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.
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'.
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.
Comments
He ste the sandwich so when he shouted out to the other..
He ste the sandwich so when he shouted out to the other passengers, his breath would smell and he would spit crumbs on them.
It was interesting. You have a character who seems like he..
It was interesting. You have a character who seems like he never amounts to anything but you have to wonder. Is he a lot more brave then he is letting on?...The bus thing makes me wonder. Why would a guy who is as timid as hell and worried about whether or not he is making anyone uncomfortable deliberatly breathe on people just so he can get a seat on the bus?
Hardly pointless, I thought it made for a great read...I..
Hardly pointless, I thought it made for a great read...I may even use it for my Gr. 9 English class. Character study? Yes, but it has a theme and it stands alone admirably. I do, however, share the question asked by another reader...why does the arab have a key to his house? mark, montreal
I read it more as a lesson on self-expression than a..
I read it more as a lesson on self-expression than a character portrait, and I definitely dont think Luke is meant to be admired. The author has a handle on what its like to be isolated by ones own passiveness and fear. A couple years ago, I WAS Luke, unable to look a passing stranger in the eye, always working hard with my co-workers opinions in mind, always slipping by people sideways because I was too afraid to assert a simple "excuse me", then coming into my "bus" to compulsively dish out obnoxious, even hurtful behavior to some family members. I connected with Luke, and this story was actually inspirational for me. My favorite Sorrentino piece so far.
Sorrentino obviously has talent; it is an enjoyable read. ..
Sorrentino obviously has talent; it is an enjoyable read. I had sympathy for the main character. However, I could not help feeling dissapointed at the lacklustre ending.
yeah, boring
yeah, boring
African short story? Surely not.
African short story? Surely not.
I liked it, but I wonder why the Arab would be at Lukes..
I liked it, but I wonder why the Arab would be at Lukes home. Why would the mans employer have a key to his house? The conclusion also seemed to imply that more than just Lukes wife, son, and boss live at his home. It made me think Lukes life is imaginary. Maybe he lives in some sort of asylum or mental hospital. Can anyone explain that for me?
Wonderfully funny and insightful pen portrait. Im positive..
Wonderfully funny and insightful pen portrait. Im positive that Ive met this guy on more than one ocassion, and probably been him too.
Well, I didnt even want to finish it...so I didnt...Enough..
Well, I didnt even want to finish it...so I didnt...Enough said. In other words, if you didnt get that, the story, if one could call it that, was not good.
This story was hard for me to get involved in at first, it..
This story was hard for me to get involved in at first, it seemed to be too much description with not much happening. Towards the end when Luke was on the bus and torturing the passengers with his antics it got pretty funny and the story grabbed my interest a little more, but not by much. This seems like more of a poorly written first draft than a final draft of a story.
The story made me think about how I treat other people, how..
The story made me think about how I treat other people, how considerate I am to others feelings. I think you can take this story in any way, shape, or form, as long as you take it. Even if it is just understanding it, getting one complete thought from it. As simple as this story is, and how devastating it seems, it really gets to you. I think every time someone is somewhat of an annoyance to me from now on, I will handle the situation differently. The story was intriguing to read.
It was all right I guess. The story seemed to be lacking..
It was all right I guess. The story seemed to be lacking something. It just did not capture my interest. I found it boring. The one humorous part is handing out all the coins to the bus driver and always keeping his window open in the winter. I can just see the other people on the bus chunking food items and trash at him. Other than that I found no great interest.
I dont think this story was pointless at all. It was..
I dont think this story was pointless at all. It was clear, well-written, and painted a very vivid picture of Luke. I could almost see him in my head. In everything in his life, he is regarded as weak, and as a nobody. The bus ride is the one place where he is dominating and he takes FULL advantage of it. I loved the contrast of the detailed description of his life at home and work and the bus ride. Bravo.
I loved that story. It was very funny! I like how he..
I loved that story. It was very funny! I like how he seemed to be so simple but yet when he road on the bus he became this totally different person. Yeah, like some of the other comments have said I know that I have been Luke once in awhile in my life, quite and sweet to people but then end up in a situation where I am not all that kind and tend to annoy the people around me. Oh and the reason he was eating the sandwich was to get the salami stuck in his teeth so that his breath would stink when he breathed into the other passengers faces.
