Entry From March 10th
Hi.
The interview went well. I didn’t get it. Apparently, they are far along with another applicant but they will be sure to reach out to me if something opens up.
Last night, Sophia’s brother Tighe (pronounced Ty) and I went to a beer tasting place that served 6 beers for 10 euros. We ended up talking about many things. He was cool.
At the train station earlier in the evening, Sophia had to stop at a cigarette vendor’s stall to buy a mask. Her attention was on her phone because she was trying to reach the rest of the girls (and Joel) who we were meeting up with. They were running late. She was walking into the cigarette vendor’s stall with her head down when the beast first appeared.
A man who barely resembled a man and who reminded me more of the possessed hog from Princess Mononoke slowly sludged down the steps of the station. It was huge—easily six foot five and probably four hundred pounds. His feet were bare, stained black, and covered in mud. But it wasn’t rainy at all yesterday so I was confused as to where exactly the mud came from. His clothes were shredded. Rolls of fat swayed and billowed and flowed through what was left of its shirt. His face was bumpy, scarred, and yellow. His eyes were saggy and sunken and he had an aimless gaze that matched the way he walked—aimlessly.
Aimlessly past Sophia (who was preoccupied with her phone,) it roamed. The little bit of malt liquor in his bottle sloshed around as he sloshed around too. Everyone looked at him. Not in a frightening way or in a way where mothers had to hold their kids back. Everyone just looked at him with a collective pause of observation. What was this? Where was it going? Everyone wondered as this thing wandered. Even the trains seemed to hold their breath.
Then, it was like there was a *click*. Life went on.
Parents had kids to go home to. People had trains to catch. Others had late-night shopping to get done. The goliath of trash and forgotten things became swallowed up by the very people who paused to watch him just moments before.
As I continued looking (because I hadn’t lost interest in him yet,) a skinny man in a red hat, red jacket, and who had a sharp nose walked up to me. His eyes were brownish-green. I suddenly found myself in a conversation with him.
I was the only one he was talking to yet he spoke at a level where a small auditorium would be able to hear him just fine without a microphone. He pulled his mask down so that I could hear him better. His teeth were yellow. He spoke clearly, selecting which words to emphasize and being intentional with his pauses. He had passion and excitement and I didn't mind listening to him even if I couldn't understand a word. Plus, he was on a roll and I didn’t want to have to interrupt and tell him.
I picked up on words and other things. “Alcohol.” “Air.” “Feet.” “Buddhist.” He drew a circle with two fingers.
I think I knew what he was trying to say. Something about that guy and his feet and the alcohol and a similarity to Buddhism.
His face was a foot away from mine when a masked Sophia and her brother walked out of the cigarette vendor’s stall. I glanced at them. He glanced at them too—but only briefly because he went right back to me.
Using the little German we learned from our introductory course, Sophia told him. “Er spricht kein Deutsch.” Without looking at her and without skipping a beat, the man with the hat, the jacket, and the teeth switched to English.
“It’s interesting. The horseshoe effect.” He glanced at Sophia, inviting her in on his lecture.
“A fat alcoholic with dirty feet and barely any clothes. Yet he doesn’t shiver. Similarly, a Buddhist person—one of those monks with the shaved heads and the robes—can wear next to nothing and walk barefoot through snow or fire. Opposite sides of the human spectrum, yet it’s the same destination—able to withstand the conditions.”
He drew a circle with his two fingers again.
“One feels nothing and walks barefoot. The other feels everything and walks barefoot. Yet, they both walk barefoot.”
I nodded. Sophia tilted her head. He looked at both of us and paused before shrugging, putting his mask back on, and walking away.
It was then that the group of girls (and Joel) walked through the station’s sliding doors.
“What the fuck was that?” Sophia asked. She didn’t actually say that, but that’s the look she gave me. She didn’t see the beast and I didn’t really know how to describe it so I didn’t.
The night began from there.
Me and Sophia’s brother ended up leaving them at the bar because the line was too long and the girls (and Joel) were pairing up with guys at the front to get in.
So, we ended up going to the beer place in the city center and talked about many things. He was cool.
