Contemporary story
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My Friend Luke

I have a friend who must be the sweetest, shyest person in the world. His name is brittle and ancient (Luke), his age modestly intermediate (forty). He is rather short and skinny, has a thin moustache and even thinner hair on his head. Since his vision is not perfect, he wears glasses: they are small, round and frame-less.

In order not to inconvenience anyone, he always walks sideways. Instead of saying 'Excuse me', he prefers to glide by one side. If the gap is so narrow that it will not allow him to pass, Luke waits patiently until the obstruction -- be it animate or inanimate, rational or irrational -- moves by itself. Stray dogs and cats panic him, and in order to avoid them he constantly crosses from one side to of the road to another.

He speaks with a very thin, subtle voice, so inaudible that it is hard to tell if he is speaking at all. He has never interrupted anybody. On the other hand, he can never manage more than two words without somebody interrupting him. This does not seem to irritate him; in fact, he actually appears happy to have been able to utter those two words.

My friend Luke has been married for years. His wife is a thin, choleric, nervous woman who, as well as having an unbearably shrill voice, strong lungs, a finely drawn nose and a viperous tongue suffers from an uncontrollable temper and the personality of a lion tamer. Luke -- you have to wonder how -- has succeeded in producing a child named (by his mother) Juan Manuel. He is tall, blond, intelligent, distrustful, sarcastic and has a fringe. It is not entirely true that he only obeys his mother. However, the two of them have always agreed that Luke has little to offer the world and therefore choose to ignore his scarce and rarely expressed opinions.

Luke is the oldest and the least important employee of a dismal company that imports cloth. It operates out of a very dark building with black-stained wooden floors situated in Alsina street. The owner -- I know him personally -- is called don Aqueróntido -- I don't know whether that is his first name or his surname -- and he has a ferocious moustache, is bald and has a thunderous voice. He is also violent and greedy. My friend Luke goes to work dressed all in black, wearing a very old suit that shines from age. He only owns one shirt -- the one he wore for the first time on the day of his marriage -- and it has an anachronistic plastic collar. He also only owns one tie, so frayed and greasy that it looks more like a shoelace. Unable to bear the disapproving looks of don Aqueróntido, Luke, unlike his colleagues, does not dare work without his jacket on and in order to keep this jacket in good condition he wears a pair of grey sleeve-protectors. His salary is ludicrously low, but he still stays behind in the office every day and works for another three or four hours: the tasks don Aqueróntido gives him are so huge that he has no chance of accomplishing them within normal hours. Now, just after the don Aqueróntido cut his salary yet again, his wife has decided that Juan Manuel must not do his secondary studies in a state school. She has chosen to put his name down for a very costly institution in the Belgrano area. In view of the extortionate outlay this involves, Luke has stopped buying his newspaper and (an even greater sacrifice) The Reader's Digest, his two favourite publications. The last article he managed to read in the Reader's Digest explained how husbands should repress their own overwhelming personality in order to make room for the actualisation of the rest of the family group.

*

There is, however, one remarkable aspect to Luke: his behaviour as soon as he steps on a bus. Generally, this is what happens:

He requests a ticket and begins to look for his money, slowly. He holds up one hand to ensure that the driver keeps waiting, unsure of what to do. Luke does not hurry. In fact, I would say that the driver's impatience gives him a certain amount of pleasure. Then he pays with the largest possible number of small coins, which he delivers a few at the time, in varying amounts and at irregular intervals. For some reason, this disturbs the driver, who, apart from having to pay attention to other cars, the traffic lights, other passengers getting on or off, and having to drive the bus itself, is forced to perform complicated arithmetic. Luke aggravates the problem by including in his payment an old Paraguayan coin that he keeps for the purpose and which is invariably returned to him. This way, mistakes are usually made in the accounts and an argument ensues. Then, in a serene but firm manner, Luke begins to defend his rights, employing arguments so contradictory that it is impossible to understand what point he is actually trying to make. Finally, the driver, at the end of the last tether of his sanity and in an act of final resignation, chooses to throw out the coins -- perhaps as a means of repressing his wish to throw out Luke or, indeed, himself.

When winter comes, Luke always travels with the windows wide open. The first to suffer as a result of this is Luke himself: he has developed a chronic cough that often forces him to stay awake entire nights. During the summer, he closes his window and will not allow anyone to lower the shade that would protect him from the sun. More than once he has ended up with first-degree burns.

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Because of his weak lungs, Luke is not allowed to smoke and, in fact, he hates smoking. In spite of this, once inside the bus he cannot resist the temptation to light up a cheap, heavy cigar that clogs up his windpipe and makes him cough. After he gets off, he puts away his cigar in preparation for his next journey.

Luke is a tiny, sedentary, squalid person and has never been interested in sports. But come Saturday evening, he switches on his portable radio and turns the volume up full in order to follow the boxing match. Sundays he dedicates to football and tortures the rest of the passengers with the noisy broadcasts.

