow pain in his head and eyeballs.
"You and your Johnny Cade can go eat your mama's shit sandwiches." She hisses. Then she turns and leaves.
He sits there, on the sidewalk, and he begins to weep tears from his eyes, and blood and bile and salvia and evil from his mouth.
AS he weeps , he feels Jonathan Cade beneath his feet and in his aching blood. He feels Jonathan Cade's presence, and he knows if he were alive Jonathan Cade would put his arm around his shoulders and let him weep until he fell asleep, and then carry him away somewhere beautiful, somewhere where he would have his mild wife, pretty daughter and become smart -somewhere very beautiful.
Jonathan Cade is his flotation device in an ocean of dissatisfaction. Everything that people have tried to shove into his mind like math, and grammar and morals, they all have tried to convince him that these are flotation devices, but now he knew better.
Enoch Mex is walking home. Jenna May is walking down the sidewalk some way away.
Jenna May is a small lean strong scraggly long brown haired girl, with dark eyes and the complexion of ivory soap. Her face is plain, with high cheekbones, with no color except for a few large moles on her cheeks and chin.
She wears a few over washed over sized plain dresses. Today she wears the orange one, which is so large, is like a flowing tent, and the neckline is so low she pulls it up every few minutes. You can see yellow brown banana colored circles of skin where bruises are healing right under her collarbones, and morose purple bruises down her arms.
She is an loser like Enoch- except unlike Enoch she carries herself with her head high, and she sits with her legs wide apart, cusses and knows about where babies REALLY come from.
She is admired from afar by boys and whispered about by the girls. She tells gruesome sleazy stories at recess about children falling into large menacing machinery, animals that ate people, people that ate people, witches and ghouls, excrement and people falling in it, sex, and guns.
The boys and some girls would crowd around to listen to her talk, and as she told these stories her face would change and become scary and scrunched and sometimes she would wrench her eyes shut as if it hurt her to speak and speak soft as if their ear bones would shatter and then suddenly open those fierce eyes and howl out the words as if she was announcing the end of the world.
She had a pretty interesting mind for a girl Enoch thought.
"Jenna ! Jenna May!" He trails behind her. He runs besides her.
"How are ya Jenna ?"
She stares at him with disdain and disgust. Her lip is curled in sneering.
He smiles goofly. A smile that has encouraged many playground hassling.
"Wanna come over to my house? My mama makes good sandwiches." HE says, yes they will come to his house and have fun. They will make paper airplanes; he would listen to her stories, and then eat the sandwiches and go to each other's houses and eat ice-cream cones and become life long wonderful friends! Men can be just friends with women right?
"Your mama. Your mama. I bet you'd piss inna pespi bottle if yo mama tole ya to." She laughs, her laugh is cruel and forced - it is not true, it is only to hurt him.
"No I wouldn't." he says dumbly. It isn't true, it is silly. Silly Jenna. She doesn't know what she is doing. She mustn't jeopardize their unconditional life long bond!
"What about yo pa?" She yelps.
"He's's dead."
"Probably so he don't have ta listen to ya trap anymore."
Ha ha ha. She is witty, yes when they become friends she will defend him against the bullies with her wit and cruelty. Yes yes yes! And one day, when she is a full grown woman, he will defend her because when she is of that age, all the men will be taller, stronger and wittier then her and he will let her cower behind him!
"He crossed the street and got a car crashed into him."
"He was stupid. Just like you!" She calls grinning.
"He was stupid. I'm glad he's dead. Daddy couldn't do nothin." Enoch agreed, for nobody ever told him he was a smart man, nor was his father was. He had a remarkable idea, that one day when he had a son- he would be not a smart man either. Enoch decided he would never have a son, maybe he would have a pretty daughter that would adore him, because nobody cared if a woman was smart anyway, and a quiet mild wife that would take care of the daughter and all he would have to do is make enough money. It wasn't hard making enough money, unless you were drunk all the time like Daddy because they never had enough money because he spent most of the money getting "li'ckered up" his mama said.
