Falling rose petal soft on listening ears, my sweetheart’s pleasing elocution graces my pain with tenderness, prompting regard of my mother: her expression stoic, her blue eyes sad - but growing suddenly alert as Dorothy’s magical “thought imposition” finds a voice in the reverend, old Mother Eve’s fascination with the unknown as nothing compared to the stark fear of knowledge in my dear mother’s eyes.
“Now as paradoxical as it may seem,” Minnie’s soprano descending to a stressful, unnatural pitch, “profound thoughts can be more easily entertained in a comfortable setting. Why, even Thomas a Kempis could have improved his philosophy if he had only allowed himself a few luxuries. Yes…and suspecting this, our Melvin…aaahhh, our Melvin,” her irksome bass rumbles, “our Melvin worked feverishly for conspicuous success – only to succumb to the fever.
“And as if to prove his lesson unlearned, he’s succumbed twice, my dear ones. Twice born and twice dead, our Melvin. Twice Melvin!” Minnie appends - Dot.Com performing under the tyranny of habit, bolstering my new beginning.
“Goodbye, whoever you are now,” I beam over her hostile thoughts, “I am not vanquished. Only diminished…and fully recoverable. See ya next time!”
And just like that, I’m enjoying a specter nectar in the Galaxy Lounge, courtesy of Old Geezer and Old Faithful.
Thank the Creator, some things never change.
Twice Melvin Page 30
