Visions; Phantom of the Open Hearth

Somebody 63 92 real one. Being in America. Would you look at that. Do. You like that these old clunker still got their bumper stickers on. Keep on track and yelled at me. How. Am I. Isn't that sweet. It's an Day-Glo tape now they're sent over for you. I wonder if Walt still loves her. Does Emily even remember Walter. A. Did I ever tell you my Daphne Bigelow. You know something I don't talk much about I guess most men build. You know. It all started for Ralph here.

Back in the. Steel mill country. It all began. In that great and very full of darkness. That's Dejin believable mark. The. Midwest. My first real part time job delivering the mail to steal. The smell. The. Sounds. Our town. My have the very essence of the industrial heartland of the nation. Where I learned to dream the American dream of the beautiful future. The glorious past

and the crummy. Now. The. Show. At. The Phantom of the open. Secret. Darkness. When they tap it here. You know there's an old steelworkers legend that says once you've stared into the enigmatic face of the Phantom of the open heart. She will give you either good luck or bad luck. No one knows when you. Bring.

The old man. Polishing you used old. Man of used cars. Even more than the name of the Chicago White Sox if that's possible. My mother. Forever battling the trivia of her life the smell of red cabbage meatloaf and jello and an endless stream. My kid brother Randy just knows ran night and day. In fact you can make it run at will. He was also deep in his rubber dagger period. He slept with. Weatherboard

we're going to take it prom axle grease. Us. There were a couple of girls. My mom was the prom at some point. You don't want to take you to the prom. I got a couple girls lined up but. All that stuff was. Really a glutton for punishment. You might as well learn your lesson once and for all. I mean some guys there for a skirt that shows up and they have a credit invested in eyes. I suddenly realized he was talking about himself. I think one day that he is a very nice girl.

Of course what I think does matter. Was a formal even where were those monkey suits. Yes hearts are going out to hunt them down and check it out for. The. Prom which was now two weeks off began to occupy our minds. Most of the time. The semester is just about played itself out. Our junior year was almost over. At the prom. The prom. Was something that we had heard about since our earliest days a kind of golden aura hung over the word itself. Prom. There was only one thing wrong. As each day ticked inexorably by toward that magic night I still could not steel myself to actually seek it out. Daphne Bigelow and ask her the fatal question.

Daphne Bigelow even though I suppressed a fugitive shiver of tremulous passion and dark yearning there was something about her something I'm not quite sure that I can adequately conveys with the sadly lacking means an imperfect human mind which Daphne walked in a kind of soft ways of approaching dawn. Daphne. Back. From. My. Book. Warts and flay my two bosom buddies flick skinny and mean with the mind of a weasel Schwartz round and jovial with the mind of a pumpkin. Give me a hot dog and French fries and. For Coke. Yeah I know I probably will. Catch a.

Fly. By. Nature. First catch me over here. Johns. What a joy. Jim I hated kids. He always dreamed of having a great truckstops. So what did he get. Millions of kids have some birthday Ralph. Now you've got to credit something. You got to stay away from me. You know Fred. Cried. Let's get a book. Want to get coffee all day. Call. Me. Back from. There at. The prom. We're.

Taking. That bagel. Why did you say big. OK. Yeah. That's what I thought this. Was all about fun no. Never know with them jocks. Nothing good I bet. Great. What. Did you say. Got to wonder.

This and. This. Congratulations you have won a major award in our $50000. Great heroes from the world of sports contest. It will go right by special messenger delivered to your address. You. Win. Graduate. I. Want. You. To work. Already. You don't have that sound I want a job breaker. Of all the girls to like me. Wanda Hickey what a bummer. Ever since we'd been in third grade Wanda had just been hanging around. Once when we were

12. She sent me a Valentine had paper lace. Bare bottom Cupitt so. She wore glasses that reminded you of the Bonham's of Coke bottles. Who. Won bakey. The algebra shark. Hello. Yes yes I gave him the old man was a winner. Mr. Mr. Smothers real estate agents and used car salesmen started calling making helpful suggestions for highly rewarding investments you would like me to invest in a tombstone company. No no. Boy that must have really been tough. Really the first radio with Bill tilted in favor of man of war and the fighting Irish. It says here that you are eligible for a grand prize of fifty thousand. Subjects of it.