After reading the short-story My Friend Luke, I was forced..
After reading the short-story My Friend Luke, I was forced to question its significance and power. The portrayal of a man who lets society walk all over him and claims what little dignity he can by making orders on a bus hardly makes for a funny jest. The story completely misses its target; to make light of life and be humorous. Secondly, the story is inappropriately dubbed My Friend Luke. It not once incorporates the relationship of the friend to Luke. Ultimately, I have to agree the piece of work is utterly pointless and in no way stimulates any human emotion; especially laughter.
A very interesting character study, but does not stand as a..
A very interesting character study, but does not stand as a short story. A short story must be something more than a snapshot, in my opinion, and this submission is captivating, but is only a character description.
This was very enjoyable to read. It is a story in the most..
This was very enjoyable to read. It is a story in the most basic form, the life of a single person. Whats funny and real about this particular story is that it admits that most lives can be boring. But its told with great language and style, so even this boring life is fun to read.
I loved the story. I intend to recomend it to some of my..
I loved the story. I intend to recomend it to some of my friends.
This is the most funniest short story I ever read. I can..
This is the most funniest short story I ever read. I can related to Luke because he has once be a friend of mine.
Loved the story
Loved the story
A hilarious story. Luke is a little irritating although it..
A hilarious story. Luke is a little irritating although it is because of this character trait of his that we get his funny behavior on the bus.
Totally hilarious. You could do more with this character. I..
Totally hilarious. You could do more with this character. I do admire your writing style.
Totally engaging read with a lot of absurdist humour. Lukes..
Totally engaging read with a lot of absurdist humour. Lukes behaviour on the bus had resonances of Mr Bean and had me chuckling throughout. There were a couple of contradictions in the story which at the end seemed to have been resolved satisfactorily at the end. First was the fact that when Lukes salary was docked, his wife took their son to a more expensive school. Next was the question which screamed of at me at the end of the story, and which two contributors have asked questions about. Why was the Arab in a position to let Luke into his own home? Answer: He was shagging Lukes wife, unpleasant though she might have sounded. Luke was definitely being cuckolded and theres a very strong chance that the child was the Arabs. I m a story teller who collects stories, reshapes them and rewrites them for telling in public. I shall definitely work on Luke and possibly, just possibly, I might make him kill the Arab at the end. Only problem is, they seem to have lobotomised Luke, and I wonder if he will have the guts to do it. Dabo
What an absurd tale! Anon
What an absurd tale! Anon
It was OK but its not really a short story. Its sounds like..
It was OK but its not really a short story. Its sounds like something you would hear when somebody is describing a person to some one else. It dont really have a point.
I didnt think thais story was a short-story. It is more of..
I didnt think thais story was a short-story. It is more of a memoir. It has few characters. I thought that this story was boring. It tells about one person and a little of some other people. It has no dialouge. There is no way that this is a short story.
THEY SAY THE MAN IS SWEET BUT HE TORTURES PEOPLE ON THE BUS!
THEY SAY THE MAN IS SWEET BUT HE TORTURES PEOPLE ON THE BUS!
How great! I really enjoyed it. Im sitting here at the..
How great! I really enjoyed it. Im sitting here at the computer in the library stifling laughter. I loved him! What a strange, idiosyncratic, hilarious little man!
I found the Luke character quite annoying. His..
I found the Luke character quite annoying. His passive-aggressive behavior on the bus irritated me. Why cant he put his anger to better use by standing up to his wife and boss? I know that is the point of the "meek" character, but I found him very annoying.
I figured out why the Arab has a key to Lukes house...
I figured out why the Arab has a key to Lukes house. Probably the Arab is having an affair with Lukes wife.
in short, it was simply delightful. thanks for the read.
in short, it was simply delightful. thanks for the read.
i thought it was OKAY. i believe Fernando couldve done a..
i thought it was OKAY. i believe Fernando couldve done a little better. i didnt really read it but skipped thru it. (not much of a comical person; mostly horror). i didnt think this was as good as "The Return". (i read that short story for a Prose competition and i placed 2nd cuz of it!). i recommend this author stick with horror rather than humour. either why, keep up the good work. ~Muah~
Luke was a frustrating character and this proved to be a..
