My Dinosaur Era Chapter 25

 

ginny holds my arm, slowly finding her feet in her three inch stacks

my instinct is to walk faster, take it all in, cover every square inch

she slows me, allows me to be with the sights for a moment

smell the coffee, food, cigarette smoke

hear the chatter, picking out the few spanish words I know

none of the basque ones  that I do not

we stroll the old town, past churches, markets

bump back into the river, cross a bridge

cross back on another one

I need to sit, ginny said

sure, let’s find a sunny spot, I said

we doubled back to the main square, plaza nueva

found a table in the sun

another kalimotxo for me, black coffee for ginny 

 

it’s after midday, the sun is high, warm, gentle still

I close my eyes, let the rays tickle my face

this is nice, I like this spot, she says

mmm, yeah, it gets real busy in the summer, but now is nice, I say

I’m sorry I didn’t fancy the museum, timmy, I am very boring, she says

it’s ok, the sun is nice, I say

yes, the sun is nice, she says

 

another drink

straight rioja this time for me

gin and tonic for ginny

do you still think about petula, she says

I wonder what happened, yes, whether I did something wrong, I say

but you didn’t, did you, you were fine, weren’t you, she says

I think so, yes, I say

you were fine, I know you well enough, timmy, she says

maybe, but I sometimes wonder if I was just not enough, like, we had a nice time, we walked around, it was lovely, or at least I thought, I say

not enough how, she says

maybe I should have kissed her, tried to fuck her, I dunno, declared undying love or something, I say

no, it wasn’t anything like that, I’m sure, she wouldn’t have bothered to come and see you that time if she was just done with you, she says

yeah, perhaps, I say

sorry, I shouldn’t have brought it up, we came here to get away from all that shit, she says

well, I have gotten away from it, it just happened and now I am somewhere else, in every sense, I say

I’ll drink to that, she says

and we do

 

back on our feet, we walk back to the river, past the museum

stop to watch a man with crazy looking puppets

sinister enough to have ginny clinging to me like a child

why would he bring them out in public, she says 

I think they’re cute, I say

they’re not cute, they are grotesque, unsettling

I laugh at ginny, cowering next to me

she slaps my arm

come on, let’s go, she says

 

further along, we stop to look at the boats on the river

shall we go on a boat, I say

hmm, do they have bars on board, she says

no idea, I’ll check, I say

I check on my phone, they do

we buy tickets and sit on the top deck

for the first time it feels like we are on a holiday

I look down the river, through the bridges

go deeper into the comfort

there is less left to wrestle

ginny asleep now on my shoulder

worn out by all the balancing she’s done today

pull her closer into me

her ear on my heart

the boat takes us to where we need to be

 

back on land, it is approaching pintxos time

my stomach tells me so

breakfast sausages are a very distant memory

back to plaza nueva, busier now, tables full

here we are, I say

where, says ginny

sorginzulo, I say

what, she says

sorginzulo, it’s the pintxos place I like, I say

oh that one you are always banging on about, she says

yes, the one I am always banging on about, I say

looks cute, she says

it means witches hole, I say

really, fuck off, she says

for real, I say

we squeeze into a corner, recently vacated

it’s getting near three, rush hour relenting

at the bar I order eight pintxos

one beer, one wine

it’s so easy here, nothing is bad, just point and click

winner every single time

 

back at the table

ginny has taken her doctor martens off

her bare toes wriggle, red, puffy feet

I sit in next to her

did you actually wear them to look taller for patrycja, I say

she picks up a salmon pintxo, stuffs into her mouth

ignores my question

I shrug, she’s not playing out today, ah well

she chews away, swallows

do you think I’m silly for that, she says

for wanting to look taller, I say

yes, she says

I thought that was just a hetero thing, men should be taller than women thing, I say

it probably is, I think I just wanted her to notice me, she says

I think she has noticed you, darling, I say

maybe, I dunno, I feel silly now, my feet are crippled, she says

yeah and she’s not even here, I say

fucking waste of time, she says

being short is your superpower anyway, I say

how can that be, she says

people don’t expect you to be so powerful, I say

you think I’m powerful, she says

of course, you’re a fucking whirlwind, you get noticed, she’s noticed you, she kissed you, right, I say

she kissed you too, she says

yeah, but that was just to cheer me up, I say

it seems to have worked, she says

it wasn’t just that, but yeah, it was nice, I say

we drink our drinks in unison

more people leave, tables are cleared

do you know when she finishes today, she says

patrycja, dunno, she said she’d come and find us, I say

ok, she says

don’t be so forlorn, I’ll text her, see what she is up to, I say

sure, whatever, she says

I kiss her on the cheek

you silly sausage, I say