justwrite 2 november

but what will her name be I ask and I squish my right eye in a sort of wink more like a think but too slow to be noticed he doesn’t look up from the screen the magazine the text and says next and only argentina and I say what but he doesn’t say anything else it’s like he was waiting for the question to be asked had been preparing the work for this task from early on preparing to share and acutely aware of the timing when the moment finally arrived I wait for something like a joke but nothing follows and I try well you mean like then someone can say to her don’t cry for me argentina well I guess that’s no I just mean her name should be argentina you asked and I told you only after saying this does he look up he takes a sip of coffee and raises his eyebrows at me for two seconds before returning behind the curtain of certain immersion in text and finding that there’s nothing next I am surprised and I type her name was argentina and when I write this I know he’s right there’s no other choice whatsoever and anything more common would seem trite how many nights have you looked at a book where the main character is a woman named sarah a careful name keeping you blameless from assuming assigning traits of alisons and samanthas you’ve met of late sarah is safe enough it’s not tough to imagine she could be anyone from anywhere sarah plain and tall sarah curly and sassy maybe some variation with or without an h at the end but no need to pretend she’s someone you know instead she’s everyone you’ve said hello to at the grocery store and walked away from without a second glance wearing pants and a gray sweater but argentina exists in novelty in a novel a novel idea and this is what makes her work he looks up again seeing that I’ve stopped writing am looking through the window at nothing at the leaves and he picks up his coffee cup again am I right he asks you’re right I say I pick up my cup too touch tea to coffee and toast to argentina