Luke was a frustrating character and this proved to be a frustrating read. A portrait of the absurd and nothing more.
This is first time I read Sorrentino. I think he has a..
This is first time I read Sorrentino. I think he has a keen sense of observation. I cannot think of Luke as an imaginary character. I have seen a few persons like Luke. I enjoyed it very much. I wanted to see his wife suffer. End is abrupt.
The point of the piece was to make you smile and to..
The point of the piece was to make you smile and to stimulate your imagination for a while. It worked -- at least for me. As for the show dont tell commentary -- there was enough show here to lead Lazarus home. In case you hadnt noticed this site is for folks who like to read -- maybe you should just go watch TV if you need more show.
I thought this story was wonderful. I like to think that..
I thought this story was wonderful. I like to think that the narrator was the Arab, and Luke is his personality when hes not among family or colleagues. Quoting the story: "...husbands should repress their own overwhelming personality in order to make room for the actualisation of the rest of the family group." End quote. -deep inside, the narrator is Luke- fearful and submissive. He sees himself as the man he was when he married (same clothes, stays behind at work when others leave, son who doesnt obey him (but does obey the Arab aspect of his personality), cutting out discretionary spending in order to support his family, etc. -Julian from Philadelphia
I enjoyed this.Especially Lukes alter ego who appears on..
I enjoyed this.Especially Lukes alter ego who appears on the bus. I think I know Luke!
i dont understand.
i dont understand.
its not a story! nothing happens!
its not a story! nothing happens!
The Arab owns Luke, thats why he has the key to his house. ..
The Arab owns Luke, thats why he has the key to his house. The less obvious answer is stated previously... Luke is the Arab.
So he goes home and waits for the Arab.. the arab whos his..
So he goes home and waits for the Arab.. the arab whos his boss?? Hmmmm.. why would be at his home w/his wife and his son???
Rides the bus, my foot. He drives. I have to drive beside..
Rides the bus, my foot. He drives. I have to drive beside this guy every morning during rush hour. No, wait. Thats a woman, isnt it.
Luke was just being a survivor and adapting to all the..
Luke was just being a survivor and adapting to all the unfortunate circumstances of his existence. That wasnt real,...his behavior on the bus was. On further investigation, "there is no Luke."
The later part of the story contradicts the beginning part..
The later part of the story contradicts the beginning part of the story on the character of Luke. It is not too well written.
I live with luke. Hes my Mother and Father.They have no..
I live with luke. Hes my Mother and Father.They have no bus. I am thier Bus. I am also Luke.
Whats the point?
Whats the point?
An enjoyable read. I dont understand why some readers find..
An enjoyable read. I dont understand why some readers find it pointless.
Nice image of insane human contradictions. Very enjoyable..
Nice image of insane human contradictions. Very enjoyable characterization.
The way that this story hints at the story that so many..
The way that this story hints at the story that so many commentors seem to want is rather nice. Embedded in the character sketch is a story that is told between the lines. Is the Arab having an affair with Lukes wife? Perhaps. The Arab gives Luke so much work that he can not accomplish it during normal working hours. The Arab is sometimes at Lukes home when Luke arrives. But even if he should arrive home when the Arab is with his wife, he can not enter since he does not have a key. We do not even know if the Arab is in on this day, only that they are "nowhere to be found." Keyless, how could Luke find them. We also hear that "It is not entirely true that" Lukes son "only obeys his mother. " He seems to obey someone else, perhaps another man. Suggesting the ultimate infidelity the author writes, "One has to wonder" how he has made a child with his wife, especially one that is tall (while Luke is short). But Lukes son has blond hair. We can imagine Luke him thinking that he has taken the article in this favourite publication, Readers Digest, to heart, and is supressing his dominance to allow his family members to grow. He convinces himself that he is indeed dominant and that he is quiet by choice, at home at least, by his power at the margin between the two worlds where he is repressed. Other than in his identification with the boxing matches he listends to, the only place where Luke is powerful on the bus. He is one step away from the stray dogs and cats that panic him, clinging to the two worlds that torture him, by pretending that he has a choice, or by crossing the street. I have seen his man before and in Camus though (the guy that hits his dog in...I cant remember. Perhaps, "A Happy Death"). And Camus had people come into conflict with Arabs.
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