Vince The Boom

I ran into my friend Vince at Taco Fiesta. I hadn’t seen him in over a year. I didn’t recognize him right off, and he knew it.

“Is that Anthony?” he asked. Maybe he didn’t recognize me either with the question.

There was a confused look on my face before I figured it out. 

Vince is a boom operator for a reputable television show. It’s a funny show and frankly I’m impressed that he’s in such close company with the actors on the show. It wouldn’t be right to name drop so I won’t.

“I tried to get in touch with you. You must be too good for me, because I never heard back from you, “ Vince said.

I do the best I can to answer text messages and what not so I was surprised by the comment.

“It doesn’t sound like me to not respond. I think I’d respond if you sent me a text,” I answered. “What number do you have?

Vince dug into his pocket and fished out his phone.

“831.”

“Oh, that’s my old number, no wonder. I have a new number.”

              I gave Vince my new number and the problem was solved. My order came up and I said good-bye to Vince. I walked away wondering how long he was holding on to his hurt feelings, and if he wished me wrong for all that time. Things change quickly, one minute I'm a too-good jackass, the next minute I'm a stand up guy. 

Cliff Soon To Be Carolyn

My brother works with a man named Cliff. Cliff is going through a gender transformation, so soon he will be known as Carolyn.

Every year, the department my brother works in has a talent show, or a day when the workers who are musicians break out their instruments and play some music. It’s a chance to let their hair down and celebrate rather than work.

Cliff took the opportunity to read a couple of his poems. The first poem was entitled, “On Transformation." It was a detailed account of how a man turns into a woman- the process of transformation, the creams, the pills, the makeup, the surgeries.

The other poem Cliff read was called "On The Womanhood Express." It was another intimate description of his gender transformation, but this time written from the psyche of a woman as opposed to a man. I’m thinking it gave liberation a new meaning.

            Nobody could say anything disparaging while Cliff was reading for fear of losing their jobs. So instead, my brother and his friend turned towards each other and opened their mouths as wide as they could and brought their open hand to their cheeks and opened their eyes wide in a show of playful fright, an expression of the feelings they had inside. My brother was angry at Cliff for not giving him more time to get to know Carolyn.