Itching

I think this is why God made kids, so you can look at their mouths eating applesauce you are feeding to them and forget everybody else’s BS.

-Keith Banner
THE LIFE I LEAD, a novel

Twenty-five years ago today:

April 20, 1987
Monday

I was still living happily from the festive Happy Easter Sunday of yesterday. It was so nice to be all together. My brothers seemed happy with their respective wives and daughters, too. To be with the kids is to make one feel the carefree innocence.

During this ‘Blue Monday’ I was pretending that I was “itching” so that it would be apparent that I had an issue of sorts for when I call-in sick tomorrow to say, “I have poison oak!”

I saw Nici Maurino during lunchtime. I hadn’t seen her in a while.
Nici announced proudly, “Would you believe I’ve been on disability for two months!”

Eileen came in to The City as planned.  I met her after my work shift and we went to eat at HAMBURGER MARY’s on Folsom Avenue. Afterwards we went to the 24-Hour Nautilus gym near Van Ness and worked out. We had a great time.

When I had free time—usually an hour or two a day—I did my writing.
-V.S.Naipaul
A WAY IN THE WORLD