Warning lightstangential
April 27, 2007
I went out this morning, walking past the cheetahs and the vistor center in the rain at about twenty to ten. He was out already, up above the rocks. "Hallo there, dear man!" I cried. He stood up, looking toward me, looking at me. By the time I had drawn near enough, he was down from the rocks, moving toward me. His muzzle fogging the glass. "Mah man!" I said again. We talked, then, for five minutes, nose to nose. Merlin. I shall miss our morning meetings.
They told me later, toward the end of the watch, that sloth bears are responsible for more human deaths than any other species of bear. A public broadcasting camera man filming in India not too long ago watched one burst from the woods to chase a 500-pound Bengal tiger away. O mercy. All this and 95 percent of their diet (that's the sloth bear, not the tiger) is ants and termites. How good to know that M and I are friends.
On the drive home through the park, six miles along Beach Drive, I noticed a light on the dash. CHECK ENGINE. Heart moved to throat. I chunked the final three miles home at 28 miles an hour. "Was it flashing?" asked the dealership service fellow. "No," said I. "That's good," said he. "O god," said I. We made an appointment. "What do I do if it starts flashing while I'm driving?" I asked. "Pull over," he said. I'd rather not think about that.
I hung up the telephone and looked at the computer screen, where I had just sat down. On the task bar, the Internet connection icon sported a yellow dot flashing at me. "Limited or no connectivity," it explained. Make that no connectivity. Five hours, three telephone calls, and never mind the technical details later, I contemplated another wasted day.
Is there time, I wonder, for a bike ride before settling down and finishing the final two chapters before going to bed? You've heard tell of the hollow laugh. And what do I do about Emma, which I haven't finished watching? How do I sell the old bike at the swap tomorrow if I have to be at the dealership?
How, as they say, was your day?