Daily Half Life (cont'd)

rear wall. Apart from the miserable looking teen-aged attendant, his uniform
blending with the decor, the place was empty. Noting that there was no tea on
the backlit menu above the long counter, Marty ordered a black coffee. He car-
ried his Styrofoam cup to one of the uncomfortably high round tables.

Something rattled from the shop’s back room, and both Marty and
the attendant looked to the door in the rear wall, equally startled. Suddenly a
boy, probably aged eleven or twelve, burst through the door, riding a wave of
panic. With an expression of sheer terror, he made for the stupefied attendant,
pushed his way past, and then held the youth by the yellow shirt so as to keep
something between himself and the door. The boy was on the verge of tears.
Not ten seconds later, and with much shouting, came the boy’s pursuers. The
rear door swung open and another boy, roughly the same age, swept in, his small
face twisted with anger. He was followed by another, identical in appearance,
swinging a belt about his head, then a third. One after another, a total of five
boys, streamed in, each one looking exactly like the others. Ginger hair and
freckled cheeks flushed with rage and violence, they halted in front of the atten-
dant, who was being effectively used as a shield by the first boy. Two of them had
belts, one of which was being used to slam the counter, buckle-first. Another of
the boys held a stick.

"What...what’s going on here...?" offered the attendant, hesitantly.
The first of the five identical boys, ignored the comment, and addressed the boy
who they were chasing.

"You can’t hide, you know. We’ll wait ‘till you come out, then we’ll
break your back."

"I’m gonna smash your face," added another, in exactly the same
voice. The attendant had been a bit amused, but now he looked grave. "You get
out of here, right now. And if I catch you loitering outside, I'll call the cops. You
got that?"

"Just let us have him." :

"Leave!" the attendant said, pointing out the back, but he failed to
sound threatening. Nonetheless, the group of little doppelgangers filed out the
back, one of them throwing a warning over his shoulder, "We'll get you, you
freak!"

”

The first boy still clutched onto the attendant, sobbing quietly. His
eyes were open wide with fear. The immediate threat removed, he turned to
pleading with the donut shop worker, "Please...I...they...I..." but he couldn’t
continue.

"I’m sorry. But I can’t let you stay here. It’s like a health rule, alright? ’'m the
only one’s allowed back here. So you can’t stay unless you buy something."

The boy started to cry. He was being gently goaded towards the door.
After leading the boy out, and closing the kitchen door with a slam, the atten-
dant came back inside the shop. He looked at Marty, who still sat with cup full.
Shrugging apologetically, he said "Those McClaren boys, they’re always getting
into trouble. They’re whattaya call ‘em, quintuplets? Yeah, I think that’s it."

Marty said nothing, just tasting his coffee absently. He did not drink
coffee often, but he knew enough to recognize that this particular cup was awful,
even undrinkable. Marty got up to leave.

Leaving the doughnut shop, Marty shook his head and whistled to
himself. It seemed such a very strange incident made up of very mundane ele-
ments. Sighing, he remembered that he was going to call his friend Suzanne. He
didn’t quite feel like going home, so he decided to go for an extended walk, rea-
soning that the weather was rarely going to be this nice in the next months and
he should take advantage of it. Besides, there was something bothering him
about the way his day had gone so far. He couldn’t quite figure out what was
disturbing him, but he felt somewhat uneasy.

Marty walked until he found a phone booth.

Marty sat at a table beside an elderly couple, the only other people in
the room.

After ordering tea, he couldn’t help overhearing their conversation.
He glanced at them, a man and a woman, sitting facing each other. Both of them
wore mismatched clothing, and a pile of several used shopping bags stuffed full
of dirty-looking clothing lay on the ground between them. Occasionally a sharp
smell of some kind wafted over him, as of medicine or ointment, or a pharma-
cy, like they were already busy embalming themselves.

"I know I belong to the city," said the old man, the loose skin on his sunken
cheeks coarse with white stubble like frost. He tossed his head and stared into
his coffee cup.

"Yeah. Yes," said the woman, nodding. Her thinning, dark brown hair,
coarse and cut at odd lengths, bobbed up and down enthusiastically.

"I got paranoia..." the man said, as if passingly, and raised his eye-
brows.

The woman suddenly cackled with delight. She shook with raw,
hoarse laughter.

"WHAT?" he snapped.

"It’s good..." The woman stopped laughing and sat in silence, her
breath whistling in her nose. "Your ears twitch when you talk."

He waved a hand at her. "Relax, honey...”

She became grim. "I didn’t ask you," she shot at him, glaring intent-
ly. The two sat mutely again, only shifting their bodies noisily at intervals.