I never won a thing. But I'm good at finding the object. The thing is how I have to win the jackpot having been judged on originality neatness and badness of thought and of course all decisions are final. I would like to propose that take the party was really warming up. Was it tough. There it was knee high or. It was so spectacularly gassy that violent cases of the bends were common among those who got that down too fast. It would clean out your sinuses faster than a roto rooter. No it just came. Down to the side of the orange pup that ever Rannoch can make me want. To.

Shoot. It Off. I got something important to say to you it had nothing important to say on you. I ordered a house from sears and roebuck. Cape Cod Imperial. Five rooms comes in a kit. Why this stuff. A house and a car from Sears Roebuck. Nobody in that crowd ever owned a house. Some never even paid rent and it was rumored that some even were squatters

watching now these days. All right I'm strictly chorded. Want to. Leave it to a loudmouthed courage to start the trouble. I mean. You. Know.

When. He had a deep grief of sorrow just below the surface it came up to the top when he drank. I. Mean. 4. 9. 7 6 9 7 oh wait a minute wait what is that. The nation. By a rock. I.

I mean. The. The. I. Never forget that sight as long as I live as we pulled out of the freight yard. It was that. I heard one of the most hideous cries I've ever heard in my life.

Never look back. The time was growing short. I thought of Daphne all day long. Daphne drifted into biology to trailing the most blossoms and offering ecstacies not yet confirmed by human experience. I. Oh my heavens rise. Why do you want ladies in the kitchen.

Be careful. Where on does. Thank you very much. Thank you. Go. On. One.

Will. Rule. From. The spoils of the hard won victory at Tara it was.

Tenderly. He lifted from its nest a fragrant straw. The only thing he had ever won. In his life. What. Is. Really means is like a statue. A statue. Of.

You. Would you believe what this is the way. We stood silent and in. The sheer shimmering unexpected beauty of the major award with a lampshade. Naturally it was just sheer coincidence that a lady's leg was the trademark of the Mihail. This is. What we need for the front. We know. Definitively master stroke that white toy is very good. It was without question the most magnificent laugh we had ever seen.

Where's the plug. That's fine. So I went out into the kitchen to get an extension cord fishcake. There were only four outlets in the whole house. Each one was covered with more threeway plugs and extensions than there are barnacles on the bottom of a rusting ship. I. Again. You. Never would have known beforehand. What. Was. Going. Round. And. What. You're going to get shot. Don't worry about it I know. It was a lie. Unparalleled glory.

Translucent flesh radiating a vibrant sensual luminous orange yellow pinkish nimbus of egg and fire. Wait a minute. It's got two switches. One has a taste for my light. The other is an effective scientifically designed reading lamp. Really kids are bad. The old man was a full generation ahead of his time. He was the very first pop art fanatic. All. Right. That's right. Boy. Oh boy little. Boy. Note. That the limestone. OK. OK you got it.

You got to see. His dedication to his aesthetic principles. Almost ran ranked rehab for. We can try your system ripened and matured juices were thrown. So my carefully concealed passion for Daphne Bigelow burgeon finally and. Swallowed up like Jonah into the achy blackness of the whale's belly often lost. Daphne. Hello. Hi. Go.

OK. Go. I don't go out. Well you know I'm gonna ask. You. Better get on the stick. Don't worry about it. You got lined up. Claire. Mae Mattingly. Clara Mae Madingley. Sure. Can spell. Circle. And. It was all I could think of to say that was good about her. Except of course she was FEMA. Grants in Arkansas party ordered it. I think you were forced. To write. Cost eight bucks. Hey. How long has it been for. The.

Mayor. And. When he sent one of us in. Late. Late. Is Tuesday night at 8:00 at the church. United. Some kind of problem on our. Sweat. Listen we gotta get a team together to beat those bad.

