Chapter 5
The darkness has deepened around us, but I can still discern the signs that John has been impressing in his notebook as I spoke.
“So the Neil Robson in your first novel is the alias of Rob Neilson …”, John says, eyes lowered, as if talking to himself
Our conversation pauses. All is apparently still but I sense John’s body twitch ever so slightly.
There’s a metal box beside the sofa. In it I find a story I cut off from the short fiction section published on the New Yorker years ago. The date is October 20, 1999.
“You’re a journalist, so of course you remember Rob Neilson”, I say
I observe John as he waits for my words.
“But have you ever read this?”, I continue after a moment, handing him the story
John struggles to make out the words, black against the blackness of the room, and even after deciphering them he’s at a loss.
I leave the couch to slide the paper off his hands and refill our glasses. Then I lay back and let the alcohol blow its evanescent flame through me, slowly melting in my body.
Eyes closed, I sense John’s eye on me.
“You’ve read my book, and yet you never saw this episode the way you are seeing it now. The question never occurred to you before”, I say, eyes closed
John keeps silent.
“But now you want to know if Leslie Carson is a fictional character inspired by the night I spent with Rob Neilson, or if she’s more than that. You want to know more about Leslie Carson”, I continue
“Yes, I want to know”, he tells me
“John, if you want something just ask”, I say
John doesn’t reply, and I allow time to flow by, eyes closed, laying back on the couch.
I sense John shift his body forward, and pull back. I smile, and opening my eyes I see that John has taken his glass from the table.
The amber liquid oscillates in John’s glass, ever so slightly, unveiling the invisible shiver in his hand.
I shift my body forward to pick up my glass, and pull back.
“Can you tell me more about Leslie Carson?”, John asks
“I sure can”, I smile, satisfied with the question
My memories resurface with untainted clarity in the impinging nightfall.