HE BEGINS WALKING back, stops across the street, hesitates, crosses the street, nearly rings the bell, but thinks about the possibility of Belinda’s returning, and the possibility that Leila would reject him anyway, that as far as it went was as far as she was willing to have it go, and he turns around and walks home.
Near Huntington Avenue he passes a darkened doorway; he is peripherally aware of a figure within it. Startled, he turns, and he sees a man standing there, a short man surrounded by garbage bags. Matthew walks to the corner, where there is a sports bar, stops, and looks back. The man in the doorway looks out, looks up and down the street. Matthew steps back, out of sight. What’s he up to? he wonders. The man gathers his garbage bags, moves across the street, sets the bags down beside a traffic signal control box, takes a marker from his coat, squats, and begins writing.
It’s him. The Graffitist. Belinda was right. He’s short, with a round face. And he’s smiling. He’s happy.
That’s no smile, says BW. That’s a grimace. He looks as if he smells something foul.
Matthew watches while the Graffitist writes. When he’s finished, he caps his marker, gathers his garbage bags, and shuffles off. Matthew waits until he’s halfway down the block before crossing the street to see what he’s written.
CHEER UP — NOBODY LIVES FOREVER. YOU’LL ENJOY DEATH. NO WORRIES, NO PAIN, NO HUNGER, NO WISHES, NO REGRETS, NO WIND. ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS AND TANNING BOOTHS ACCELERATE THIS PROCESS.
When Matthew gets home, he writes this on his wall. Then he throws his clothes on the floor of the closet, gets into bed, and masturbates with Leila in his mind’s eye, like an adolescent after a date with the best-looking girl in school.
[to be continued]
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🎧 523: He begins . . .