Saturday, July 08, 2006

victim

a man with smashed up face, in a wheel chair, just came into the library today to get a library card. he handed me his license. on it, his face appeared just fine. eyes in the right place, nose round and there. mouth full of lips, and a smile. a long prosaic beard. he looked plump and pleased and swedish. but the face before me looked nothing like the picture. it had clearly been ripped apart, and then crudely sewn back together. his body too, one leg missing, one arm severed above the elbow. he made some comment about "not having a card since he was a teenager" and a "real partier" drank a lot until it almost "cost him his life". i wondered about people who need to tell you too much, to tell you their story after having just met you.... we have a saying when that happens at work: "too much information". i guess because it happens a lot.

although most people would probably wonder how he lost his face... so maybe he's just helping us out by answering the questions before they are awkwardly attempted.


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