The back seat is for five passengers. In spite of his very small size, Luke sits so as to allow room for only four or even three people on the seat. If four are already seated and Luke is standing up, he demands permission, in an indignant and reproachful tone, to sit down -- which he then does, managing to take up an excessive amount of space. To this end, he puts his hands in his pockets so that his elbows will remain firmly embedded in his neighbours' ribs.

Luke's resources are plentiful and diverse.

When he has to travel standing up, he always keeps his jacket unbuttoned, carefully adjusting his posture so that the lower edge of his jacket hits the face or the eyes of those sitting down.

If anyone is reading, they are easy prey for Luke. Watching him or her closely, Luke places his head near the light so as to throw a shadow on the victim's book. Every now and then he withdraws his head as if by chance. The reader will anxiously devour one or two words before Luke moves back into position.

My friend Luke knows the times when the bus will be fully packed. On those occasions, he consumes a salami sandwich and a glass of red wine. Then, with breadcrumbs and threads of salami still between his teeth and pointing his mouth towards the other passenger's noses, he walks along the vehicle shouting loudly, 'Excuse me'.

←3

If he manages to take the front seat, he never gives it up to anyone. But should he find himself in one of the last rows, the moment he sees a woman with a child in her arms or a weak, elderly person climb on board he immediately stands up and calls very loudly to the front passenger to offer them his seat. Later he usually makes some recriminatory remark against those that kept their seats. His eloquence is always effective, and some mortally ashamed passenger gets off at the next stop. Instantly, Luke takes his place.

*

My friend Luke gets off the bus in a very good mood. Timidly, he walks home, staying out of the way of anyone he meets. He is not allowed a key, so he has to ring the bell. If anyone is home, they rarely refuse to open the door to him. But if neither his wife, his son nor don Aqueróntido are to be found, Luke sits on the doorstep until someone arrives.

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Average: 5 (1 vote)

Comments

Submitted by admin on Tue, 07/15/2003 - 10:10

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I could see this in my minds eye, it would make a lovely film short. The ridiculous way he asserts himself upon the world made me laugh out loud. I wasnt sure if he was meant to be perceived as a real person or representative of the daily niggles in our lives. either way, it was an amusing ride.

Submitted by admin on Thu, 03/13/2003 - 08:15

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SorRentino makes me consider what makes for good translation material. Mata-mata he provides universal situations cuppled with a humble narration. The characters are alive ::: and squirming::

Submitted by admin on Thu, 03/13/2003 - 08:15

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Every time I read a Sorrentino story, Im determined to hate it. I say to myself, "Scenario alone cant save a story" and I read on, eager to pick it apart. But then I struggle: The prose is elegant in its modesty and the characters all rise to life in colors and shapes that I can see. And I forget everything. And I love his stories. Again and again.

Submitted by admin on Thu, 03/13/2003 - 08:15

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Extremely well written. The story flowed like a river. Its hard to express, but I found the overall experience overpowering, but so realistic, that I feel there must be a person named Luke somewhere. Delighful that such a character could do such things. Wonderful.

Submitted by admin on Thu, 03/13/2003 - 08:15

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pointless yes, but the fact that this is not your average story with "message" ending its what should capture you, it does to me, the fact that the character is so weak, should really make some of us think that there are human beings like this, quite, warm caring, and yet no matter they are happy about who they are, because they know how humble they truly are, if it werent for them the world would be a mess, not that it isnt, but its not completely there yet. good job. I liked it, good to just give it a small read and thats it.

Submitted by admin on Thu, 03/13/2003 - 08:15

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I too, laughed from the moment he got on the bus to the end. This is just a lovely, lovely short and I so related to the character. I like how the narrator is the characters friend, implying that we all know someone like this, but I sometimes feel like I AM that guy, people-pleasing everyone in sight, but in anonymous moments I feel an urge to fart or scream out a sudden profanity. Bravo, and for those who claim this is pointless, I would recommend they read a Richard Brautigan novel or Kurt Vonnegut, lest they find themselves eternally couched in their ignorance.

Submitted by admin on Thu, 03/20/2003 - 06:44

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In world full of chaos it is only by few chances we get to observe a distinct personality w/by fact is interesting and worth it to arouse ones curiosity.We call them the "low profiles" who prefer to live behind the curtain,the ones who intend to please the 4 corners of their room,the ones who is satisfied w/ the company of the dust and patiently counts the days and months in the calendar.It takes a lot of dignity to look at this weird persons because observing them will gamble your ability to withhold your personal opinion or criticisms for them.On the contrary,wholely appreciating them is just a means of knowing their unseen qualities such as their artistic side,how they are endeared to the beauty of nature,the time they decvote to a certain place,the untiring way they listen to musical operas and how unaware they are to act in such a comical move.Into this,w/o Sorrentinos ability to write then one of the low profiles we are talking about wouldnt be counted as one of the "high profiles"",that is,his friend Luke...So let us giv a chance to the unknown to be known........... by:Rani Imogene Faraon Baguio City,Philippines

Submitted by admin on Wed, 04/09/2003 - 11:24

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My name just happens to be Luke, and at times, think I that I do resemble the Luke from this story. One thing though, I would hate to have salami stuck in my teeth. It makes me cringe just thinking about it.