"Anyways..." she said. ;

"Anyways, I told ‘em, shittin’ bricks an’ sweatin’ blood, back there in
the Raj. All those uniforms and a parade of war wounds like they’re some new
kind of exotic flower. But I told ‘em, with their eyes spittin’ COLONIZE, COL-
ONIZE, I jus’ told ‘em... I jus’ walked on outta there, sure as I’ll walk on outta
here." The man gesticulated out the window with a rough hand. He shuffled his
feet on the gritty linoleum, making scraping sounds over the smell of coffee. He
spoke into the dregs of his cup, barely audible now; "Go native, brother, I said,
go native, every time. That’s how you survive."

Marty had been listening intently, but could make no sense of it. He
sipped at his tea absently.

The old couple was now searching their pockets for change. "I’m sure
I got enough for another cup. I’m sure. It’s just all this paper." Bits of shredded
paper fell onto the floor as the woman dug into the deep pockets of her parka.
She brought her hand up to the table and dropped a mixture of lint, wrinkled
paper, matchbooks and coins scattering on the table. The man reached for one
of the papers. It was a photograph of someone, Marty saw, half of which had
been torn away.

"Awww. Look what you’ve done with Gary. Look what you’ve done.
Where’s the rest of him?" The man’s tone was plaintive.

"What do you mean? That’s all of it!" She evidently considered the
matter closed, and continued gathering change. Her companion shrugged and
let the matter lie.

Marty finished his tea, and got up to leave.

Marty left the cafe, and wondered where to go. The sky appeared
heavy and unstable with dark portentous-looking clouds. Remembering that
he’d meant to call his grandmother that day, he headed home. As he walked, he
calculated the time difference to Montreal. Was it three hours, or was it four? He
could never remember.

When he got home, Marty went immediately to the telephone, and
flipped through the small notebook in which he wrote telephone numbers. It was
actually a diary from 1984, which he’d never used. Finding the page with the
number he needed he dialed the number. Someone, probably a nurse at the hos-
pital where his grandmother lived, received on the other end. Her voice sound-
ed to him very nurse-like, and he imagined her being young, with shoulder

ye.

Sfefen was the man sbecouid
fix people. He was a genivs and
a former mink farmer. He had
nad a mink farm cause he
wasn't sute how 44 dea| with
his genivs , buf he was desing

with ih now.

influx: Magazine April 1999

is qenivs was that he could

4ell” just by looking at someone
exactly what was wtehg with em

and how to fix them. (+ was
as thovgh he had X-ay vision,
ust like Svpermant!
Daily Half Life (cont'd

Tear wal Apart fom the miserable looking txn-aged attendant, his uniform
blending withthe decor, the place was empty. Noting that there was no 3 08
‘he backit mens above the long counter, Mary ordered a blak coffe. He car-
‘ed his Styrofoam cup to one ofthe uncomfortably high round tables.

‘Something rated fom the shop's back room, and both Marty and
the atendant looked tothe door in the rear wall, equally startled. Suddenly a
‘boy: probably aged eleven or twelve, Burt through the door riding a wave of
panic With an expresion of sherteror he made forthe stupetied attendant,
pred his way past, and then held the youth bythe yell sit 50 a to Rep
‘Something between himself and dhe dooe The boy was a the verge of tear.
Not ten seconds late and with much shouting, came the boy's pursuers, The
rear door nung open anid another boy, roughly the same age, swept his small
face sted with anger. He was followed by another, identical in appearance,
swinging a belt about his head, then a hid. One ater another, «tral of Sve
boys, steamed in, each one looking exactly ike the others. Ginger hair and,
freckled checks flashed with rage and violence, they halted infront ofthe atten
dans, who was being effectively ned asa sic by the fst oy. Tho of them had
belts one of which was Being used to slam the counter, bucke-rst Another of
the boys held a stick

"What..what’s going on here..2° offered the attendant, hesitantly
“The firs ofthe five identical bys gnored the comment, and addressed the boy
who they were chasing.

"ou ean hide, you know. Well wai ‘ill you come out, then we
break our back”

‘Tm gonna smash your fce” added another, in exactly the same
‘voice, The attendant had been abit amused, but ov he looked grave. "You get
‘ut of her, ight now, And i catch you Totering ouside, ' eal dhe cops. You
outa”

“Jost et us have hi.”

“Leste” the attendant sid, pointing out the back, but he filed to
sound threatening. Nonethcles, the group of litle doppelganger filed out the
back, one of them throwing a warning over his shoulder, "Wel get you, ou

The first oy sil hutched onto the attendant, sobbing quit. His
yes were open wide with fear, The immediate threat removed, he ened {0
Pleading withthe donut shop worker, "Please..they.1..” but he coulda’
$m sory: But T can’ let you say ere 1s ike a eal ral, alright? 'm the
only one's allowed back ere So you can't tay unless you buy something.”

