mmmclxxx

Chapter 17: I was just wondering if
                    you’ve had the opportunity

                    to look over my proposal.

I have so much news for you,
but I just don’t know where to
begin.  (It’s never a good sign
when my goal is to do some-

thing (sometimes it’s just to do

anything) – to accomplish –

and yet my approach is that 

of contrition or confession, yet
as far as I can recollect, there

is not anything in particular

that I have done wrong. (How

ridiculous to feel guilt for
simply coming to you

with what I believe is a

worthwhile proposition,

to say the least!).  A

mere suggestion.  An
idea that I think, in fact,

will provide us both with

many benefits.  For example,

if executed with determination

and with an equal fervor, so to

speak, it would potentially re-
lieve a lot of unnecessary
tension, here in the, 

the air about us, in 

the general atmosphere.

Also, also, it would surely

provide us with a little bit 

of that something that we 

both ought to be able to 

use, with something, 

you know, that is use-

ful.  And furthermore, 

I mean at the very least,

it would educational, would

it not?  I mean, of course,

these are things to keep in 

mind as you go about your,

well, as you, if you find the

time to sort of flip through it,

to examine the contents and

the nature of the, well, the, uh,

the iterated, idea.  And lastly,

by gosh, it’d be an adventure.

I mean, wouldn’t it, though?

Well, what I meant to say is,

just you wait.  (For the life

of me, if I only knew why

I was even standing here!) 

And, just to hear that word,

adventure, and, well I don’t

know about you, but even

to say the word and, with-

out fail, there’s a, a bubble,

yes, a bubble that opens 

down in my gut, somewhere

just above my belly button, 

or so it feels; it expands
to about the size of
a fist and just rises,
clean through my lungs,
my stomach and my 

heart – it really is an

altogether pleasant

sensation, I have to

say – and that 

bubble just rises,

all the way up to 

my neck, where, 

kind of like an 

Alka-Seltzer when 

it hits water in the

glass, it divides into
a million tiny bubbles,
some of which make
their way all the

way up to just

underneath

the bump on the

top of my head.

I can literally 

feel the fizz
right here

(I am, I 

swear, am

I knocking

the top of my

head with my

fist?).  So,

as I was
saying,
yeah,
as I was
saying, I have
a lot to tell you.
I always do.  And
so, there’s no time
to dilly-dally.  There

just never seems to

be enough time for

anything, much less

to squander, to just

pilfer it away, in utter

isolation, you know?.  

I do, I mean, I do hope

that you’ll take it all into 

consideration, that you 

will have the time to, in
fact, that we can perhaps
work out a time to further
this discussion, to get into 

the details, the nitty-gritty,

if you will, of, well, that 

you’ll find the time, that 

you’ll take into consideration,

maybe accept my proclamation,

uh, my proposition, that we’ll
be able to put a proper amount
of time and energy into all of the
various aspects of it, and that you’ll
call me as soon as you get up in the
morning and have a moment to go
over the, to discuss the, to really
put our money where our mouth
is. Where our mouths are. I

very much look forward

to it.  To our, to us 

giving this the old,

well, if you could.

Call me tomorrow.

First thing.  Looking

forward to it. Bon soir.