When Monday's A World Away

by Bill Tuomala

 

It's Sunday and the Red Sox are on the TV and The Pastor is going on and on about God and how God is on his side and asks you if God is on your side. You attempt to invoke Abraham Lincoln and say: "I just hope I'm on God's side." This seems too vague for The Pastor. You hope that he doesn't talk to you about your views on God, because you just cannot bend the truth here. That you'd be an atheist but it seems like too much work. All that non-believing. You're not a big God guy, big deal. You do your best when you can.

 

The Pastor says he's seen some shit. Just what, is not clear. Something about Nam and his vet buddies, but he's too young to have been in Nam. Something about growing up around oil money, oil power. Maybe The Pastor is a Freemason, maybe he's in the Illuminati. One moment he's grooving for a fight with the barflies, then he's grooving to Nirvana on the jukebox and yelling shit to the cook about Seattle, the next he's grooving on God. The Pastor is fucked up.

 

An overly-tanned tiny fortyish woman enters the bar and the owner won't serve her. Something about the woman's niece talking shit about everyone when she's drinking here. The woman insists on calling her Father, who somehow has the power to allow her to be served. The drama and the words drag on and on. The bouncer, who had drinking away at the bar and asking you if had any pot, tries to bounce the woman and her also-fake-tanned friend. A catfight damn near breaks out. The Pastor jumps in to help or shout. Yelling ensues, finally the women leave. The Pastor returns to his seat.

 

Soon a beautiful black-haired motorcycle girl enters. In a movie moment, she takes off her helmet, shakes her hair. Jeans, chaps, white sweater. She walks the length of the bar and sits near you. Oh Lord. You need to leave, soon. The Pastor continues to talk to you about God. He's sitting between you and Motorcycle Girl. He says that you understand about him and God, that you comprende. Says that you have a good spirit, that he can tell this.

 

But you don't have a spirit, you don't have a soul. All you have are these thoughts in your head and lately they've been set on replay, even when you're dreaming. Someday you'll be free, but for now you're just waiting on a smile.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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