Boys. And. Immaculate Conception. I've been earning ten or fifteen bucks a week playing for church teams all over town for a long time. I was a good third baseman and I could get to the opposite field with. The. Eight. Religious wars are

never the bigger factor. Oh yeah. The breaking point in all crucial moments in history comes stealthily on Katzfey. You never know when the lightning is about to strike or a Cornus to fall. The old mans thing was bowling. And. Dishnet. The Orfeo. A tiny bastion of dreams and fantasies. A fragile light of human aspiration and the howling darkness of the great American Midwest. Night after night the faithful would gather bearing sacks of Butterfinger bars and

salami sandwiches. Huddled together in the darkness staring with eyes wide with the pure light of. The flickering images. Outside those doors crouched the pale grey wolf over and. Over. And. Follow with the bouncing ball and sing along with a mighty r.p.m. Wurlitzer in. Get the locks on tableware. That dinner service with

the Stars. On offer for. The entire town was booked they had a free dinner where monkey clamped on their backs a 112 piece Albatros growing heavier every week ladies in the last stages of childbirth were wheeled into the Orpheum gasping in pain to keep the skein going creaking grandmothers halt and blind were led to the box office by grandchildren. They sat normally deafly in the Orpheum seats. Their watery eyes barely able to see the shifting uncomprehensible the images on the screen but their gnarled talons clutched her gravy for dear life. Oh Mr. Dopplr like some mythical god dreamed over this. This is. Getting. Pelisson. Gentlemen. Due to some fortunate problem with the shipping

we have received the wrong piece in a magnificent said. If artistic locks purling tableware dead dinner service of the stars. Now I know that most of you will already have a Perlin gravy POAD at home but let me assure you that at next week's dinnerware night we will exchange this gravy boat for a dinner plate. Thank you for your patience and our standby for tonight's card to. You. And your friends here. Class. O K boys. You want to make a big hit at the prom. Pick up the right place. You're going to that hop cherrywood am I right. And you want some solo formals right. Yeah I know. I love

body. Yeah. You know what. We've got a couple of new customers for that Berisha cherrywood. Yeah I would say a six Schaub's 40 right. Yeah. Just cut the talk and break it out already. It Out. You see this. The suit just came from another job. But don't worry we'll clean it up. We'll send it to you and we'll just as good as know. I'll tell you what you when you first come in here take this take this come and come with me. Now back here is a dress you go behind the curtain and try try try pants on.

Listen if it's told the cops don't worry about it we'll take it up. Now you know I go. Lordy lordy. Only one question about this whole and it's regular for me too. Hey hey can you fix it. What do you want miracles. The game is over here. Listen don't worry about the cold. We'll clean it up it'll be as good as new. You'll never know that this wasn't a new Coke. Hey you come on out I want to take a look at you. I got my pants on. Come on out you're amongst friends step out here. Beautiful. Look at like you flip it that easy now it's a very delicate material. They are all perfect. All better than the other one. Look is that fit. It's beautiful.

Look at this shit. Look how tight it is in the back. Oh it fits you like a dwarf. I wish your mother were here to see this its beauty with the shoulders. That's a wonderful look. We'll take it to the little kid. Boy that must have been some potty. Good to pass look good. With. It. Now that will be $20 a piece. The possible 20 for mule and 20 he found small difference 16. Schwartz Well fellas you I'll tell you it was such high class customers $15 a piece deposit for each one. OK. That's all. No no. Thank me. And above all don't tell my part.

I know I'll wrap everything and have a feel for the problem and let me tell you two high class customers like you. You'll knock them dead softness in the air. Hey quickening of the pulse. Expectation lying dormant in the black and rockface of winter sent out tentative tender green shoots on to the smoky sun. Somewhere off in the distance. Paul met the bad Robin call to Robin. On the screen door slam. From. One week to go. My cowardly soul. Could I ever ask Daphne Bigelow. Why. I don't

know why. I was just dusting. Your program because you're jealous. Of a plastic like. You're jealous because I want. You to. Get. Jealous. Jealous. Get the glue. Out. Or go. Quietly. My mother started picking up the pieces.

Something she did all of her life. I could always tell the mood of the old man by the way you drove today. There was no question. Carrying. The. Kind of garage mechanics used for gas. For gluing together exploded locomotives. Doing a story. Like. That.

Me and Ollie makers were playing at the park. I'm glad school is almost over. I can hardly wait. I never thought I'd be a senior. Yeah I know I'm going to camp this summer you know. Are you going to go to college next year after you graduate. I don't know I guess so I don't get drafted or anything. My brothers in the army he's in the artillery. Nor. Do I care much. He doesn't write much. He's going to get a pass next September before he goes overseas in the artillery. I don't know they just put him there I guess because he's tall. He's tall. What does that got to do with it. You have to throw the shells or something. I don't know. They just did. Oh my God.

