The first time I met Asen he was wearing his Sunday best, slowly sippin' a bottle of red wine mixed with lemonade and chewing sausages. I was waiting for a sauna to heat up and I stopped in the cafe around the block to drink a coffee. It was 8:30 in the morning, cold, winter, I stood over the wood burning stove rubbing my hands while I waited for the woman to bring me a coffee. I pulled half of a three day old banana from my bag and before I could scrape off the brown from the exposed side, I was offered a plate for my half a banana. Then I ordered cream and I had everything. Enjoying my breakfast I made room for a sharp dressed man and that sharp dressed man was Asen. I didn't really make room, no one else was in the cafe. I just told him to sit with me.
He ordered a bottle of Bear's Blood wine. It costs two bucks in the cafe, the little bottle of lemonade costs 1.20. The wine is so bad though that you have to cut it with juice; it's like a free cell phone. You still have to pay to use it. Asen and I talked a little and then just smiled at one another.
When his sausages came I realized that he had no teeth and when he chewed his lower lip almost touched his nose.
I didn't have a drink with him because I had to go to the sauna. I use this time to think and periodically I jump out to write down a thought. This time though I could only think about that lip to nose chew.
On Friday, having walked for a long time without seeing anyone, I was glad to hear the sound of donkey hooves. And on that donkey was Asen. I have not had a camera for 10 months and I'd just borrowed one from a friend whose house I was walking home from.
No comments:
Post a Comment