Follow the Stream Back Up
CONTENT WARNING: READER DISCRETION ADVISED “Whilst Man, however well-behaved, At best is but a monkey shaved.” —W. S. Gilbert (1884) What I remember is a bitter January morning wrangling a junkyard transmission into a ‘53 Packard, jacked up on blocks. Richie and I should have been trudging through the snow to classes at the U instead of o ur backs jammed against a freezing curb, lining up an Ultramatic, biggest I’d ever seen. Two cars rolled up. “Charlie?” ( Alan would come upon you anywhere, anytime, and frequently intoxicated.) “Yeah, what?” “It’s your lucky day.” “Oh, yeah? Then what could you be doing here?” The transmission teetered. “We got two women.” Alan peered under the car. “Hear that? Back-to-back racks.” “Hold it, right there, Richie. It’s Alan.” “Not Alan. Fuck no!” “Check it out,” said Alan. I edged out for a look. "I don't see your brother." "He went in for a hernia operation." Alan fished a loose cigarette from his jacket and lit it