Slim Novel 3 - http://adventuresofkimi.blogspot.com - See Homepage
20. Kimi’s Education
20. Kimi’s Education
Evenings, Tommy teaches Kimi English. He is not interested in her spouting trivia or serving as ears to his brilliance. Rather he wants opinion and critique.
“And when I say ‘critique’, Baby, I don't mean Mr. Immanuel Kant's! I could get a wind-up toy to do that. I see so many Jap women who go to conversation school in order to make it with foreigners, and they learn to parrot English well. But, if you test these gals, you find they understand nothing you say. All they do is give back non-sequiturs.”
“What non-sekw…?” she asks scribbling it into her memo.
“Irrelevancies”
She scribbles more. “What that?”
“Oh, like I ask, “Do you love me?”
“Yeah!”
“Don’t answer so fast. I haven't finished. And instead of replying ‘Yea!’ or ‘Nay!’ you say, ‘Very warm for May’. Completely off point, hence non-sequitur. I want you to be able to discuss Einstein’s Relativity or the latest John Ford Movie or Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations. Not only discuss with me; disagree with me. You already have a semi conversational English. Now, the average American don't understand a quarter what he says or hears but coasts along on the other three quarters. That's why what I read out there in Dum-Dum Proper is tres cliché and blah-blah-blah. It's why I'm lonely for learned ladies, as most intelligent men are.”
“How ya gonna do it, Tommy?” she asks, slanging the words as Tommy likes to do.
“By a many-splendored approach, Doll! First, I talk with you like you are Albert E, hisself. And you note down words you don’ unnerstan’, like you're doin’. Then, reading. I’m gonna start ya on Balzac’s La Comédie Humaine.”
“Huh?”
“The Human Comedy! Balzac was a frog writer – French. His dates are 1799 to 1850.”
“But ain't I l’arn’ English?”
“Doll, are you l’arn’ a cute accent, keep it up!” He kisses her quickly on brow. “No, you won’t read Balzac in French. I bought an English edition, and you use your Britannica Dictionary!
“And we will see Hollywood movies at home. I'm gonna buy a projector and I got a friend who is the rep for American movie distribution so I can borrow the latest!”
Tommy is euphoric from a certain drug and proudly points his left index finger at mid-chest. “I wanna be a dilettante of flicks, a Hollywood movie freek with double-ee! I wanna see every movie ever made!”
“Oh, Tommy! Hold on!” She scribbles, ‘dilattante’ and ‘freek’.
He leans over and kisses her again, putting hand under dress and getting slapped good naturedly. He glances up at wall clock. “Wow! Eleven already! Leave us hie ourselves up to that big French bed in the sky upstairs. I am feelin’ sehr lustig.”
“Can I invite Olga?”
“To movies, anytime; but not to our French bed, Doll, unless you like orgies! Incidentally, I don’t know if you realize, but your comment was non sequitur.”
So it goes.
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