Glaciology

The Deal

49 The Deal The younger man is trying to sell some project to the older man. The younger man’s hands move over & above the maquette, chopping the air here & there in discreet emphasis. His eyebrows lift to serious angle at crucial moments of the pitch. The older man mostly listens but when he does speak the younger man tilts his head & leans in, squinting to read all the older man does not say. I can’t tell if the sale is made or not—smiles & handshakes follow, but would in either case. Of course my father pops back into life at just that moment, walking in the restaurant door with his oiled athletic grace, smiling like he has a new joke to tell. But he ignores my presence & sits down in my chair, in me. Too obvious, dad, I say. Besides— like I’ve tried to tell you my entire life— poetry & business don’t mix. ...