We shared smiles and stilted conversation in a darkened smoke-filled room. Blues
licks melted around a makeshift stage like butter on hotcakes. The smell of burgers
cooking on an old Coleman grill raised a growl from my stomach while my mind
wandered in rhythm to the music. When my friend spoke again I strained to listen
over a low down lyric, “somebody done his woman wrong and someone made him pay.”
I asked my companion to repeat himself; as he talked I noted something new:
He spoke without contractions. Instead of “I’m glad you’re here,” it was “I am” and
“you are.” There was no “we’ve,” but “we have.” And I thought, who is this man?
What has shaped him to speak in this oddly stilted, yet unaffected way? Without
intending to, I found myself adopting his speech pattern. Would he notice and be
offended? Oh hell, would he think I was flirting? Adroitly I threw “isn’t” and
“aren’t,” “didn’t,” and “won’t” into the mix narrowly avoiding an awkward
situation. I can’t make this stuff up, y’all.
Praying for Eyebrowz 