Night Messages..#1.

Out of the shadows…Edward Hopper.

Night Messages.

#1; Michael and Meghan.

The muted hum of “incoming call” burred on the mobile phone on the bedside cabinet, the soft glow of the phone lit up a middle-aged woman’s sleepy face half covered with dangling bangs of blonde, tangled hair.

“ Y’what?” Meghan breathed, already recognising the profile pic illuminated.

“I just wanted to say thank you for the delightful dinner date tonight..I really enjoyed it”.

“Oh…ok, Michael…I’m glad you had a good time…” she sleepily responded..there was a weary pause in her reply, then; “I had a good time too.”

“Did you REALLY!…oh that’s so good…first dates can be rather difficult to get through.”

“Difficult?” the woman had woken up a bit more at this comment..”I don’t think I was “difficult”…”

“Oh no!…not YOU…I mean …in general…you know, not knowing the other person..the conversation can be a bit…wooden…if you know what I mean?”

“I suppose that depends on how many first dates you been on…”

“Yes, I suppose so…but with online dating, one DOES get to meet quite a few women”.

“Quite a few??…How many HAVE you met?”

Michael could see he had ventured into troublesome waters , so ameliorated his reply so as not to give credence to a perceived Svengali-like personality.

“About the average for a person my age….online that is..They don’t always come to fruition in the real world.”

Meghan had recovered from the annoyance of being disturbed from her much valued sleep, and felt piqued enough to give some cheek.

“About the only thing “wooden” in our conversation was that flitch in your trousers when you jumped up at the table!….by the way..sorry for spilling the drink on them..”

“Yes..gosh!…do you think the waiter noticed?”

“Luv’…the brunette two tables away noticed enough to raise her eyebrows!..Was it the chicken schnitzel aroused you, or were you just happy to see me…Say..what are you hiding down there, the Saratoga Trunk?”

“The what?”

“Never mind…it’s a movie from the war years..called “The Saratoga Trunk”…just an analogy of no connection”.

“You’re a complicated one, Meghan…complicated but very interesting”.

Meghan was starting to wonder on the value of Tinder Dating…where have these people been all their lives?…have they no knowledge of the accumulated trivialities of living information?..

“No..pretty simple really, it’s the world around me that is complicated..I’m a bit like a crossword puzzle, you just fit the correct letters into the right squares and bang!…I’m solved”.

“There…that’s what I mean…I don’t really get what you’re referring to.”

“Well…it IS a bit late…no…EARLY!.. in the day for me to get my thinking hat on, so I might be talking a lot of rot….hey!…why are you ringing me at this ungodly hour for anyway?..A lady’s got to get her beauty sleep, you know…”

“Oh..yes..sorry…I was just laying here thinking of our dinner last night….thinking of you…I…I just wanted to hear your voice again.”

“My voice…what’s the attraction in my voice?”

“Oh…it has that soft purring tone about it that says; ‘sophisticated woman’..confident..in control..sort of husky-sexy tone .”

Meghan suddenly stopped Welsh-combing her hair at Michael’s admittance..and winced one eye in suspicious curiosity..

“Michael…?” she cautiously inquired..”Why are you awake in your bed..I presume you are in bed…and wanting to hear my voice at this hour of the night?”

“Why?….well…I like…your voice…the sound of it…it has…a warm…edge to it…” Michael was breathing these words out in a rhythmic, measured, distracted manner as he spoke..the implication was not lost on a woman as savvy of the ways of men as Meghan had grown to be.

“What are you doing, Michael?” she cautiously asked.

“ME…?” Michael replied a little too quickly “Me……..nothing…nothing at all..”

“Then send me a pic of you laying there….NOW!…”

“Why?”

“Cause I’d like you to…but it has to be right now…just as you are…”

There was a lengthy silence at the end of the line, like Michael was coming to grips with his situation and whether this new friendship with the woman on the other end of the line could tolerate such an indiscretion..He thought for a moment before coming to the conclusion that people their age had just about “seen it all” anyway, and indeed, hadn’t Meghan just that evening at the dinner table confidently said as much?…He decided to proceed with Meghan’s request..He focused the phone camera on the relevant point of interest and pushed the button…there was a flash of light and the pic was taken..Micheal checked the photo to see if it showed the proportions of the object of interest in a favourable light, and nodding his head in self-admiration, clicked the “share” button on the face of the phone.

The only response from Meghan before she suddenly severed the conversation at her end of the line was a shocked…”Jehoshaphat!!”…

Night Messages.

#2: Mother.

The mobile phone in the deep pocket of Sophie’s uniform hummed it’s demand for attention, she extracted it and checked who was calling..she was on the point of pressing the dismiss button, but changed her mind at such a futile gesture as Sophie was only too aware that the caller would persist until she answered.

Sophie swiped the phone and pressed it to her ear.

Janine : She’s wanting to know again, Sophie.

Sophie : Can’t talk now, Jan…at work.

Janine : She’s here now with Danny. They’re both on to me.