“The boy started to cry. He was being gently goaded towards the door.
After leading the boy ou, and losing the Btehen door with a slam, dhe atten
‘ant came back inside the shop, He looked at Mary who stil a with op al
‘Shrugsing apologstialy, he sad “Those MeClaen boy, they'e always geting
{nto trouble Theyre whataya call‘, quintuplets? Yeah, Think thats it

Marty sak nothing, jas tasting his colle abseny He didnot drink
coffe often, But be knew enough to recognize that this particular cup was awful
¥en undrnkable. Marty got upto leave

Leaving the doughnut shop, Marty shook his head and whistled to
himse Ie seemed such very strange incident made up of very mundane ee
ments, Sighing, he cemembered that he was going (0 ellis Fiend Suzanne. He
‘ida’ quite fee ike gong home, so he decised to go for an extended walk rea
soning thatthe weather was rarely gong tobe this nice in the next months and
he should ake advantage of it. Beside, there was something bothering him
shout the way his day had gone so far. He coulda’ quite figure out what was
disturbing him, but he felt somewhat uneasy.
Marty walked until he founda phone booth

Marty sata table beside an elderly couple, the only other people in
the room.

Aer ordering ta, he could’t help overhearing their conversation.
He glanced at them, a man ad a woman, siting facing each other. Both of them
wore mismatched clothing, and apie of several used shopping bags stue fll
‘of dicgy-looking clothing lay on the ground beoreen them. Occasionally a sharp
‘ell of some kind wafted over him as of medicine oF ointment, or a pharma
[ike they were already buy embalming themsches.
“Thow Tbelong to the cy,” said the old’ man, the loose skin on is sunken
checks coarse with white stubble like fost. He tosed his head and stared into
is cote cup.

"Yeah Yes" said the woman, nodding. Her thinning, dark brown hat,
coarse and cut at odd lengths, bobbed up and down enthusiastically

Trgot paranoia.” the man Said, as passing, and raised his ee

roms

The woman suddenly cached with delight. She shook with ray
hoarse laughter.

“WHAT?” he snapped

t's god." The woman stopped laughing and sa in silence, her
breath whistling in her nose, "Your ears twitch when you talk”

He waved a hand at her. "Relax, bone."

She became grim. "I didn’t ask you,” she shot at him, glaring intent-
The two st mutely agai, only shifting thee Bodies noisy at intervals

"Anyways. she sai

"Anja od em shit’ bricks an” sweatin’ blood, back therein
the Raj All those uniforms and a parade of war wounds like they're some new
Kind of exotic ower, But I old ‘em, with their exes spin? COLONIZE, COL
‘ONIZE, I jus tod cm... Iu walked on outta there, sure a Tl walk on outta
here‘The man gestculted out the window with a rough hand. He suf his
feet on the rity linoleum, making sraping sounds over the smell of coe. He
spoke into the dregs of his cup, barely audible now "Go native, brother, Tsid,
|B native, everytime, That's how you survive”

“Marty ad been listening intently, but could make no sene of it. He
sipped ais tea absent

“The old coupe was now scarching their pockets for change. "T'm sure
1 got enough for another cup. sure. e's jst all his paper” Bis of shredded
paper fll onto the Noor asthe woman dug into the deep pockets of her park
She brought her hand up tothe table and dropped a mivtare of lint, wrinkled
paper, matchbooks and eons cattring on the table. The man reached for one
ofthe papers. Te was a photograph of someone, Marty sa, haf of which had
been torn avay

Avon, Look what you've done with Gary: Look what you've done
‘Where's the rest of him?" The man's tone was paint.

“What do you mean? Tha’ all of t" She evidently considered the
matter closed, and continued gathering change. Her companion shrugged and
Tet the matter be,

Marty Bnished his tea and got upto leave.

Marty left the cafe, and wondered where 0 go.'The sky appeared
heavy and unstable with rk portentous looking clouds. Remembering that
held meant to al is grandmother that day, he headed home. Ashe walked he
‘ilculited the time difference to Montreal si tree hours, oe was i four? He
"When he got home, Marty went immediatly tothe telephone, and

flipped through the small notebook in which he wrote telephone numbers. Iwas
actualy a lary fom 1988, which het never used. Finding the page with the
number he needed he dialed the number Someone, probably a nurse at the hos
al where his grandmother lived, received on the other end. Her voice sound
ftom very nurse, and he imagined her being young, with shoulder

az

fein mas he man ho evsld
Fie peple Ho ms 0 guies and
pees ot SNe
rad a mink farm case he
vast ste bon e-dol with

eS Wh he ms dehy

influx? Magazine April 1999

je gems ma dhl bcd
gall a gore
cexaelly wf was weg wh
chien te tafe
08 tage fe had seem} iting
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