I don’t recall us spending any time with him, really. But we must have, given the amount of time we spent at each other’s homes. Why, by the end of the summer, when you had returned from Australia and I from the U.S., I think we spent two or three straight weeks together – four days at my house, then three days at your house, followed by back to my house, and so on until school started. I remember your brothers – so sophisticated, home from boarding school, with their thick Aussie accents, girls flocking to your home to follow them around town. Whenever Matt asked me, “hey Anne, how’s it hanging?” in his jovial, cool manner, I reddened and clammed up… All I could get out was that I was in a bad mood! How much I had to learn about being appealing, let alone conversation.
Funny how I can’t remember what we did at my house, though the memories from yours are clear snapshots in my mind. We must have gone down to the pool, and showed off our dives and flips off the board. And practiced our dance routines – Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy.” The image of cans of Dr. Pepper come to mind to, an American novelty in the middle of Tokyo. Dr. Pepper and mini pepperoni pizzas at the snack bar on the American Embassy Compound.
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I liked all of your pieces this week, but chose this one for its perfectly rendered -and very telling - details. You accomplish so much story-telling, so much atmosphere in really very few words - and it's all due to the details (mini -pepperoni pizzas, Let's Go Crazy) you choose. There's also a wonderful bittersweet nostalgic feeling about this. Really nice work!
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