Every Saturday, we’ll be posting a new illustration by David Lester. The Mecca Normal guitarist is visually documenting people, places and events from his band’s 31-year run, with text by vocalist Jean Smith.
An excerpt from “Love Wants You,” literary fiction by Jean Smith
Celia is watching the clock at Curves in East Vancouver. She has a date with Reggie – he’s picking her up after work.
The phone rings.
“It’s great to be at Curves,” she answers cheerfully, as per the script.
She hears a faint sobbing on the other end. It can only be Reggie.
“Reggie?” she says, apprehensively.
He can hardly speak. “Celia … ”
“Reggie, what’s wrong?” she says, feeling queasy.
“I can’t come and get you. I can’t drive. I just have to lie here.”
“Reggie, what happened?”
“It’s work,” he says. “It’s that fucking ham sandwich. He brings a fucking ham sandwich every fucking day! I can’t do this any more. My life isn’t worth living.”
“Listen, I can’t talk right now,” Celia says as two Curves members come through the door for a last minute work out. “Do you want me to phone you when I get home?” Celia asks, wondering if Reggie is trying to break up with her. She isn’t really prepared to be dumped while she’s at work, but she knows Reggie wouldn’t think about that. He’ll do whatever suits him.
“I don’t know,” sniffs Reggie.
Celia rolls her eyes at the two women standing in front of her and mouths the words “Reggie” and “sorry.” They nod understandingly and get on the circuit to work out.
“Yes,” Reggie says faintly. “Phone me when you get home.”
“OK, I’ll talk to you later,” she says. “But right now I have to go.”
Celia slowly accomplishes her closing duties – dragging heavy garbage boxes from the receiving room out to the front door.
From the circuit, Anna asks Celia if she’s alright. She says she is, but she really isn’t. “Reggie’s life, life with me, isn’t worth living,” she thinks to herself. “How can I even tell another person that?”
“Straying To Summer” from Flood Plain (K, 1993) (download):
