The Table, Part 5
The black Mercedes still rested in Noreen's driveway as I raced
past, headed for Neighbor Man's front yard. It still radiated heat, and
I stopped for a moment, stared at it, heard a screen door squeak open
and ran like heck.
He met me at his front door. I didn't stop to notice whether he
decorated with juniper trees or lavender bushes, whether he had a
personalized mailbox or accents of colorized stone. He stood to the
side to let me pass, and I briefly caught sight of a fiberglass
shortboard tipped against the stucco wall. A cartoon dog held a hot dog
along the bottom of the board, his body covered in flecks of surf wax.
Neighbor Man laughed as I ran inside and plunked down on a green
velvet floor cushion.
"Dude, looks like you've seen a ghost." He closed the door and
leaned against the frame, one hand on his hip. He wore a solid black
t-shirt with frayed edges and a small hole at his collar, khaki skate
shorts slung low, and simple plastic flip-flops. His face was square
and flat and huge - the biggest head I've ever seen, and though he was
a tall and muscular man, his body appeared unusually emaciated and
small under that head, as if he were a human lollipop.
We exchanged names and I handed him the most recent Avon brochure
and a few samples of face cream. A huge honking head like that needs a
lot of face cream, I reasoned, hoping he would place a big order. He
rolled the samples inside the brochure and stuffed the cylinder into
his back shorts pocket. A bubbling noise distracted me, and I turned my
head to see a fifty-five gallon aquarium filled with exotic saltwater
fish and a plastic gold-colored treasure chest filled with glass
jewels. The chest opened and closed in rhythmic time, releasing
bubbles. A striped clown fish scooted close to the spray.
"Bird Dude, so what'd ya see at Noreen's?" Neighbor Man continued to
stand by the door, and drifts of light from the picture window
reflected off of his skull ring.
I told him about my delivery, about Trini and the silhouette of a
man drinking a martini. I told him about the Mercedes filled with
laughing celebrities, about the art deco table and hanging chandelier,
about the faint toast to "Oscar" and about my bet with my Turkish
friend, Ulak. Neighbor Man nodded as I spoke, a sly smile growing
across his face.
"Yup. You stumbled right into it, man. Let me tell you what I know,
and maybe we can figure out a way to get more information, ok?"
I said OK, of course! I'm up for any kind of adventure! Neighbor Man
slowly sunk to the floor, sat yogi-style with crossed legs resting on
his thighs. His head looked even bigger at eye level. He cleared his
throat, and I watched his Adam's apple slide up and down.
"Bird Dude. Let me start by telling you this: That art deco table?
The one under the crystal light? That table belonged to Oscar Wilde."
To Be Continued....
6:39:21 AM 
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