Devil's Blues

Marriage: one year of flames, thirty of ashes.
---From The Leopard

A friend tells another : Latest research shows that married men live for longer than unmarried men .
Other Friend: no, it just feels like that!

Just spoke to Monty and his trouble with finding a woman to settle down with. As the saying goes back home: marriage is like a sweet: those who eat it suffer from regrets at tasting it and those who don't live with a constant panging for it. Everyone's got a theory on this. Some are charming, all are ridiculous.

He's now been asked for a list of appropriate characteristics:
"I feel like fucking Schindler here" he says.
"Well, you should say your preferences are for men then! And, what did you say?"
"A girl who speaks Japanese"
"Why did you say that?"
"Because I know there is no such girl"
Well, that narrows it down! What else?
A girl who wears a monocle.
Monty, this ain't the 1920's and you're sitting in some rural back sticks. Think practical for Christ's sake.
You're right. Educated, fun and sophisticated.
Now you're talking champ. What did they say to that?
They said they knew some girl who gets a French manicure!
Worse comes to worst , we can always dress the mongol up and get him to wear a skirt.
I'll do anything for love, but I won't do that!


He's got grief but we can both laugh about it. If he's listening to anything now I hope it isn't Skip James. I tell him about the indomitable Mrs. P who had eight kids but would greet each of them -even if after a long time-with a distant handshake. She saw her son was in the doldrums at not being married at such a late age: son, if you think it's bad now, wait till you get married. ..I've never seen her laugh so heartily.