Pasha Malla - People Park

Fug, Bailie, that’s not what I meant. There’s no life in your life outside your life . Look, I’ve only known you for, what?

Cumulative? Less than twenty-four hours. But we met two weeks ago.

Whatever. Listen to me. You’ve built this little life and you live inside it, and anything outside it is — there’s nothing outside it. You don’t let anything in.

Wait, I’m sorry, moles don’t have lives? Whatever! Do you even know anything about moles? Keeping a mole is really hard. The thing with moles is that they have to feel at home in their world. They have to be able to burrow, they like to feel safe, they feel safe by burrowing. They need to be surrounded in their homes. And they’re delicate. I only keep one at a time. If you put two together they’ll mate, and you don’t want all those babies. That’s if you’re lucky. Usually they’ll just kill each other.

Are you going to talk to that woman over there or what?

The little gal I’ve got now is called Jessica. I just got her. Poor Kathy passed on the eighth, just over a week ago now. Before her was Alfredo, I just realized it would have been his sixth birthday last week! Moles are sensitive, is the thing. You have to keep them dry, and the temperature has to be regulated. They don’t like loud noises either — loud noises can kill them. Just from shock. That’s how Henry died, I think. One of my housemates —

Gal. You call your mole a gal .

What? Do you even know how much moles eat ? Often half their weight in bugs a day! I get a lot of slugs from under stones around the Islet, and since I live with slobs we’ve got roaches, and I have a worm bin too, under my bed. They like variety in their diets, moles.

Starx tipped back the end of his cider.

What I’m saying is that you want to talk about alive ? Well moles are very much alive, Starx. Are you listening? Are you even listening ? They’re very, very alive.

BUT THINK, said Debbie, if you moved back home you’d get to see everyone, whenever!

Home? You mean here ? No thanks.

Never?

What’s there for me here? For my family?

I don’t know, this is a great city. I mean, there’s problems, but there’s a lot of good people here. You should have seen this thing I went to earlier tonight, it was amazing —

Yeah, obviously I’d have a real community to come back to.

Well people get busy, right? And to be fair it was kind of short notice —

Pearl waved it away. She drank.

So, said Debbie, you playing any ball at all ever?

With my knee?

Yeah, me either. It’s less of a shame for me than you though. I mean, you were a for-real star! But anyway, I’ve just got so many other commitments.

Adine.

That commitment, yeah.

How’s she?

Good! Really good. She says hi. She’d love to meet you but she’s — you know how artists are. She’s working hard on a new project, it’s really cool, it’s about all sorts of really smart stuff. She’s so smart. But we’re good, yeah.

So everything’s good.

So good! What about Kellogg? Things okay? I mean, last time I talked to you —

Things are fine.

And your kids! They must be like little people now. What’s the younger one?

Elsie-Anne. Else.

And Gip was like two or something when I visited — that was fun, remember that? Who’d have guessed you’d end up living on a farm ?

Deb, wow, you’re such a big-city girl. It’s not a farm! People grow things on farms.

Ha, yeah. I guess even the idea of grass is like, so rural-seeming to me.

What about the park?

Debbie waved her hand. Don’t get me started on the park.

No?

No. Debbie looked at Pearl carefully, felt the gulf of this conversation opening up before them — it was better sidestepped. Debbie conjured light to her eyes and grabbed her old friend’s hands across the table. It’s just so good to see you!

THE OTHER WOMAN’S laugh was like fireworks, it came tinkling down in silver lights: head thrown back, neck exposed, such a clean perfect neck to put your lips to — once, again, again, forever for the rest of your life, every night. But then in the mirror Olpert’s eyes met Pearl’s, suspicious and mean.

He stared into his cider.

Quite a mating call on the other bird, said Starx. Eh?

I know.

Whoa, wait a minute! Look at you, all fawny and — you’re smitten, aren’t you, Bailie.

Starx.

You are . Well go get her.

Ha, yeah right. Her friend already thinks I’m probably a rapist.

Starx stiffened. Don’t say that, he said.

Oh. Okay. Sorry.

Their wings arrived. Olpert ate one, a sweat moustache came, he wiped it away, another appeared in its place — why was his body so relentlessly humiliating?

Starx licked sauce from his fingers. Good lord but that’s the stuff, he said.

This is embarrassing, said Olpert.

What?

What, what? Everything.

Stop talking to me. Go over there.

Just go over there, just like that. Hey sugar, hey babe, or something, nice hotwings, great legs, do you want to give me your phone number? Right. That’ll happen.

Are you scared?

What, right now?

When else?

I don’t know.

What are you scared of?

Olpert drained his glass. The bartender dove upon it, filled him up.

Good man, Petey, said Starx. My man here’s nearly living.

I’m getting drunk, said Olpert. I don’t do this. It’s not normal.

Well it’s normal in bars, said Starx. That’s what guys who are living do: get drunk in bars. Speaking of fuggin which, let’s gun some schnapps. Pete! Shots!

Shots appeared. Starx cheersed the guys at the end of the bar, who ignored him, and then faced Olpert. Look me in the eye, he ordered. Olpert did, and noticed his partner’s face had softened. Starx said, To you, getting laid, and slammed his schnapps. Olpert followed suit and came away gasping. Starx thumped the bar.

Mutherfugger, he howled, that’ll put hair on your shaft!

JESUS, listen to those guys.

Aw, they’re just having fun.

Pearl spat cider back into her glass. Deb? Wow, that’s not like you.

Like me? What do you mean?

You used to chew up guys like that. No smartass comments? Look at them — wait, don’t look at them, they’ll think you’re interested.

I just figure everyone’s got a right to a good time. They’re not hurting anyone. I mean, not in this instant. Outside of here, of course, they’re the enemy .

Huh. You used to be so funny.

I’m still funny.

Are you?

I don’t know. Adine’s funny, in her way. Maybe she’s funny for both of us.

Pete arrived with Debbie’s wings, held up their empty jug with a questioning look.

One more, said Pearl.

You don’t have to be back? For your kids? What time is it?

But Pearl was watching the bartender return to his post. Is he going to get that phone?

Pete dispenses drinks and wisdom, said Debbie. Don’t expect much else.

Pete. How long have you been living here?

Let’s see, I’m thirty-one, I came to the Institute when I was eighteen, so —

No, in UOT.

Years, now. Since I moved in with Adine.

Right.

Debbie smacked the table. I forgot to tell you! Though, wait, now I forget. .

What?

Someone from the team’s coaching now. Coaching the Y’s, not at the Institute. .

Who?

I can’t remember! Isn’t that terrible? It’s just, I haven’t really been up with ball-related stuff. I’m trying to think, though, who it might have been. .

Pearl waited.

Anyway. Neat, right?

Whoever it was.

Debbie took a wing, eyed Pearl. I feel bad, she said, nibbling, that no one else came.