Story E

[LaurieAK]

STORY E


Living Next Door to Leonard Cohen

Leonard's eyes were sometimes brown and sometimes they were green. On the days they were brown it was all sunny skies and fair sailing. When they were green -- you had better watch out. This was a sad fact of my new life in Westmount.

The first time I saw Leonard he was sitting on his doorstep watching my father's desk being heaved and shoved up the sidewalk to our new house. We eyed each other for awhile. Then he came trotting over. He was all dressed up like he was going on a visit to an old aunt. He immediately started giving out all his vital statistics. He was eight. Same as me but small for his age -- so if push came to shove I was pretty sure I would have the upper hand. When the formal introductions were over -- I looked him up and down.

"Why are you dressed up," I asked.

He mumbled something that sounded like "school".

"On a Saturday," I said aghast.

"Yes. And I'm learning Hebrew."

"Hebrew! What for?"

"Eventually, for my bar mitzvah."

I didn't have the faintest idea what a bar mitzvah was. But as he continued to talk it gradually dawned on me that Leonard was one of The Chosen People. My family were staunch Methodists and my mother was descended from circuit riders on both sides. I knew lots of Jews intimately but they were all in the Bible. I had never seen a live one. I examined him like an archeologist discovering The Tablets of Stone.

Leonard continued talking -- blythely filling me in on the neightborhood --which kids were mean, which dogs would bite (not his--unless he gave the secret command) which lawns were forbidden to walk on--he then swerved into personal family anecdotes before finally veering off into his own exploits. Which were prodigious and of biblical proportions. Benaiah, fighting his lion in a snowy pit, had nothing on Leonard.

He went on and on -- I couldn't get a word in edgewise about my own fantastical feats-- and was getting pretty sore about it. Finally I couldn't take it any longer and stopped him right in the middle of an account about killer rats and his father's gun.

"For someone on their way to talk to God in Hebrew," I shouted, "You sure do tell a lot of lies!"

His eyes narrowed and turned green. That's when we had our first fight. It was a pretty good one. We were evenly matched despite his being smaller. After we were torn from each other's throats by both sets of mortified parents...and iodined down and made to apologize to each other---we were sent to our respective rooms to reflect on our sins and await a visit from our fathers.

Leonard got a licking. I didn't. I got a lecture. My father in his sorrowful way expressed his great disappointment in me--that I had behaved in a way that was truly disgraceful and shameful---that my mother was worried about my character--and on and on until I was in tears and began secretly plotting revenge against Leonard and his lies.

That evening after supper, I went outside into the backyard to think about strategy. From next door I heard the sound of singing. It was high and sweet and in a language I did not know. I climbed over the fence and followed the notes. Up the tree I went and there sat Leonard. His eyes were brown and shining. He stopped singing.

"Is that Hebrew," I asked.

"No, it is Russian."

"It's pretty, but sad," I said.

He started singing again. High and sweet and sad.

He stopped and looked at me.

"Truce," he said.

"Truce." I said.

I climbed back down feeling happy and taking care not to rip my new dress.

Two days later his eyes were green again

[Fljotsdale]

Heheh! I like!

[margaret]

Another of my favourites from the unplaced stories.

I wonder if this is the same author as story G (in the classroom)

But maybe not. On second thoughts I think this one was writtten by a woman, but that's just my feminine intuition

[Diane]

This is a marvellous story and one of my faves too.

Diane

[mickey_one]

this is sweet and enjoyable, thanks.

[lizzytysh]

I like this story for the following reasons:

We eyed each other for awhile. ~ Aha, the writer's creating a woman scenario .
Then he came trotting over. ~ Uh! 'Trotting' over??? This story is s'posed to be related to Leonard Cohen!?! Memory lapse!?! [This writer's not doing too 'well,' so far ]
He was all dressed up like he was going on a visit to an old aunt. ~ Yes...and? That's how he always dresses.
He immediately started giving out all his vital statistics. ~ Who does this writer really think s/he's writing about!?!
..............................
He was eight. ~ ~ Great job, writer ! LOVE the surprize! Of course, trotting !

The dialogue is just SO kid-typical ! And ~ great depiction of two kids from vastly-differing backgrounds, coming together, with all the unknowns, misimpressions, questions, discoveries, judgements, and comments .

Leonard got a licking. I didn't. I got a lecture. My father in his sorrowful way expressed his great disappointment in me--that I had behaved in a way that was truly disgraceful and shameful---that my mother was worried about my character--and on and on until I was in tears and began secretly plotting revenge against Leonard and his lies.

Different parenting styles ~ and kid reaction to a mother's 'endless' lecturing. Perfect kid thought, again ~ "Revenge on Leonard ~ the one whose fault all of this really is!"

It was high and sweet and in a language I did not know.

A lovely, true image of Leonard, had he been doing this at that age. As a reader, I felt very tender toward him when I read this line. Even if I'd been 'angry' with him for his [perceived] 'bragging,' all would've been forgiven, as a result of the picture painted by this one line .

It was high and sweet and in a language I did not know.

Yes, of course...

He stopped and looked at me.

"Truce," he said.

"Truce." I said.

Such an easy, Leonard thing to imagine.

"I climbed back down feeling happy and taking care not to rip my new dress." ~ I love it! Originally started out thinking it was a grown woman ~ then a young boy ~ and it turns out to be a little girl ! Great job with a natural switching back and forth of perspectives, with surprize elements throughout, particularly at the end .

Unbeknownst to the reader, in the beginning, the writer set the stage for the pattern of switching back and forth of perspectives, through the set-up, accomplished through Leonard's eyes changing back and forth in colour. The reader, literally, gets to alternately look through 'different' eyes throughout the piece.

Now, the green/brown dichotomy, at the end, I'm not totally clear on. Regarding what does Leonard have to be jealous? Surely, he didn't want to wear her dress . Input from the writer on this, please? [Of course, not having read anyone else's input, before writing my own, this question may already be answered! Guess I'll go look .]

~ Lizzy