Maudlin week part 6: Billiards, Beyoncé as a skinwalker, and a brighter future.

You don’t intend to lose friends. You just drift away, and before you realise, you’re no longer a pangaea. I haven’t seen Sam in about 12 years or so. We’re both going a bit grey in our hair, but give us a couple of pool cues, a jukebox, and a couple of cold beers and we will be fine and dandy.

The smoking ban has certainly taken the charm out of this joint, but on a Friday afternoon and the place being a beehive of activity, you really don’t mind. Still full of office drones, godínez as the old term used to call them, who come here to forget about the daily grind. They play the songs they heard when they were 15 and full of pep. They hear the songs that remind them of their first time. They swoon and pine for younger days, not knowing they are still on their golden years, as Bruce Dickinson would say.

We’re just a few months over the half-century mark, Sam and me, and although you can spot the odd grunt here and there, and the movements that come from people with herniated discs and ailing knees. That doesn’t mean we’re not going to groove to Technotronic, Groove Armada, or Outkast.

“Bombs over Baghdad” Sam belts out while hitting a stripped ball into the pocket. He is solids. I thank him for the free point and I can’t believe he hasn’t improved since the old days, when we played hooky from high school and bet with the pool sharks at El Bicho near the bars. Sam was the bad player, I was the ace in the hole. We won some, lost many more, but still had a good time. I had my first beer in those days. Sam had one way too late in life. I don’t think he was too interested in that in high school. Games and reading, that’s all. Oh, and music. He was antimusic, then one day something clicked and he was all in. He mentioned Rooster, I think.

“Oh, here they come to snuff the rooster, ye-yeah!” he sinks another stripped and we clink beers. He doesn’t talk much about anything really, I’m the one talking about my wife and kids. I don’t think he’s keen on either. Nothing seems to excite the guy, he’s hard to read.

“Penny for your thoughts, Egregious?”

“Man, I haven’t heard that for ages…”

“That’s alright, pingüino rodríguez, just trying to put you off balance.”

I miss my shot and Sam proceeds to do a four in one shot. He clicks his tongue and shotguns his beer. The waitress comes around and brings another round plus some wings. She compliments his glasses and hair, he says thanks.

Clueless sod.

“Just wondering when you gonna start your own clan, dude.”

“Don’t think it’s gonna happen. I think it’s not for me.”

“I used to think the same. Look, we both had big moves when we were kids and lost many connections on the way, but you gotta move on, kiddo.”

“I’ve tried.”

“Not hard enough. I’ve read your stuff. I like it, but you always come as a little…”

“Whiny? Heard it before.”

“Needy. Clingy.”

“Guilty as charged. Number 8 on top right pocket.”

He nails it and wins another round. We wolf down a few wings, too acidic for my taste. Fries are okay, it’s that lime and salt seasoning what makes you forget they are frozen potato flour.

“How’s Paola?”

“Crazy since kid number three, but that’s fine, I’m happy with her being as far from normal as possible.”

“Cool, cool, cool.”

“Geoffrey is finishing high school.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I don’t know how the fuck it happened, but he’s ready to go to college.”

“Where to?”

“San Luis Obispo, of all places. God bless my double citizenship.”

“Nice place. I went there in 2016, then on 2022. I applied a few times for Poly as a teacher, but the visa thing was a no go for them. Oh, well, I’m alright teaching here.”

“Are you?”

“Yeah”

He gets a bit defensive.

“Look, man, sorry I wasn’t here for when your dad…”

“No worries man.”

“And about your mom…”

“Again, no worries. No way you could’ve come.”

I feel bad but he reassures me his not my responsibility. I know it, but I still feel like I gotta keep an eye on him. Some people aren’t made for this world. And he knows it.

“I’m stripes now.”

“Guess you’re solids too, with the way you shoot.”

He smiles and sighs. The song on the jukebox turns him white. I don’t know what to say and you can see his eyes water. His hands tremble and he’s about to keel over. I signal the waiter and ask if he can do something about this song. He gets the drift and runs to skip the song. You can hear a loud “¡culero!” in another table. I walk over, tell them the reason and hand the guy a fresh, ice cold beer.

“How you’ve been about her?”

“I think I was over.”

“It’s hard, especially the way it went down.”

“Some days I’m okay, others, I dunno, man. Tampico seemed an ok place but it’s turned into a right shit hole.”

I put my arm on his shoulder and we stay like this for a minute or so. He gently moves away and shoots. Putting the pain away is his way and I don’t push any further.

We keep playing for a couple of hours and I convince him that it’s my treat. We see each other way too little and, let’s face it, we could just go in any given minute. We hug and we walk towards my hotel. It’s a Holiday Inn in front of Plaza Satélite, close to the pool place.

“Been a while since I’ve heard that Beyoncé song.”

“Which one?”- asks Sam before downing his Topo Chico.

“The one on the jukebox as we left.”

“That’s Amerie. Beyoncé stole her vibe.”

“Really?”

“Hers and Aaliyah. That’s why I don’t like her.”

“Man, I swore it was Beyoncé!”

“Stranger things, my friend.”

The sky is grapefruit ruby and the wind intensifies. We hug again and I point towards the reflective windows outside Holiday Inn.

“Huh, you know dude? Under a certain light, I couldn’t tell you from me!”

He smiles and points towards my ring finger.

“In another world, in another life, I’d be you, Egregious.”

I laugh slowly.

“Say hi to your brothers, Eg.” He walks away after waving me away, the wind swirling his long salt and pepper hair.

My brothers. Man, he doesn’t know.

I go to the OXXO besides the hotel and grab a coffee for Pau, and a few choc milks for the kids. I go back into the room and they are watching Top Cat, dubbed into spanish. I hug Pau, give her a big kiss and have a sip of her coffee before sitting by the window, the sofa looking towards the unrecognizable Plaza Satélite mall.

“Everything ok, babe?” she slides her arms over my shoulder. We kiss.

“Everything will be.”

-Sam J. Valdés López