pastoralia

maybe you should read this book. maybe everyone should read this book. maybe everyone should read or re-read this book.

and excerpt from Sea Oak:

“Angela Silveri. We dated senior year. Then Dad died and Ma had to go to take a job at Patty-Melt Depot. From all the grease Ma gota bad rash and could barely wear a blouse. Plus my sister Min was running wild. So Angela would come over and there’d be Min getting high under a tarp on the carport and Ma sitting in her bra on a kitchen stool with a fan pointed at her gut. Angela had dreams. She had plans. In her notebook she pasted a picture of an office from the J.C. Penny catalogue and under it wrote, My (someday?) office. Once we saw this black Porsche and she said very nice but make hers red. The last straw was Ed Edwards, a big drunk, one of Dad’s cousins. Things got so bad Ma rented him the utility room. One night Angela and I were making out on the couch late when Ed came in soused and started peeing in the dishwasher.  What could I say? He’s only barely related to me? He hardly ever does that?

Angela’s eyes were like these little pies.

I walked her home, got no kiss, came back, cleaned up the dishwasher as best I could. A few days later I got my class ring in the mail and a copy of The Prophet.

You will always be my first love, she’d written inside. But now my path converges to a higher ground. Be well always. Walk in joy. Please don’t think I’m cruel, it’s just that I want so much in terms of accomplishment, plus I couldn’t believe that guy peed right on your dishes.

No way am I table dancing for Angela Silveri.”

a book by George Saunders.

once again many thanks to mls for suggesting the book.