These Dreams of You

~ ~ ~

He speaks in a whine. Over the gray noise from upstairs, the other two barely hear him. “Reg and Jasmine,” Reg tells him. He says the names like they go together but the woman decides to let it pass. There’s a slight hesitation from the Yank: “Bob,” he says as though giving an alias, or as though he’s got different names for different circumstances and has to decide which sort these are — circumstances, that is. He reaches out his hand. His handshake is almost womanly and Jasmine is put off by it.

It’s a small hand like a child’s that barely reaches all the way around Reg’s. When he takes it back, Jasmine sees how it shakes. The Yank sees it too and tucks the hand under the other arm to hide it. Since it doesn’t seem to occur to him to invite them to sit, Jasmine does it on her own and Reg follows. “So, Bob,” Reg says, “not into the music then, are we?”

“I, uh. . ” the Yank begins and the other two have to strain to catch what he says, “like. . the Broadway tunes. . ” and smiles, “‘The Impossible Dream.’ Do you know that one?”

“No,” Reg says, “who did it?”

“As he said,” Jasmine answers, “it’s from a show. Broadway. Don Quixote, right?”

“Yes,” says Bob.

“Hey, it’s a groovy song,” Jasmine allows, “good message.”

“I, uh, think you’re being polite,” the Yank says.