Waiting, below, Spike kept her hand in the air, worried they wouldn’t see our number. Oneshoe was more interested in the cactus. She wanted her hair in pigtails like the Orphan …is it Maple? Marden? who lives with Linda Sue.
Windy outside. It was hard to read and eat empanadas at the same time. I got two: one cheese & corn, one beefy ($4.99 each). I would classify them as dense.
Across the street is petite leon, a restaurant the New York Times listed as one of 50 exciting new restaurants in the nation in 2022.
This is a curious mishmash neighborhood, and this intersection is a crossroads. If you go one way, you come to beautiful old houses with boutique yards. The other way is the more troubled neighborhood where George Floyd was killed. This city is —I don’t know… it’s like it’s gotten to its feet after losing a big prize fight but is still dazed and damaged. “Fuck me, I thought we were the champion.”
Spike keeping her hand in the air is so typically "orphan" isn't it. Orphans make sense, and yes Maple has pigtails and she is pretty sure that she invented them.
ReplyDeleteThe utter heart ache of your city is not one that will readily heal or change- It is like the heart of this country, stabbed repeatedly and forever- Sisyphus groundhog day heart ache...I can not even imagine living so close to that pain.
Orphans help.
Good lunch on occasion helps, I am sure.
You working where you work also alleviates some of the "being human sucks". The once beloved toys that you rescue- the amazing books that you put together for the shop, for the readers- you are helping so much!"San Francisco is one of us" the orphans chime!
That is high praise, Linda Sue’s Orphans!
DeleteThank you.
Oneshoe says yes, “no one had pigtails before Maple.”
This city can be hard—I even know a couple who left it for… Bellingham!
But for me, you’re right—my work is a big help. Books and toys!
Some meals are indeed difficult to eat while reading a book. We manage though, we readers.
ReplyDeleteLinda Sue is right about your city having a Sisyphus Groundhog Day heart. She is also right about the work you do.