“that’s a tasty looking sandwich, bro. did you make it yourself?”
joe had been so intent on devouring his sandwich that he had not noticed that another person had seated himself on the bench beside him.
hastily swallowing the bit of unmasticated food in his mouth, he turned and saw a young man of about his own age, small and thin and wearing plain white clothing - like a nurse or hospital orderly? - and staring at him with small dark eyes like he was looking into the final conflagration of time and space.
joe welcomed all human contact, and replied, “yes, i did as a matter of fact. i had always been taught that preparing one’s own food was a useful way of conserving energy and cutting the daily cost of living.”
joe wondered as he spoke if he should offer the young man one of his other sandwiches, but some obscure instinct - or unconscious calculation that he did not have an infinite number of sandwiches to distribute - held him back.
he did not offer the young man one of teresa’s cupcakes either.
“you had been taught,” the young man was saying, “does that mean you are not being taught any more?”
“that is an interesting point,” joe responded politely, although he actually thought the question was pretty stupid. “i had not thought of it in quite that way before. my name is joe smith by the way, what is yours?’
“johnny jones.”
“i am pleased to meet you, johnny.”
“you must be easily pleased. ha ha, just kidding. i am pleased to meet you too, joe.” johnny replied, but without relaxing his somewhat menacing stare.
“you’re a rube, aren’t you, joe?” johnny continued. “fresh from the country.”
“oh no, “ said joe. “i was always led to believe that i was not from either the country or the city, but just in between.”
“oh? well just between you and me , joe, i think most people would put you down as a complete yokel, a hick from hicksville, and a good old-fashioned plowboy. not that there is anything wrong with any of those things.” and for the first time johnny’s face showed a trace of a smile.
“well,” said joe, “there was someplace called the country, which was in the opposite direction from the city, and i flipped a coin and decided to come here to the city, and here i am.”
“yes, i see that you are here,” said johnny. “and my question to you is, now that you are here, where are you , and where do you go from here?”
joe was not in the least surprised or displeased at such questions from a complete stranger, had in fact been expecting them, and he began to tell his new acquaintance, as he had told magnus, his thoughts on becoming a homicide detective or lone avenger, his experiences with the pigs and other creatures, and various other things that popped into his head as he talked.
johnny listened with what joe took to be polite intetest.
suddenly a tremendous noise arose from behind the trees surrounding the park. a noise which joe first thought might be a bomb, but then recognized as loud music.
johnny turned toward the trees. “the meeting has begun,” he told joe.
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