For the last five years, I’ve had a very intense relationship with a man in his early 30s. No, not like that. He knocks on my door, I open it. I don’t invite him in. After a brief exchange, I either tell him to wait or I close the door. Once, when the door was open and my back was turned, he crossed the threshold and sat down at the kitchen table. I told him to go back outside. Another time, he sat on the doorsill, half in, legs out. I let him stay there while we conducted our business, but it made me uncomfortable. As it did my wife. “Don’t let him inside,” she said later. This is not because she is mean-spirited. This is because he is filthy and smells like shit.
Nice work, as always! Terrific writing, poignant and compassionate. Thanks. Coincidentally, a dear friend who passed away recently, bequeathed me a collection of Cioran's work. I'm just reading The Temptation to Exist....
Thinking of your cashmere sweater! I had my cashmere sweater fixed from a moth hole at a tailor in the 10th while I was spending time with my friend’s father last October. He likes to wander around and has some cognitive things going on from age so I spent some weeks wandering around and around this area with him. I had hit my head and had post-concussion syndrome though not as bad as Ravel in your other story. We were quite a pair. If he got lost and I got lost we would have been in some trouble but luckily at least one of us always remembered how to find the way home.
The best thing to keep us busy was to think of something to fix. Everything I had on me could be fixed in the 10th--watches, sweaters, shoes. I think I could spend the rest of my life there. Maybe we saw Fred somewhere. I will probably go back at some point, and bring some more things, and have them all fixed. I have so many broken watches! I would love to bring a suitcase of broken things to Paris since it is not so easy to fix broken things here in the USA. If I do, I will keep an eye out for Fred.
You have so nailed it! Stepping out my door in the 10th and walking for fewer than 5 minutes I can: get keys cut in 3 places, get shoes repaired in 2, watches and clocks in 3, computers and cell phones in at least a dozen. I can go to 7 tailors and 2 yarn shops, 3 hardware stores, 8 standard supermarkets and 8 Asian supermarkets, 5 North African supermarkets and 3 Latin American supermarkets, 6 greengrocers, 5 cheese shops, 12 bakeries, 11 wine shops and 3 beer shops and 3 ice cream shops, 4 ceramics studios, 5 bookstores, 3 newsstands, 7 art galleries, 5 florists, 7 parks, umpteen gazillion restaurants (French, Vietnamese, Italian, Chinese, Greek Cypriot, Georgian, Polish, Colombian, Japanese, Indian, German, Turkish, Tunisian...), umpteen butchers and cafes and apothicaires and organic shops and specialty food shops and pastry shops and cocktail bars and vintage shops and swimming pools and an ice rink. I can buy fish to eat and fish to look at in a tank. I can buy socks and underwear. Wallpaper. Suitcases. Fancy chocolates. Sporting goods. Mouse traps. Frying pans. Kebabs.There are 3 places that only sell tofu and steamed buns. Street markets everyday of the week...
Wonderful stuff! I've fancied a street-level apartment ever since the video for "Waiting on a Friend" appeared in 1981. Those encounters on doorsteps looked so enchanting. But this story takes it to a completely different place. Thanks, Chris.
Your writing captures the mood and complexity(and simplicity of this type of relationship) with a schizophrenic / un-housed person. Having also helped a young man-with sleeping bag,warm clothes,food,money-odd jobs, and the monotonous regularity of him showing up was such a burden in the end.The grinding cycle of his ups and downs.It's not great admission, but when the relationship ended, I was so relieved because it took up so much space in my head and day to day life.
Thanks H. Not sure how this will play out. First cold-ish night of the year. Fred a no-show , so doesn't yet know about his stepmother. We'll see what tomorrow brings.
Dear friend, your capacity to care for others and remain constant in the face of very, very discouraging odds is a rare and truly admirable thing. I’ve met ‘Fred’ at your place several times and have also felt uncomfortable confronting his self-aflicted state of misery, which he nevertheless seems not to see as such. This piece makes all of us question our relationship to those living on the edge. « Every Night & Every Morn, Some to Misery are Born »
I can’t thank you enough for your wonderful writing. Subscribing to Hexagon is one of the wisest decisions I’ve made this year.
This is a moving piece.