No. I. Got you. So are you going from. I guess so. It's going to be pretty good huh. Yeah. We're going we have made up my mind you right. It was then that I realized there was no sense fighting it. Some guys are born to dance forever with the Daphne Bigelow's on shining ballroom floors under endless starry sky. Others will say do the best they can. Wonder why. I was thinking. Maybe the.

I was thinking. Well maybe. As. Little only meaning girls are I had several invitations but I haven't said yes to any. It would be fun to go with you I guess. Well you know I've had five or six calls that morning to old me best. Well I figured they're mostly jerks anyway. Well I wanted to ask you all you know. The die was cast. There was no turning back. The great Atlantic salmon struggling thousands of miles

upstream leaping waterfalls battling bears to mate is nothing compared to your average high school junior. The salmon dies in the attempt. And so often does the juniors in more ways than one. As we ambled on through the globe. I didn't have the slightest hint of what was coming. Neither I suppose does the salmon. He just. Does what he has to do. So did I. The battle had moved into the trench warfare or great freeze stage. Randy please tell your father that I'm going to see or hear. Of. A very

great. Great thoughts for the deluxe dinner and the Sugar Bowl. All communications should cease between the warring powers. That was only the sink for company. Night single. Talent contest and yes screen only part of Dopplr fast sonata of entertainment. He offered everything some decent movies. Five. Dollars worth of groceries from. The

store ave credit extended to Burby groceries we cash checks. Come back to my office right after the beach when you ran. Out the gravy ballz Dopplr did it again for gravy boat in a row. You. Get. A day going on in from the bay all right. Great when your car knows how to fix that right doesn't get you an organ or what you're gonna send it. I. Am saying for something. You said you. Never said I was going to sell because I knew not you just said you weren't gonna. Pay me. I said I was going to send Dappy portside. All right. I'm not your real cheapskate. Hey I'm not going

to take that Prime Minister. I don't want. To. Wonder. Why he wanted to make. Sure is good in algebra. You want to. Keep. Those stupid glasses. That hair. I was taking what they want to get people to the prom. The only junior prom I would ever attended my life. Let's see those argue. And. Have the gas. All. Of Tinashe formal. Know. Six. Dollars.

To. The Red Rooster was part of a tribal ritual. It was the place you went to after a big day if you could afford it. Kick. It. Drag it. Out and do. It. To all seven games first six hundred. Five.

Hours. When I was about. Eight miles would be jurors. Taking Danny you know taking money. Away you can win them all right can had fun as a form in the middle of any. As a Studebaker Champion green. You know why was that bad. It burns well in action.

So them are bad funny rotten kingpins. If it's for the dance what I mean. I mean I think I got 10 bucks. I sure wish I could have gone to. One day and listen. I was very hot. I had six straight strikes. You know it was really moving along them with. Your mother.

I made a couple of bets on the second game and I have a money ball. And Moretti it really comes through. Look at. Great. Cary Grant would be proud to wear that shirt. Not so stiff it creaks. It was just getting to be twilight when I emerge from the bathroom. Wrestle the I never fell off. That was my last. Your arm. Can. Eat.

All. This thing called. NEAR-SIDE. Don't leave before I get dressed. I want to say OK. You got everything. Yes. This is my cue you just let me go with that. We don't wait for your corsage. I. Have. A good night. Oh wait here am I. All right. How you're going to treasure it Ralph. Hi. Squid.

Smile here. Believe it or not I've still got that picture. Everybody in America has got a prom picture stuck away somewhere. They never showed it and for good reason. This was not the same old Wanda. She didn't ever glasses and her eyes were unnaturally large and liquid. The way the true myopia victims always are. Hi. How are you. Great. Thanks for your time. It's going to be great. In accordance with the tribal custom she too was being mercilessly clamped by straps and girth looks.

Better. But. Is getting. Going. To. Be. Raised. But. The problem was going full blast when we made our dramatic entrance. Everybody was there. I find myself saying things like Why hello there Albert. How are you.

Yes I believe the weather is perfect. Mickey and his magic music makers crack up the soap sounds that had made them famous in every city or town that ringed Lake Michigan garden concentual. The dance floor golf ball. I felt so happy. I could see myself standing on a mysterious balcony. Looking out over the lights of some distant exotic city. I want.

