Alejandro Zambra ... chilling.



I opened MICROSOFT Word 2000.


There was a perfect moment with my ma in the sun and another a perfect moment with my old man in the sun, I typed.


On the south bank of the Thames he and I sat on a public lawn.


Pointing at The Gherkin he said: Look there’s still a bit to build on top.


The Globe in view, I took a photo of him and then because the sun had sunk behind a building that shaded our spot we moved to another lawn where we sat in the evening that glowed and my old man said: That’s always a drawback for me with like how Barb has her grandkids and they try and snub me out.


Yeah, I said. Sorry I’ve not made you a granddad, yet.


No worries mate.


It’s just, I said.


Further up in the silence of the riverbank by Waterloo Bridge was this bookstall where I found a book with the words that kept me going and they said: I was alive because I was not in my room.


That weekend too my face felt like dead but we attended Tracey Emin’s Love Is What You Want and there was a movie installation of a yellow Labrador retriever and a voiceover kind of had the dog talking I forget what, just I laughed vigorously and Mr O seemed not startled but my voice echoed thru the empty gallery.


People’s fave subject is themselves, I typed.