The Longue Goodbye
In honor of author Richard Stark, reader Joe Barrett, and their correct rendering of chaise longue in the audiobook version of Stark's novel Butcher's Moon, here's a story I wrote a few years back.
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Here are more photos from Sunday's Noir at the Bar in New York along with the other story I read there. I've included a face from earlier in the day at the Metropolitan Museum of Art that would not have been out of place at the reading. (See if you can spot the interloper.) See my other story and the first batch of photos on the previous post here at Detectives Beyond Borders.)
I pushed open the door to the pool deck and inhaled chlorine and death. Fen slumped in the chase lounge. He looked smaller and sicker than he had when I'd seen him three days before.
Spit and blood caked around his broken mouth, and for a moment I thought he was dead. "Got anything to tell me, Fen?" I knelt by the chair.
His lips cracked when he tried to talk, and I knew Fen was more than halfway to where he was going. I leaned closer.
"It's chaise longue, not chase lounge, you illiterate fuck," he said. "It means long chair."
He died happy.
© Peter Rozovsky 2016
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| Rick Ollerman enjoys a moment of nail-biting suspense. Photos by Peter Rozovsky for Detectives Beyond Borders. |
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The Longue Goodbye
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| Nick Kolakowski, Suzanne Solomon. |
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| Hellenistic dramatic mask |
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| Jeff Markowitz |
"It's chaise longue, not chase lounge, you illiterate fuck," he said. "It means long chair."
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| Jen Conley |
— Peter Rozovsky
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| Albert Tucher, Jen Conley, Suzanne Solomon, Terrence McCauley |
Labels: Albert Tucher, flash fiction, Jeff Markowitz, Jen Conley, Nick Kolakowski, Noir at the Bar, photography, Richard Stark, Rick Ollerman, Suzanne Solomon, Terrence McCauley
posted by Peter Rozovsky at 5:44 PM
22 Comments:
From Eddie Dougherty #4, due in 2017:
Rozovsky was standing in a doorway taking pictures. He said, “Do you know what that is?”
Dougherty stepped up beside him and looked into the room, a smaller bedroom set-up as an office and said, “A desk?”
Rozovsky took another picture and said, “It’s a Hans Wegner. It’s Danish.”
I bet a fictional John McFetridge knows more about Danish modern than the fictional Rozovsky dies. I like to eat real Danishes, though.
A George Nakashima, on the other hand ... https://www.1stdibs.com/furniture/tables/desks-writing-tables/george-nakashima-minguren-desk/id-f_1858312/?utm_content=control&gclid=CPndv92Czs0CFQlahgodidoEow
The fictional Rozovsky would prefer this Danish:
http://www.finnjuhl.com/
I say have Rozovsky and Dougherty talk bagels in a book, maybe Rozovsky trying to wangle a deal for a bagel shoot out of St. Viateur or Fairmount. And the you continue the Dougherty series long enough, do you see it approaching the subject matter of the Totoronto books, maybe even a crossover story?
TSuch a crossover would be a more justified than some.
John: In honor of your new interest, I have upgraded the chaise longue with which I illustrated this post.
Excellent, Peter.
And the short answer to your question about joining the series is yes.
It occurs to me now that in 3 1/2 books set in Montreal I have no scenes on Fairmont or St. Viateur. That needs to be corrected.
Your first bagel scene could involve Rozovsky, Eddie, and a new minor character called Charlie Stella.
That's a very good idea.
One Or the Other already mentions St. Leonard at the city;s Italian population, so that's just one possible connection. Just don't tell Charlie about it.
Peter, upthread you wrote that the fictional Rozovsky dies, rather than does.
Say it ain't so.
I've only had access to two of the Eddie Dougherty novels and you guys are already on to the fourth? Totally unfair.
Finally, if you are going to add a bagel connoisseur scene, you definitely have to include Adrian McKinty. Or call him Hadrian McGinty. Whatever. He'll know.
I love the way you cut to the chaise.
Seana, number #3 (One or the Other) will be published August 1st. Number #4 is being written now so it's quite possible that Hadrian McGinty will be in the scene - that's a great idea.
Seana: It ain't so.
That was a typo, of course, though one could argue that "...knows more about Danish modern than the fictional Rozovsky dies" means that Eddie's knowledge of Danish furniture is greater than fictional Rozovsky;s hypothetical death. I won't, but somebody could.
You should read the fourth Eddie Dougherty novel when it's available. It's the best of the lot.
Mel Healy, I may include this bit in a larger story to add excitement, because every fast-paced story needs a chaise scene.
John, Seana: Where does Adrian stand on bagels? I know he has connections to Montreal, but I don't recall their extended to the bagel realm. And what would the adjectival form of "bagel" be, anyhow?
I hope he doesn't stand on bagels anywhere. That would be a waste.
I don't know what his preference is, but I do remember him saying that he did a bagel run from Canada to New York, perhaps more than once.
Oh, and thanks for the news on the third book, John. Looking forward to it.
"I hope he doesn't stand on bagels anywhere. That would be a waste."
Badoom-tish! A waste even if the bagels are from New York.
Adrian, of course, has all kinds of ties to Montreal and New York, so he could be in a better position than most to judge the superiority of Montreal bagels.
You may recall my having mentioned that those ties include his wife's having studied with some professors I knew or with whose children, nieces, and nephews I went to high school.
Add this to one of them there scenes, boyos ... Charlie stops at a bagel joint in Montreal, asks for a sesame. The kid behind the counter says, "Sezzme?"
"Say this," Charlie says, grabbing his ... well, yous know. "Ses-a-me," he says slowly, then points to the correct bagel. The kid retrieves it and starts to cut, but Charlie says, "Oh, hey. Over here. Let me taste it first." He takes a bite, rolls his eyes and says, "Yuck! Hey, Yous got any bialeys?" "Bolly?" says the kid. Charlie says, "forgetaboutit. Gimme a coffee, black, sweet-n-law."
Rozovsky then takes the bagel guy aside and whispers, "Just ask him about the Rangers."
Enough of bagels--what the hell am I so frightened of?
That ice cube Charlie Stella is about to drop down your neck?
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