He would drive around waiting for someone to catch his eye: an ice skater, a hobo, a bat biologist —someone doing something different that could be told in four hundred words. Late one afternoon he happened on Sandra Zulma practicing sword moves with a yardstick by the war memorial. She paused in her routine as Albert introduced himself. “I’ll tell you my story,” she said, “but first you have to buy me a drink.” Albert agreed, thinking this would make a good beginning. They crossed the street and walked down to a tavern called Bruiser’s, Sandra tapping the yardstick on the sidewalk like a blind woman. Albert bought beers, took them to the booth, and opened his notebook to an empty page. Sandra talked as Albert took notes. After a while he stopped taking notes. According to Sandra, she had come to the Midwest in a tunnel that ran beneath the ocean. She didn’t know how long this took.
What do You think about Pacific (9780802194800) (2013)?
