Raymond Chandler

William Gibson, the cyberpunk author, has been compared to Chandler's gritty work. Tight dialog, tighter descriptions of scenes, making every word count.

The name came to me this morning, in the shower. For all the good it does me now.

It's the name of the author I couldn't remember, when I was making the comparison at the store I purchased my comics.

I blew it on that one line.

The line where I compared the last time I played D & D was with a bunch of Drama students. It was like something out of "The Grifters," we were all con artists.

Even the guy behind the counter couldn't help on that one. How can you work at a comic shop and not know that kind of useless information? If we met at the video store down the street, this wouldn't have happened.

That was the second thing I said to her. The first was a comment on fuzzy dice. It was how I had seen someone the other day, weeks ago actually - with fuzzy dice hanging from their rearview. Twelve-sided dice. Talk about geek - chic.

She had some in her hand, said she was buying them for her brother. I knew it was just a MacGuffin. An excuse to come into the store, a reason to wait in line, to create a chance to talk to me. Yeah, me. Go figure.

Earlier, she walked past me as I was looking at the comics on the rack against the wall. She was browsing, looking around at the stuffed animals and stuff behind me.

I saw her walk into the store and knew she saw me looking at the comics. I tried to be surreptitious, looking at her. I didn't want to come across as a stalker. Even though she followed me, it's a concern I always have. You only need to be pepper-sprayed once to be gun - shy. True, it was my sister who'd done that, and she did it just tot see what it really did to people. I would never visit a gun store with her.

I knew she had seen me walk into the store. i walked slowly enough into it, and wondered if she'd follow.

I passed her on the street going into the store. I smiled as she passed, she smiled back. We did the eye thing.

When you make eye contact, look away, then look back to see if they do the same. That's the eye thing. Shows that you are both interested. Like when Cranes dance in step with the other, mimicking each other's moves. Showing synchronicity. A common goal, a desire for the same thing. The eyes, then the pause, then the smile, then the looking away again. Circling steps around each other.

I had noticed her looking at me at the bank. I smiled at her when I was in line, too. Just being polite when we made eye contact.

I went to deposit some cash I had just come across.

I finally sold something I'd been trying to get rid of, and I had some spare cash. So I decided to treat myself after depositing most of it.

Inside every grown man is that awkward, geeky 12 -year-old boy, no matter how you change and grow and mature, that 12 year-old is there, tripping over his lines and his shoelaces. I never even learned the woman's name.

I ended up buying an Ice cream cone and calling my wife. She chided me on not keeping the conversation simple, and not keeping the game going. My wife recommends I go out for coffee around the same time tomorrow to see if she's local.

I love her so much. Who else could laugh at that? As she's fond of saying, "Nothing fuels desire like being desired."