Wow very very moving - thanks for your story and awareness and for being Who you are :) much much love your way - and blessings
Nice work, as always! Terrific writing, poignant and compassionate. Thanks. Coincidentally, a dear friend who passed away recently, bequeathed me a collection of Cioran's work. I'm just reading The Temptation to Exist....
Cioran, ya barrel of laughs--actually he is! Thanks for reading it, Jeff.
My Pleasure! Yeah, I agree - The Lenny Bruce of philosophy..
Such a wonderful post... thank-you
Thinking of your cashmere sweater! I had my cashmere sweater fixed from a moth hole at a tailor in the 10th while I was spending time with my friend’s father last October. He likes to wander around and has some cognitive things going on from age so I spent some weeks wandering around and around this area with him. I had hit my head and had post-concussion syndrome though not as bad as Ravel in your other story. We were quite a pair. If he got lost and I got lost we would have been in some trouble but luckily at least one of us always remembered how to find the way home.
The best thing to keep us busy was to think of something to fix. Everything I had on me could be fixed in the 10th--watches, sweaters, shoes. I think I could spend the rest of my life there. Maybe we saw Fred somewhere. I will probably go back at some point, and bring some more things, and have them all fixed. I have so many broken watches! I would love to bring a suitcase of broken things to Paris since it is not so easy to fix broken things here in the USA. If I do, I will keep an eye out for Fred.
You have so nailed it! Stepping out my door in the 10th and walking for fewer than 5 minutes I can: get keys cut in 3 places, get shoes repaired in 2, watches and clocks in 3, computers and cell phones in at least a dozen. I can go to 7 tailors and 2 yarn shops, 3 hardware stores, 8 standard supermarkets and 8 Asian supermarkets, 5 North African supermarkets and 3 Latin American supermarkets, 6 greengrocers, 5 cheese shops, 12 bakeries, 11 wine shops and 3 beer shops and 3 ice cream shops, 4 ceramics studios, 5 bookstores, 3 newsstands, 7 art galleries, 5 florists, 7 parks, umpteen gazillion restaurants (French, Vietnamese, Italian, Chinese, Greek Cypriot, Georgian, Polish, Colombian, Japanese, Indian, German, Turkish, Tunisian...), umpteen butchers and cafes and apothicaires and organic shops and specialty food shops and pastry shops and cocktail bars and vintage shops and swimming pools and an ice rink. I can buy fish to eat and fish to look at in a tank. I can buy socks and underwear. Wallpaper. Suitcases. Fancy chocolates. Sporting goods. Mouse traps. Frying pans. Kebabs.There are 3 places that only sell tofu and steamed buns. Street markets everyday of the week...
Yes! I am so envious. And I forgot the street name but there is a whole wedding street, graced with window of festively dressed mannequins.
Yes! A few of those actually. There's the Indian/Sri Lankan ones at La Chapelle and dozens and dozens on Barbès and Magenta...
Wonderful stuff! I've fancied a street-level apartment ever since the video for "Waiting on a Friend" appeared in 1981. Those encounters on doorsteps looked so enchanting. But this story takes it to a completely different place. Thanks, Chris.
Thanks GB. Wouldn't move for a million bucks... And thanks for subscribing!
Wow, thank you for sharing, chris
Great stuff Chris. I hope all is well
Your writing captures the mood and complexity(and simplicity of this type of relationship) with a schizophrenic / un-housed person. Having also helped a young man-with sleeping bag,warm clothes,food,money-odd jobs, and the monotonous regularity of him showing up was such a burden in the end.The grinding cycle of his ups and downs.It's not great admission, but when the relationship ended, I was so relieved because it took up so much space in my head and day to day life.
Thanks H. Not sure how this will play out. First cold-ish night of the year. Fred a no-show , so doesn't yet know about his stepmother. We'll see what tomorrow brings.
Dear friend, your capacity to care for others and remain constant in the face of very, very discouraging odds is a rare and truly admirable thing. I’ve met ‘Fred’ at your place several times and have also felt uncomfortable confronting his self-aflicted state of misery, which he nevertheless seems not to see as such. This piece makes all of us question our relationship to those living on the edge. « Every Night & Every Morn, Some to Misery are Born »