It is a good August Saturday to walk downtown. There is a cool breeze coming up and over the hill, and even though it is somewhat cloudy, with long white rolls laid out against the sky, the sun still heats everything. Travis’s legs feel warm in his jeans. He vows to get out of the apartment and lay out by the swimming pool next week. His apartment complex had two, and he’d never occasioned either. Then he wants to ask her to join him, but holds off. Melissa seems content to smile and not say much. Travis lets it alone at that. “What did you write on the wall?” he asks. While he had been taking care of the breakfast dishes, Melissa had asked if she could add something to all his graffiti. He said yes, and she told him that he couldn’t read it until after she was gone. He had asked why and she had only said something about it being embarassing.

“I’m not telling you.”

“What’s it matter? I’m gonna’ see it in an hour. You’re not suddenly going to be embarassed in an hour are you?”

“That’s the point,” Melissa replies.

“Well, is it something you said or was it somebody famous.”

She smiles. “Somebody who will be famous.”

“I hope you didn’t quote me.”

“Why?”

“That would be a bit pretentious, don’t you think? My own words on my bedroom wall?”

“No. It’s in my handwriting. That makes it okay.”

“It does?”

“Yes.”

“What standards board declared this?”

Melissa thinks about it. “The Graffiti and Scrawled Quote Board of Etiquette.” Duh.

“Okay.”

“I thought you’d be touched.”

“Depends on what I said. I’m the one who’s gonna’ have to look at it for the rest of the month.”

“You’ll like it. Shut up.”

Read the whole thread: Carousel Cowboy

Characters and Places: August, graffiti, Melissa Keller, Travis Fleeting, walking