Submitted by admin on Fri, 04/18/2003 - 18:26

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this story was incredibly well written. Luke really comes to life here. For those of you that see this as pointless. it is. but the lives of many people are. its inspiring and made to tell of one such person, ignored and repressed.

Submitted by admin on Mon, 04/21/2003 - 10:52

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I thought this story was about pity. It would be easy to pity someone like Luke, but its only when you see how he acts on the bus, that you realise that in fact he does not deserve to be entirely pitied... People arent that simple.

Submitted by admin on Wed, 04/23/2003 - 12:30

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In the beginning we have really no feelings towards Luke, we either feel sorry for him because he is plagued with his wife and a low-income job and seems to like being cut off after two words, or we dont really care for Luke, we would treat him like an idiot. But while hes on the bus he makes a place for himself and that is great, we dont like it when people dont stand up for himself, and the bus seems to be the only place where he can do just that.

Submitted by admin on Wed, 05/21/2003 - 04:14

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Luke suffers from low self-esteem. He is marginalized at home by his wife and son, and at work by his Arab boss. Luke seems too spineless to improve his home life and work environment. But he lashes back at the world through his irritating bus-riding antics. It is clear he gains a sense of satisfaction from his anti-social behavior on the bus as the text states he "gets off the bus in a very good mood." Sorrentinos story is abrasively perceptive in its characterization of the protagonist.

Submitted by admin on Sat, 06/07/2003 - 15:29

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I enjoyed the strangeness and admire the unique quality of this story. However, I would have like the ending to either reveal a little bit more or perhaps break away from the characters routine whether by force or by his personal choice makes little difference.

Submitted by admin on Tue, 06/24/2003 - 09:05

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To those who thought the story pointless, if you dont understand it, it is usually best to keep your thoughts to yourself. The story was absolutely charming and full of meaning, enough to keep me musing over it for hours, I feel all the better for having read it.

Submitted by admin on Fri, 06/27/2003 - 12:28

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I found the character Luke to be very unbelivable. Perhaps that was the point, I dont know. The author uses the terms, always and never, too often. He has never spoken more than two words with being interrupted? Never? In his entire life? It is absurd, but it isnt funny. It is like the bowl of mud with a spoon that sits in the art gallery and is called art. I dont get it but others think its full of meaning.

Submitted by admin on Thu, 07/10/2003 - 12:21

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The story is by no means pointless. It is "one mans story". It needs no more and no less, for these 3 pages encompass a pattern that is Lukes life, all the essential details of his life that are destined to repeat over and over again for his entire existence.

Submitted by admin on Mon, 07/14/2003 - 08:36

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I agree with the show dont tell comment. This story is not pointless but we are never brought into a present action, and always remain on the periphery. Basically this is a background piece on the character Luke. Certainly, he is an interesting character, as is his family dynamic. But instead of telling us about how he deals with his family and bus riders it should be shown.

Submitted by admin on Thu, 08/07/2003 - 02:21

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i reread this piece several times over convincing myself that this is a story and not just a descriptive essay. the hidden message i overlooked is found within the meaning of his name and the life of Luke. i feel that a certain connectin between his name and his life created Lukes definition of his own persona. and the way the irony of his age and his attitude (remember, his mischief with the driver). though some details such as the Arab and his measely salary are irrelevant (pointless), the story revolves around a person finding his own essence in life inside the bus which makes his story surface. so many questions regarding his anonymity to his own society surface as the story proceeds and is answered in his experiences with the bus. ill leave you in figuring that one out.

Submitted by admin on Fri, 08/08/2003 - 03:03

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I think Ill try and be more sympathetic towards all those people who are seriously annoying on public transport - they might be "luke"s, trying to get their single moment of resolution & empowerment - although its telling that he indirectly inflicts on others what he himself suffers - inconsideration.

Submitted by admin on Fri, 08/29/2003 - 08:15

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i often play spades online inevitably, there is at least one nasty, rude, off the wall jerk every time i go to play this reminds me of those people should it make me feel more sympathy? or more anger?

Submitted by admin on Sun, 08/31/2003 - 21:16

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I received a frown and very bad grade when I turned in a character piece for a short story. I liked it, but unless you are dead like George Eliot (The Waiting Room)strictly scenes and character pieces get tossed in the "not a story that moved or changed me" editors pile. Good, strong writing that deserves a read.

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