TIME IN A BOTTLE
August 2nd 2007 18:14
A friend from class told me about a Spanish man she fell in love with in... Spain. He spoke Spanish. She spoke English. He didn’t know English. She didn’t know Spanish. So obviously, they couldn’t understand each other.
For dates, he’d use his friends as translators. For intimate moments, he’d use his hands and tongue as translators. Other than that, they could still somehow communicate with each other. How strong is romantic love? How many barriers will it choose to overcome? How long will it last, and who are its victims? It can be awful, but it something we need.
It wasn’t until some time into Jude’s friend’s party that I told myself that the girl on the couch was being paid. Jude’s friend liked to be called Carlos because someone accidentally called him Carlos once.
Jude nudged me, smiling. “She’ll take her top off if you tell her. Do it, man, tell her to take her top off.” Jude was drunk.
I looked at the girl, and then at all the drunken guys. Sneaky Sound System was playing from a stereo somewhere.
Jude glared at me. “You idiot, someone’s beat you to it. Promise me you’ll f_ her tonight. Promise me, man.” He laughed. “Even if it’s sloppy.”
I tapped on my cup of beer. I looked at the girl in her short shorts, dancing, holding her top. Everyone cheered. “You paying her?”
“Yeah, man. Of course.”
I looked at her for a while. She looked pretty young. “I’m leaving.”
“She’s Carlos’ ex. She's still in love with him but he doesn't like her. She asked us to slip her a few anyway, the skank.” Jude said, giggling, grabbing me for a second before letting me go. He turned his attention back to the girl.
I stepped outside the house. I stared at nothing for a while. I felt for my car keys and suddenly realised that I had no car. I pulled out my mobile. Vail was busy. Trent was somewhere else. Jimmy Wang’s phone was off. I decided to walk to a bus stop. It shouldn’t be too far. I wonder what that girl’s parents are like. I wonder if she played handball in primary school. The bus stop shouldn't be too far.
I ended up walking for a few hours.
During my walk, a car drove past, and someone yelled out:
GOULASH!
or something. Other than that, I tried not to think about much. The moon was pretty round that night. I tucked my hands in my pockets, but sometimes pulled them out to blow on them and warm them from the cold. My phone battery died. I kept walking. I waited at a few bus stops, only to realise that no buses stopped at them. As I started to feel irritated and tired, I sat down. I drew little circles on the earth. The wind made the leaves flutter around. I thought about that girl and how everyone else looked. Finally, after an hour or so, a taxi stopped in front of me.
It was when the taxi driver started complaining to me about his daughter and how he barely knew where she went nowadays, and that she was actually out as we spoke, that I remembered a song that my mother used to hum. It was called Time in a Bottle, by Jim Croce.
She’d smile, telling me that I should hear the real thing. He was a wonderful singer, she’d say. She’d hum:
If I could save time in a bottle, the first thing that Id like to do is to save every day till eternity passes away,
Just to spend them with you.
If I could make days last forever, if words could make wishes come true, I’d save every day like a treasure and then, again,
I would spend them with you.
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Comment by Achilliez_Heel
World opinion of the US.
world
The Worlds Problems
From The Heart
WhatEver~
Food~for~Thought
Comment by Ash
Flashes of memories
Communication is a funny thing isn`t it?
What a sad story about that girl. There are so many broken souls wandering the Earth.
Jim Croce`s music is beautiful.
ash
Comment by Always Eighteen
Always Eighteen
Comment by Always Eighteen
Always Eighteen
Yeah, I finally got around to listening to it last night on YouTube, after years of being told about it. The tune of the lyrics inspired me to write this entry!
Comment by Lara M
Love Speaks
Food Slate
I think romantic love can be strong just as long as it's *realistic*. ...and there'll always be *victims* just as there'll always be everlasting love... -- to some extent it's about choices, decisions and (current) state-of-mind...and the inevitable *timing*!
p/s...that's a great song.
Comment by Always Eighteen
Always Eighteen
It's so hard being in something logical when in love. Or lust. Or a bit of both. Heh. Have you ever been in one of those positions where you know, from an outsider's perspective, everything you're doing is completely stupid, but you have to do it anyway, because you're trapped in that paradoxical tremor called Ell Oh Vee Ee?
Comment by KylieW
Celebrity Obsession
Oh yeah, I've been there. Even when you tell yourself that you're being totally illogical or insane, you can't stop yourself. You convince yourself that you're being cool and totally normal.......lies.....all lies!
Great post.
Kylie
Comment by Lara M
Love Speaks
Food Slate