Cold 4:00 AM ; November; December; Tires; Gravel; Quiet Industrial Park; Grey Morning; “strokes’ll get ya”;
I wonder if Kurt was thinking about it on his way to work that day; Maybe even the night before; I wonder if he dreamed about it and that’s why he remembered his brother-in-law; I never worked directly with Kurt; “strokes’ll get ya”;
Do people his age have friends; He’s a Yankees fan; Why’d we never talk about that; I could’ve talked about that; Why not talk about that; I don’t think my dad has friends either; Maybe people that age just don’t hang out; “strokes’ll get ya”;
Did he think he’d tell me about that thanksgiving; about his family having a good holiday; hanging the coats of his shivering family entering a warm foyer; About the smell of turkey; The buttered mashed potatoes; The Jet’s game; “strokes’ll get ya”;
Did he wake up at 3:30am and think, I need to tell Benji about him; Did it just abruptly come to his mind; Did he think to tell me about the abrupt ending of his brother-in-law’s speech; slack-jaw; cryptic mumbles; alone; just him; among his family; friends; just him; The smell of turkey; the buttered mashed potatoes; The Jet’s game; All on the table or the TV; non-verbal brother; paused Holiday; Did he think about his warning before he told me; “stokes’ll get ya”;