In our Writing Workshop, we decided
to practice writing a brief narrative from the point of view of an anonymous
narrator going into the minds of two characters.
Here is my narrative, exploring the
male/female differences in awareness.
He and She
The couple walk into Biaggi’s
Restaurant in Madison, WI., and wait to be seated. He is in his mid-40’s, with
an athletic build, trim, a closely-shaved head, wearing wire-rimmed glasses.
She is in her mid-30’s, slim, with long, black hair, dark eyes, and a pretty
face with high cheekbones.
When they are seated, the Host hands
them the menus, and he orders a cup of coffee, and she is not sure what she
wants.
He quickly scans the menu and
selects the Eggplant Parmesan.
She looks around the restaurant,
noticing how the cream-colored curtains match the brown napkins and beige
tablecloths.
He sips his coffee and looks at the
overhead flat-screen snowing a football game, and he sees that five minutes
remain in the third quarter: Packers 14, Bears 10.
She looks at the young couple
sitting nearby and admires her hair, and the way her orange earrings match her
orange camisole underneath her white blouse. She observes that they are very
much into each other.
The waiter returns and asks if they
are ready to order, and she says, “I haven’t looked at the menu, yet, but I
will have a cup of coffee.”
He checks his cell phone for
messages during commercials.
She notices that an older couple at
the table to their left are not having a good time, their faces impassive. They
are hardly talking.
Finally, she looks at the menu and
tries to make a decision between the Butternut Squash Ravioli and the Quattro
Formaggi Tortelloni.
“So, I see the Packers are winning,”
she says.
He smiles, nodding his head.
“I think this coffee tastes funny,
what do you think?” she asks.
“I didn’t notice,” he said.
It is as if he walked in wearing a
headlamp, focusing on one thing at a time; while she walked in holding a
candle, softly illuminating the entire room, giving her diffuse awareness.
He looks at her and smiles,
recognizing their differences, and says, clicking his cup on hers, “Prost,”
remembering this line from a poem by Andy Petro:
When I highlight our Oneness
And celebrate our differences
I experience unconditional love.
And celebrate our differences
I experience unconditional love.
She nods her head, smiles, and says,
“Namaste.”
