Thursday, August 23, 2012

eSMr. Houghton...



 This week for dVerse dVerse Poets Pub  we are asked to write about a 'character':










                                                       Mr. Houghton

He had sailed around the world as a Merchant Seaman.   I worked in the Old Federal Bldg. in the small post office inside, downtown.   One hundred percent Irish and in his 80’s, Mr. Houghton’s hunched body with a cane and an umbrella appeared weekly to pick up his mail.  He had coarse white hair which was connected to sideburns, then to a short beard and long scraggly whiskers.  Often, on said beard was tomato soup or food of some kind.  He wore a navy seaman’s captain’s cap pushed down over his  Jimmy Durante kind of nose.  Up close, he had blue-gray eyes, white eyebrows, and a crooked smile.

I imagined how handsome he was as a young man and longed to hear his tales.  Sometimes when work was slow we would have conversations in a corner in the room.  We liked a lot of the same movies and music.  I believe he was a romantic at heart and I became smitten with this much older man, with a lilt in his accent and a haversack over his shoulder.

He told me he went dancing most Saturday nights at the center house by the Space Needle.  I’ve watched them before, Waltzes, polkas, Cha-chas and rock n roll for the old folks.  I wish I had joined him there.
I wondered about his youth, growing up in Ireland, and his sailing days.  Did he have a girl in every port?
How many storm tempests did he experience and what were his favorite corners of the world.  I imagined him to have a treasure load of stories.  He looked rugged, but from the particular squint he displayed, I sensed a certain refinement in him.

Conceivably, he may have earned a living with his fists and hands, or fighting.  I imagined him courting young girls, getting married, and having a family.  I actually ache that I didn’t pursue his friendship. I often wondered what type of mail he was receiving.  Probably, money from the government, or a pension.
He could have been investing his money.  He was planning to go back and visit his sister.  I’ve romanticized the exchange of love letters as well as mail from a relative.

                     


One rainy day he arrived soaked.  He was complaining, swearing because the barbershop who he usually went to was closed.   It was not busy at work, so I offered to give him a haircut myself, gratis.  He agreed and I let him in through the side door.  For a the half hour or so I trimmed his hair, we didn’t speak much. I asked myself what might he be like at home, how would it be to go on a date with him, have dinner.  When he got up from his chair, he looked in the mirror and thanked me, blushing a bit.

“It was my pleasure”, I said.  Head bowed, turned to me, thanked me and he gave me a big grin. 

That night, I dreamed I wore a red dress as he danced me around the dance floor, the smell of Olde Spice aftershave.  After the dance, I saw myself sitting at his feet, on the floor in front of a fire.  Occasionally he puffed on his pipe while telling me tales of his life.  I remember wishing I had at least invited him to dinner, gotten to know him more.   I imagined we had met before, at another time, in a different place. 
I'll bet this old man of the sea could really cut a rug on the dance floor with me as his mate.

by klr                          

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13 comments:

  1. kkkkaty (now that's going through my head) this is a touching reflection on an interesting character. I like the way your imagination raised questions, nursed regrets. Isn't it fun to wonder about others?

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  2. wow...you really paint this character and hint enough at a back story too..he sounds intriguing and he obviously had the charm as well to get those thoughts stirring in your head....bet he would have been a trip to dance with...

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  3. I love this. I've wondered about people in my head like this before too...been attracted and thought...what if. He really sounds intriguing to me too!

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  4. so well written and intriguing too. I love the naughty end (so you wanted to dance with him) very beautiful. you are an artist dear Kathy :) delightful one. your writing is so rich.

    wishing you a beautiful day
    xxo

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  5. A wonderful illustration of someone who made you wonder.

    Love the tomato soup in his whiskers (my husband is a hairy monster and often traces of his last meal are caught in his beard!).

    Also the mention of Old Spice recaptured memories for me as I used to love ANY man who wore that wonderful stuff splashed on his face!

    Anna :o]

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  6. Now, he knows how to play the long game with the ladies - play cool to keep them keen

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  7. He sounds like a really nice character. I like the way you build him up and even fantasize about what he may be like as a lover. The drop of tomato soup in his whiskers was nice too. Very good read :)

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  8. Nice imaginative write ....we all wonder how the ordinary people we meet on the street or at home have lived their lives ~ Some I bet have lived really interesting and exciting lives ~

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  9. I do like this. You've given us the narrator as well as the sailor. You make me wonder "what if".

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  10. nice...sounds like a really interesting character... think i would've enjoyed talking to him as well....so sad that you never danced with him..

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  11. I love your Mr. Houghten--and I adore the Mr. Houghtens in life. Always wonder about their stories. A wonderful write. BTW I live in Washington too...nice to "meet" you :)

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  12. This is just lovely - a wonderful portrait. K.

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All comments, constructive and otherwise, are welcome and appreciated here. Thank you to those who show an interest in my quirky style of writing, photography, painting, and presenting a feeling or thought and for stopping by A Dwelling by the Sea..