" Let's go to my house-we'll have fun I promise." His voice is wheedling and high, this is important doesn't she see?
"I feel sorry for your mama having to deal with you- it'd be better for her to give birth to a piece of steak then you. You shouldn't known better then come up to me Enoch, you know I ain't going nowhere with a shit like you. "
Her gratuitous meanness bewildered him, and expelled him from his own lovely party. He has lost his voice and indelible humiliation filled moment that has ever happened is strangling him now, and Jenna's eyes are dark and empty just like him.
"Yes .you will." He finds his voice, but it is quivering and trembling and naked.
"Who's gonna make me? You?"
"No. Not me. My friend will." HE shouts.
"You ain't got no friends Enoch Mex!! " Jenna tosses her scraggly hair back.
"Shut the hell up." He cries, he cannot stand it, if he doesn't hurt her he will die. Maybe he will die tomorrow. Maybe he has already died, and Jenna is a punishment for his sins, and this is heaven.
Jenna stares at him.
He does have a friend, somewhere. Yes he knows it, he hears it with his feet, and his friend is below the ground close to his father.
" I have a friend and his name is Jonathan Cade."
Jonathan Cade! Jonathan Cade he read off the tomb stone. He is his friend! His friend, his one and true friend- it doesn't matter that he is dead, but if he were alive he would like him Enoch decides. Yes, Johnathan Cade is a good name, a name of someone good and brave.
" He's tall and strong and tough and he'll hit you so hard you'll feel like ya was struck by lightning. He'll run grab you and shake you so hard, ya brains will rattle in your head. He'll pull your hair out and he'll shove your own hair down your throat! " Enoch cries words sputtering freely. His heart swells up with sweetness that feels like buttermilk caressing his throat. He feels his heart pounding. Oh lord; if there is a Jonathan Cade, there is justice.
"I can hear with the soles of my feet. And Jonathan Cade will break your ass in half so you can't walk and nobody will help you up, cause everyone loves Jonathan Cade and not you - cause you're so ugly. UG-LY! You'll just sit there, all alone, on the ground with that mean ol greased swirl bas- tard. "
No, Jonathan Cade couldn't be friends with that greased swirl smoking bastard, not his Johnny. His Johnny was good and kind, and strong and brave. The greased swirl bastard he decided, was connected to Jonathan Cade because envied Jonathan Cadet and possibly killed him. Infact he had no doubt in his mind that that bastard killed him. HE swallows.
"And the worms will get you both!" He screams, and now he had hurt Jenna he could tell! He gnawed at the very core of her, as if Jenna was some giant watermelon that he must devour to appease an unquenchable thrist.
"Unless you come to my house." He says, grinning.
She pushes him; he felt his legs topple over one another and dizziness like a fawn. His jaw locked together on his tongue and he felt his mouth full of stomach acid and spit and blood. He landed on his tailbone and he felt the crushing soreness that seems to resonate through his entire body like ripples in a still pond. He felt his brain hit his skull and his brain felt detached and dull shadow pain in his head and eyeballs.
"You and your Johnny Cade can go eat your mama's shit sandwiches." She hisses. Then she turns and leaves.
He sits there, on the sidewalk, and he begins to weep tears from his eyes, and blood and bile and salvia and evil from his mouth.
AS he weeps , he feels Jonathan Cade beneath his feet and in his aching blood. He feels Jonathan Cade's presence, and he knows if he were alive Jonathan Cade would put his arm around his shoulders and let him weep until he fell asleep, and then carry him away somewhere beautiful, somewhere where he would have his mild wife, pretty daughter and become smart -somewhere very beautiful.
Jonathan Cade is his flotation device in an ocean of dissatisfaction. Everything that people have tried to shove into his mind like math, and grammar and morals, they all have tried to convince him that these are flotation devices, but now he knew better.