Dark Portrait by Rick Homan

Author:Rick Homan [Homan, Rick]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-10-30T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 18

The more I thought about Irene’s suggestion, the more I liked it. When Pat got back to the apartment, I suggested we go downtown to the Embarcadero. Having spent the afternoon sitting in Uncle Frank’s living room, Pat liked the idea of getting out and walking.

The sun was already setting as we walked to the streetcar stop on Judah street. We didn’t say much as we rode through the Inner Sunset and past Duboce Park, watching the city get darker. By the time we went into the tunnel at Church Street, Pat and I had settled into a comfortable silence, sitting shoulder-to-shoulder on the rocking streetcar.

We got off at Embarcadero Station and climbed the long stairway up to Market Street because the escalators were broken and it’s not a good idea to use the elevators, considering what goes on in them.

As we walked toward the Bay, the evening fog was so thick I could feel its dampness on my face. I didn’t mind. The fog and I were old friends. With my pea coat buttoned up and my arm linked with Pat’s I was plenty warm.

We came to the plaza at the end of the Embarcadero Center where the holiday ice rink was open for business and stopped to watch the skaters. I’d never tried it, but I always came to see the young ones slipping and sliding, the teenagers skating hand-in-hand, and the experts gliding effortlessly around and around.

We walked toward the Ferry Building and stopped to see the lights on the Bay Bridge. They looked blurry through the fog, but that only increased their magic. I’d enjoyed this work by Leo Villareal since it was installed in 2013. One couldn’t help being impressed by the array of LED lights outlining the cables of the suspension bridge and programmed to flash in endlessly varied patterns.

“Hungry?” I asked Pat. “I think a couple restaurants are still open in the Ferry Building.”

“Not yet,” he said. “Maybe walk a bit first.”

We turned north, into the wind.

“How was your afternoon with the guys?”

“It was good. Your dad is so positive about everything. He puts me in a good mood. He’s always that way, but it surprises me every time I see him.”

Dad had a way of letting people know he liked them and thought well of them. I knew this surprised Pat because his own father was downright mean, judging by the things Pat had told me, but I didn’t say anything.

“It was interesting, seeing your Dad sitting around with his brothers and their friends from the neighborhood where they grew up.”

I laughed. “Yeah, the brothers have to be seen to be believed. They couldn’t be more different.”

“I don’t know,” said Pat. “I could see a family resemblance.”

“No. I mean their personalities. Dad is Mr. Easy-Going. But Uncle Mike, typical youngest child, always has to be the center of attention.”

“Birth order has been studied quite a bit. Years ago, there was some pop psychology about oldest children being overachievers, middle children being introverts, and youngest children being attention-seekers.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.