Sophie : I’ll call you later…busy.

(Pause of quarter an hour……..phone rings again..)

Janine : They’re still here and won’t leave when I ask.

Sophie : Make them go away, Janny..it’s in your power to make it happen.

Janine : Yes, I know what the therapist said, Sophie, but she won’t listen to me.

Sophie : I can’t deal with this now, Jan, the boss is watching.

Janine : Alright…..but she’s your mother too!….and your brother!

(Pause of half an hour……..phone rings again..)

Sophie : Alright, Jan..I’m on my break..now what’s happening?

Janine : Oh, I’m so glad you’re here, Soff’ , Mum’s on again about “Where’s my pearl earrings?”

Sophie : You know where they are, I got them home..I had to get one pearl replaced.

Janine : It’s not me you should tell, it’s mum.

Sophie : I can’t tell her that….(a pause)…..I no longer can see her.

Janine : She’s here now…with Dan’ .

Sophie : Let her look at your phone and I’ll text her.

Janine : She won’t look….you know she hates modern technology.

Sophie : I can’t deal with this, Jan…I…I just can’t deal with this…..you KNOW mum died eight years ago!

A pause…….

Sophie : And Danny, five……

Janine : Their presence is here with me…they’re always with me.. If only she didn’t have that heart attack and Danny his accident..

Sophie : She died with dementia, Jan…and Danny was a raging queen who got HIV!…

A pause….long silence….

Sophie : You have to get used to the fact that they’re both gone, Janny.

Janine : NO!…Amara at the Spiritual Connection says their presence is very strong in me.

Sophie : Amara is a fake ‘Medium’…she would say that!

Janine : That’s not true..she helps so many people down the Centre to connect with loved ones.

Sophie : Well if they are such loved, why do they need an intermediary to “connect” ?

Janine : Amara has the power, she’s a recognised medium.

Sophie : How do you recognise a medium?

Janine : Huh!?

Sophie : They’re halfway between loopy extreme and subversive loopy….

Janine : Well, I don’t think you’re funny, Soff…

A pause……

Janine : I told Mum and Danny your “joke”…they liked it and they laughed and laughed.

Sophie : Smoko’s over now, Janny…I gotta go back to work…see you later.

Janine : Hang on!…What’ll I tell Mum and Danny?

Sophie : about what?

Janine : The pearl earrings…she keeps saying; “where’s my pearl earrings?”

A pause…..

Sophie : Tell her I’ll drop them around to you tomorrow morning after my shift.

Janine : Oh, thank you so much, Soffy…you’re always such a help…I’ll see you then.

Sophie : Put the kettle on an’ brew me a cuppa..

Janine : I have a nice cake here ready for you too..Oh, you’re such a treasure, Soffy..

Sophie : Yeah, Yeah….I know…I’m a real sucker for punishment!

Night Messages.

#3 : The Poet and The Punisher.

“Words fall from our lips like cherry-stones into waste-bins..

Words of no serious content nor of any consideration..

Without wisdom, we are but drones,

Without emotional feelings we are but beasts of the fields.”

Poet : What do you reckon?

Punisher : Dunno..I’m not that much into poetry.

Poet : Yeah, but does it ‘read well’ ?

Punisher : I don’t get what you mean by “read well”…I can read it alright, but it’s just a comment…like so many others here on social media.

Poet : Sure..but do the words make you concentrate on their meaning?

Punisher : Oh give it a rest will you, I told you..I’m not the romantic type, nor am I that emotional about things..

Poet : Well I find that rather unbelievable, considering the type of ‘punishment’ you deliver to your clients.

Punisher : Well you better believe it…I deliver a caning to their buttocks with cold, hard efficiency WITHOUT the least measure of empathy.

Poet : Sweet Jesus!…I can just picture it!…talking of which, I would love to see you dressed in your ‘Madam Lash’ costume…send me one?

Punisher : Oh, ‘allo…the “boy” likes to adventure into the shady world of erotica now, does he?

Poet : I have nothing against erotica, as a matter of fact, I believe it is an essential for the healthy function of both body and soul.

Punisher : Christ!…don’t go getting all philosophical on me, I have a greater belief in the harsh world of practical realities, and when the client says “harder”, believe me, I deliver!

Poet : Hmmm……Do you wear leather gear?

A pause…….

Poet : Sally..I just received your..”gift” if I may call it that..to myself, such beauty given with sensual intent to me..to only me..it is a gift supreme..a gift I have no appropriate words of gratitude for…I could only swoon at the erotic pleasure..

Punisher : Oh God!…you DO lay it on….but thank you anyway…my pleasure.. now goodnight.

A pause till next night.

Poet : “Good evening, Sally…I hope you slept well today…I have to say you took me by surprise last night..I came as usual to see your “night-night” farewell and there was your delightful gift shining into my eyes like a full moon in clear skies..it took my breath away I must say…and yes…yes..I did open the pic up for a quick and hungry glimpse..and yes…I did kiss it!..and admire it…as I will always now..such a sight of pure beauty!”

