words

Over Fifty Years Later

I knelt down to tie her slightly scuffed saddle shoes. The laces had come undone as she skipped jauntily through the Midway. Toronto was beautiful, and so was she. The sky was clear as we drew near; a smile adorned her mouth and her welkin-blue eyes gleamed. It was a marvellous setting for a first date. It was just the beginning…

There it stood. It was majestic and mighty and right in front of us: The Flyer. Patty Conklin’s newest roller coaster was the talk of the Exhibition. To say she was excited would be a criminal understatement. She almost pulled my arm off as she moved us into line. I don’t think she stopped bouncing the entire wait – good, I thought, then maybe she wouldn’t notice my feeble attempt to stay calm. (My tight white T-shirt and dungarees represented the ideal, but James Dean I was not.)

We boarded, and I was nervous as hell. She, on the other hand, wore her giddy well. She wore everything well. We were off. I don’t know how fast it went, but I felt as though I’d been rocket-launched. As we twisted and turned, her auburn hair pranced in the wind, her face radiant as the sun serenaded it. I felt lucky. I would say that my heart fell into my lungs at the first precipitous drop, but it had already fallen, for her…

Over fifty years later, I still remember that day. The Flyer. My nervousness. Her eyes. My wife.

Extendo-thoughts!

Ever speak or write a word that instantly makes you think of another word because it, or a syllable therein, flows seamlessly into the next? I do, and it’s a fun exercise to try and go as far with the Extendo-thought game as possible. Here are a few examples:

Steve Jobs’ Apple Paltrow-Martin(i) Sheen, Charlie Chaplin’s The Gold Rush’s Tom Sawyer & Kate from Lost Boys Don’t Cry for Me Argentina.

Pet Value Village People Under the Stair(s)way to Heaven Can Wait Times will vary depending on Traffic featuring Benecio Del Toro Y Moi Aussi(e) Aussie Aussie, Oi Oi Oy Vey.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorderly Conduct Tape Worm Hole: The Melissa Auf der Maur EradiCate Blanchett as Katherine Hepburning Man on Fire.