Bill Barker was a straight man without a side kick.
Billy would stand outside of a dozen and main, on twelfth that is, and he would tip his hat and give a good morning to everybody who went by. He'd look expectantly as the fellows passed, but it was never the case that he got any in return.
Poor guy just didn't know how to say it.
Billy would get quite dejected at times. You would notice his shoulder shrug and he would stare at the ground. He would stay this way for a moment or sometimes a day, but he would perk back up as soon as he heard laughing around the bend.
Billy had a house around the corner but he wasn't there much. He lived alone except for his sister who no one saw anyway. There was one day, about ten years back when Billy brought out Marie onto the corner with him. They tried, and Billy held that grim veneer. But before the sun even came up she was spooked and ran to the house crying, yelling bloody murder that Billy would ever do something so mean.
After that, Billy was all alone on the corner.
This went on for maybe twenty years. Maybe still does. A year ago I close down and moved myself to Tulsa. I don't know what became of Billy, but I doubt he ever did find a funny man.
- posted by Sigurd1/06/2007 07:48:00 AM