To. Go. To. My. Destiny. Nothing ever works out. You know I like to run this way you know. I'm sorry I broke it. I was really pretty jazzy.

No I thought it was very pretty. I thought it was too pink for this role. It was a front window needs is a nice brass lamp. We say we all go to the movies they want to go to movies. Never go to the movies on dictionary. They're giving away our deluxe Hollywood. Movies. What a bummer. I don't know but woman's home companion says Loretta Young is one Randy Randy get dressed we're going to always. A I believe you bring your wine into the fall.

You're slipping. Yeah. I'm not the only one who thought that Claremont's hair smells good. These days I swear you got a story that she's no. She's my cousin. Cousin is not an actual girl. It. Was. Only from Princeton just to be the dance. He's even called. Who says it's going to last all. School. Graduations guys we've got to go walk the dog. All right gang. And now for something romantic. We have a request for Stardust and for this one we're going to turn down the lights. On.

Why. They started to sweat. We were running down her back. Pack was so wet you could read the label on my T-shirt right through the dinner jacket. So that she would notice I want closer to me. I things under her gown looks nice. Round Things. Sighing she hugged me back.

Good flick was doing his thing with his love because. Wanda's work was clearing up from her shoulder. It was the most flower he'd ever seen. Like some kind of overgrown Venus fly trap waiting for the right moment to strike. Deep Purple with an obscene yellow tongue stuck straight out of a. Greenish knobs on the end. It clashed almost Autoblog with her turquoise dress. It looked like it was breathing. I have two adults and one child please thank. OK.

Sorry. Ladies I have to apologize for tonight's gravy boat. I personally guarantee you that next week's next week I will give you my personal guarantee that we will exchange all great. Ladies.

Night. When. We. All. Say it. All. Why not. Get.

We. Know why. We. Go. With the $654 my book go.

To if. I. Leave my top down. To. The wall carnation a white coat in a heavy downpour in the Midwest where I raise my water what carbolic acid from the steel mill. Oh. This never happened to Fred Astaire never dreamed on Gene Kelly. He just sang and danced on the street and it was. There. As a merry band headed for the Red Rooster adolescent swipe. Of a. Bomb was nearing its final on most. Issues. Could I get you gentlemen something to drink.

Trouble. Was a drinker I always heard my father ordered. It was the only drink on the rocks. And you'll soon see. And for you ladies. May I suggest a specialty of the house a grenadine jungle. Flip out my back right. Here. So it's. Going.

To. Be gentlemen. Screaming for serious damage done my goal is for against it. I sat stunned unable to comprehend what had happened. Another drink.

For an instant. It seemed as though this one wasn't going to be as lief or less the first 10. I die for him. He also fried. Chicken. My. I was out of control. George began to shrink. His face was purple red. I hope you ladies will excuse us Mr. Schwarzenegger

and. Lamb chops. And turnips mashed potatoes and all of it came rushing out to me in a great way. Get the. Chance for pretzels potato chips orange plant corn beef sandwich that was last with.

You. Yes yes it started it was all over. I was 74 pounds lighter. It was the absolute high point of the junior prom. So. Most wonderful wonderful night of my life. I always dream. Like this. It. Looks like a hell of a problem.

We. Had to get some sleep. You'll feel better in a couple days. Well your head stops banging. The male human animal. Skulking through the impenetrable fetid jungle a kid who claims early in the game just what sort of animal he is. The jungle he stalks is only tangled wilderness infested with crawling flying leaping nameless strangers. He does battle with horrors and emotions that he will spend the rest of his life trying to forget or suppress. Or recapture his jungle is a wilderness he will

never fully escape. But those first early years when the bloom is on the beach at the bill. Keith just barely departed either crucial days in the great education of Life. The. More we. Leave. A body may be. With. James Bond so.

We. Live in. A. Good. One. We've.

Got a great cold. You know sometimes I wake up at 3 o'clock in the morning and I can feel it cold calling across the shoulders. And I'll bet it's still in action. I wonder whose party it's going to be to tonight. Daphne. Nothing ever quite works out. The army. The Army. That's a whole different ball game. Did I ever tell you about the time I was on this radar company and they had us all lined up for a lecture.