Appreciation

[Joe Allonby]

On 7/17/07, Lawrence Bryan <lebryan at speakeasy.org> wrote:
>
>
> Hmmm... personal anecdotes... Okay. Here's one, though I doubt it
> will draw anyone out.
>
> I was in Kuta Beach looking in a used bookstore for something to read
> before heading to Ngurah Rai Airport for my flight back to Dubai and
> saw an old ratty copy of V. I knew the name Pynchon and had even
> bought GR at a friend's recommendation - found it unreadable at that
> time - so decided trying another Pynchon novel would either keep me
> entertained on the flight back or put me to sleep, a win-win
> proposition.
>
> I was settling into my seat, performing the usual airline rituals,
> when I noticed two women in the seats in front of me engaged in
> conversation in German. My German is not good enough to adequately
> eavesdrop, so I found my copy of V and started reading it, hoping it
> wouldn't fall apart before I finished it. I was reading "...fused
> into a single abstracted Street, which come the full moon he would
> have nightmares about.", wondering why "Street" was capitalized and
> frowning a bit at the way the words didn't seem to fall naturally
> into my brain, when the German voice became louder and more insistent.
>
> "You're a Pynchon fan?"
>
> I glance up to see one of the women apparently kneeling on her seat
> and peering over at me.
>
> "Not really." Then, "I have Gravity's Rainbow at home but haven't
> read it."
>
> "We are both Pynchon fans. I write for a literary magazine in Germany"
>
> She disappeared behind her seat indicating she would soon return, so
> I waited until her head popped up again.
>
> "Here.", thrusting a magazine towards me.
>
> I glanced at it, a page of German with "Pynchon" in the title and a
> picture of a man in a black leather jacket, his head turned away from
> the camera. I looked up at her and smiled, handing her magazine back.
> "Do you know who that is?"
>
> "Pynchon?"
>
> "No!", she laughed. "It's me." I glanced again at the picture and
> then saw the caption, "PYNCHON?"
>
> Her laugh was easy and her voice pleasant. She looked about my age
> and had an interesting look. I wondered if she was going on to
> Germany or staying in Dubai. We chatted off and on the whole flight.
> She told me about TRP's skittishness about pictures and interviews
> and how I should try GR again. She was going home to Germany, but if
> I was ever in ________, I should look her up. Since I never did get
> to ______ and long ago forgot her name, nothing ever became of the
> brief meeting other than I did try GR again (with pleasure, now) and
> went on to Vineland, Slow Learner, COL49, M&D (which I really should
> try to read again, I suppose) and, of course, ATD.
>
> Lawrence
>
> *********************************
>
>
>
>
This story would have ended better with a nice sloppy blowjob.
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