Punisher : Don’t get too wound up…I am only doing this while it amuses me..I’ve never been serenaded by a poet before…so send me some to flatter me some more.

Poet : A shaft of sun through the Parthenon glows,

Upon a wild, white Athens rose.

The blossom of that tender bush,

Is tinged at heart with a gentle blush,

When held, ‘tis said, ‘tween lovers fingers twined,

Would, with age-old chant, their voices bind :

“Oh Sun who gives the blush to thee,

     Grant her cheeks may blush for me,

And with the passing of this day,

     Grant the wish I wish I may.”

Is this alright?

Punisher : Nice….Nice…Yes, I think THAT is me…in every sense of the words.

Poet : My stumbling, bumbling words do no justice to the beauty of that image you have sent me, Sally…how does one tell of the personal warmth ignited in me with such a gift…I treasure it and hold it to utmost privacy…it is a beauty above so many others….I worship the thought that produced it..Your long, blonde hair falls just right….I will spend long moments dwelling over those curves…

Punisher : Speaking of curves, I want your opinion of something I just bought.

Poet : Sure…but I am really not a good judge of either fads or fashions, so whatever it is I will give my best appraisal.

Punisher : I brought this body-suit yesterday..do you think it fits me well?..I worry if my full breasts are squeezed too tight into the black body suit…the zipper was only just able to control the force of my mamm’s…and they look like they are trying to escape!…Should I try a white body-suit instead?

A pause…..a long pause…

Poet : Against such a force that God hath created, the humble zipper has but feeble chance of containing any shred of modesty…I salute God…and I salute YOU..Sally.

Punisher : I’ll take that as an approval…

Poet : I truly believe that erotica is a thing contained within a person…and pictures of the body are but gateways by which to enter to that pure emotion.. I have opinions on that creation of the erotic moment…

Punisher : Actually, I like what you say there, and I’ll keep that in mind the next time I cane a client.

Poet : The crux of erotica is an art form of psychologically implanted beauty..A beauty perfected in the imagined process of the creating of an erotic moment.. One looks to the image..and one imagines the thinking that went into the making of that image.. The subject deciding just what image she wishes to show to the camera and the viewer..and here there is pause enough while the voyeur re-creates in their imagination, the actions of the subject model..Having decided, she prepares her clothing..undressing or putting certain sensual clothing on..the choosing how much flesh to show…what part or whole of sexual organ to allow to be seen…then the preparation for the camera angles..light..the adjusting of breasts or buttocks for best image..adjusting the lace cloth to cover that most pure part of a woman’s genitalia.. what can be described as the “personal touch” of creative erotica……..all this is contained in a swift imagined cameo playing out in continuous loop in the voyeur’s mind…and in that imagined preparation, the experienced male can “join the dots” to see quite clearly those hidden delights of the sexual woman judicially and temptingly covered for the erotic photograph…so the two dimensional image becomes three-dimensional “reality”…a silent sigh of pleasure and delight……take my breath away….take my breath away…oh woman, thy pure delight.

Punisher : Oh gawd!!

A long pause in social media communication ….

Poet : Sally…I haven’t seen you on the site for a couple of weeks…you haven’t replied to my messages…are you alright?

Punisher : NO!…I am fucking NOT alright!…I have caught this bloody covid thingo and am dying….dying!…God…don’t bother me…I’ll get in touch with you if and when I want…Good bye!

Poet : “Goodbye?” surely that is a little severe, I only wanted to talk some more with you…share some poems and pictures…are you ok?

Punisher : FFS!… Stop being puerile, petulant and using myself as little more than an object for your own selfish sexual fantasies…I’m sick, my son is sick, my friends are sick and I can’t be bothered even thinking of poems OR pictures…now piss off!

Poet : I have for a long time in my life had this awareness that I seem to come into things..jobs, organisations, groups etc.. just before they end…and now since I have ‘known’ you, we have gone from casual conversations of “life in general” to have this pandemic bear down, the situation of your  health..and our friendship is being sorely tested..

Silence…

Poet : Oh Sally….How things have changed since we had our first “chat”….who would have thought so much would bear down on our lives…hope you are keeping warm….

Silence…

Poet : Ah..I dunno, Sally…should I persevere?….perhaps I should give it best and just leave it all go…block you and put it all behind me..or perhaps you’ll soon tire of the episode and block me anyway…

Silence…

Poet : Ah, Sally..I have, after all, kissed that pic of your gorgeous derrier on my PC screen so many times, I might as well kiss it verbally here some more and at least post some poetry to serenade you..I still enjoy that..anyway…

I dreamt that time was in reverse,

And never came that ending tryst,

I hold you still in night’s embrace,

And never came that ending kiss,

And never stilled that loving fire,

So very near to my heart’s desire.

Let the masses throw flattery and accolades at thy feet..but I..and ONLY I, will EVER serenade thee with such force and volume of sweet, sweet panegyric.. Goodbye, my sweet..goodbye…

Silence…