prelude 10 years earlier:
the story that must be told
The man known only as Cowboy watched closely as Ashley Rose responded to his presence. He immediately perceived her through the lace curatins. His gaze slowly sauntered up the stairway as she began her descent down the circular stairway. It was quite predictable that Cowboy's eyes would be riveted on her. She opened the door and the scent of her rose perfume was ever refreshing to him.
For ten years Cowboy had thrilled to finding Ashley on the other side of the door of the old ivy covered mansion. When he first met her to him she looked like she stepped out of a 1957 edition of Town and Country magazine. From that moment on they found each other endlessly fascinating even to this day.
Tonight Cowboy followed her into the formal dinong room. The table set for two along side the massive Italian marble fireplace illumined the room with a solar-hue. Fire light flickered on the silver bowl of plump red roses. Ashley felt her heart quicken as they sat at the table. She basked in his attention. Pleasing conversation became the ambiance in which the dined on her blue ribbon cooking.
Indeed it had been a splendid evening they retired to the luxuriant master bedroom. But when Ashley Rose had drifted off to a contented sleep Cowboy got up and sat in his comfortable old rocker. He looked into the orange embers fragrant from the cedar logs . To him the fireplace looked like a little city of lights. He reached for his Cointreau on the mahogany night table and rather inadvertantly picked up Ashley Rose's diary. He paused as the perfumed paper seemed to hug him and then he took in her meticulous Edwardian script. In the total security of their no secrets marriage he read the day's entry in response to his insistent wish to connect with her.
Cowboy began reading the day's Diary entry which was the beginning of
THE STORY THAT MUST BE TOLD
THE DIARY READ:
DECEMBER 21,
My memory of what Jessie Lou Oliveheart told me about meeting the man of her dreams, know as Flintlock, eleven years ago. This occurs to me now as I am waitting for Cowboy to come home and celebrate our 10th anniversary . Such a romance Jess and Flintlock, who knew back then?
So Dear Diary this is the story according to what Jessie told me.
Jessie Lou's hitherto inmallable existance was so intensely modified as she fixatedly gazed upon the Greek godlike descent of the man of her dreams...
He entered the Miss Libertee Taxi-Cab Company looking for his beagle.
Zeus,the beagle, had characteristically bounded ahead of him on their morning walk and headed to no one's suprise to the nearest potential food donor.
Dissociated affections for fear of unrequitedness reappeared in such a striking fashion that Jessie Lou Oliveheart had to take a seat on one of the benches in the cabstand. Her legs jack-knifed and shades found deeply and with frantic effort at the pit of her purse were wedged into place. She sat at a 90% angle as her hero sauntered across the ever smudged floor. Her thoughts were racing, how could she express her feelings for him without appearing too forward?
Jessie Lou remembered seeing Flintlock for the first time several weeks earlier. Flintlock played jazz guitar in "The Look Out Room" at the Southern Kinship Hotel. As the a story goes she never caught his name. This particular morning in the Miss Libertee Taxi-Cab station Jessie Lou Oliveheart seized the moment and suddenly bolted towards Flintlock. Fearless from the absolute honesty of her communication she said; "Ah believe Ah love you and Ah just have to speak my truth". That's how it all began Dear Diary and with her new found confidence Jessie expounded focusing tightly on Flintlock's luminous eyes "Yep. Ah love you and Ah do not even know your name kind Sir."
(now Dear Diary how our Jessie Lou was able to repeat the abstract conversation which follows can only be explained by the irrefragable fact that she was to remember every detail verbatium of what Flintlock said to her. He was just that important to her, consequently she surpassed her usual capabilities of comprehension.)
He caught her words in mid-air stopping him in his tracks,he turned towards her and said "Mah dear woman - belief emphasizes the finite frontiers of the Self. Faith emphasizes the transcendence of the Self in pursuing the possibilty of The Infinite. In other words, when you say that you believe you love me. Ah am responding in kind that AH believe you love me on many levels of your being. Now, this being said would you be so kind as to accompany me on an evening at the picture show? Ah believe Erol Flynn's Robin Hood is playing at the Grand Theater downtown.
Flintlock turned down and aside to ignite a fresh Royal Jamaican cigar. The smoke drifted through his senses as he pondered this intrigueing woman. She admired his classic profile while feeling rather overcome with anticpation as well.
He, with his elegant speech, seemed to be a little bit from everywhere. Some said it was the blues be played that made people feel so connected to him. Some said he reminded them of another time that spoke of honor. He thought Jessie Lou was refreshing and pure. He remembered seeing her in the audience at The Look Out room where he played guitar from his skin out to the cuff of his black shirt.
SUDDENLY the moment was broken like shattering glass when the cab station was flooded by the stentorian voice of Lionel Zizzerphooze the dispatcher for Miss Libertee taxi-cabs...
to be continued...
please do not reproduce any of this written material without written permission from the author gifford bonney. all characters and places are purely fictional any similarities with existing people or places is purely coincedental.
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