1115

he goes did you get what i send you what i write
i
go
yes. i sure didilly did. no
i
left off the flander's part ok i simply replied yes i
did and
he was like what do you think and i was like well ok umm
the message
comes thru i mean it appealed to my heart and that's a good thing right i mean when you are writing for something like a grant or private funding you mosdefinitely want to make that connection with the words becuz due to the physical distance your eyes cannot do it i mean make it happen know what i mean

[he nods]

but umm [i go]

there are a few issues with umm
1. grammar
2. spelling
3. punctuation and
4. style

style? [says he]

yes umm you tend to get a bit wordy.

wordy?

yes.

i don't know. i like how i write.

we stare at one another across the table. the girl who was behind the cash register when i arrived is now mopping the floor. the water in the bucket smells old and musty. maybe it's the mop.

i sip my soy latte. cold.

i do not understand [he says]. in belarus this is how we write.

i look at my watch while he searches for something in his papers. twenty-eight more minutes. outside the sky is dark. i can hear the rain on the roof of the coffee shop. it dances in the black puddles in the parking lot
listen
man

i hate the fucking rain.