Oregon daily emerald., October 22, 2002, Page 8, Image 8

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Between the Dark and Light:
The Grateful Dead Photographs
Author Jay Blakesberg at the UO Bookstore
October 24, 7:00 p.m. ♦> 346-4331 ❖ Free
Leaves, playing cards, Harleys:
Signs of Kerensa circle Michael
Chapter 4.
Michael decides which
way to go.
Last week, Michael and Sarah,
distraught over Kerensa’s disap
pearance, walked at night through
the park to the coffee shop.
The Emerald is printing “And the
Dew is Our National Treasure” in
serial form, with an installment
every Tuesday in the Pulse Relax
section. Earlier installments can he
found at www.dailyemerald.com.
We arrived at Marsee’s coffee
house at 6:30 a.m., just as it opens,
just as the waitress wipes the morn
ing dew from the tables. She tells us
we are in luck, that the first coffees
of the day are free. “Thank you,” we
say, and decided we’ll return later
and pay for the scone.
Sarah asks, “Why not let go,
Michael. It’s Saturday. You can’t talk
to Kerensa’s friends anyway; they’re
on the mountain.”
I lean back in my chair and tilt my
head to the sky. I hear the Harley
slip around the comer. It taunts me
with its freedom. A part of me yearns
to have the wind in my face. “Yes,” I
say to myself, “I want scenery that
doesn’t remind me of Kerensa....”
Sarah’s round, young face, as
weary as mine, ekes out a smile.
“Go, Michael.”
I hold my fingers to my temples.
Small sounds become large: a fly
buzzes; a chair drags on the sidewalk;
Where's
Kerensa?
someone laughs. “Where am I going?”
Sarah’s fresh face glows beneath a
mane of wavy, black hair. Her small,
wide-set eyes are quiet. Her high
cheekbones and small nose are soft.
It’s so peaceful. It’s the tranquillity of
her face that I resent. I hate the way
stillness has power over me. I want
results, now! And results come from
action. Now! “I need to know,” I say,
grabbing the table with both hands.
Sarah lifts her cup and sips.
“Which way?” I plead.
“The signs will lead you. You’ll
know them when you see them.”
I stand and turn away from the
table. From my left comes the roar of
commerce; from my right come the
caw of crows and the chortle of a
Harley. I turn back to Sarah and drain
the last cold drops of coffee. “The
Harley,” I say lamely, pointing west.
At the corner, the shadows of the
trees form patterns on the sidewalk.
Do these mean anything? Maybe
Kerensa’s disappearance is a tea leaf
in a bigger pattern? Are all lives signs
of a bigger plan? A green playing
card lies on the pavement. I pick up
the King of Diamonds. Around the
corner, a man in black sits side-sad
die on a Harley. A jade-colored scarf
hangs from his handlebar. Is green
important? What is relevant and
what is irrelevant? I look back.
Sarah sits at the table, and turns to
ward me the moment I look. Proof of
a force? Or mere coincidence?
Suddenly 1 feel foolish. Ambition
cannot be advanced by my reading
leaf shadows! I see another green
playing card. Coincidence or signifi
cance? I pick up the King of Hearts
and stand on the curb staring at the
two kings; both are looking west. A
green Continental, horn blaring,
passes within inches of my thigh. I
look west toward the river. Below me
are brush-covered trails and tangled
paths and impassable wetlands
where only the homeless go.
I pause, and look back. Sarah’s
gone. I look to the green woods.
“Green?” I ask. “Is that the sign,
indicating Kerensa’s love of Na
ture?” At that instant, a joy comes
into the pit of my stomach. Yes! I
duck beneath the blackberries. I
can smell the damp earth; I can feel
the wildness. I run along the trail. I
feel free, but in my mind I hear a
whisper: “Ambition, once derailed
by authentic experience, never re
gains its track.”
Peter Wright is a printer living
in Portland. He received his bachelor's
degrees from UC Berkeley, served in the
U.S. Navy, worked as a stock broker and
taught at Stanford University.
© Peter Wright 2002. All rights reserved.
Bene!
continued from page 6
was paid to its presentation.
Next, I had a medium pie with
four different varieties of pizza (and
eight slices overall). The “Po
modoro Bianci,” is a cheese-less,
vegan pizza, but there’s plenty go
ing on here for non-vegans: mari
nated eggplant, fresh basil and gar
lic among other things. The
“Melanzoe” has many of the same
ingredients, but adds cheese and
portobello mushrooms. The
“Mediterranean,” was a variation I
would call “busy” — there are too
many ingredients to mention.
Finally, I sampled a specialty —
something off the menu, which
won’t leave meat eaters in the
cold: “Cristobal’s Greca.” This
had pepperoni, linguica, three
types of cheese, black olives
(these are real olives, not the ones
out of the can) and fresh tomato.
The restaurant also uses locally
grown organic produce in their
food whenever possible.
Bene’s! slowest hours are 1 p.m.
to 2 p.m. It still serves slices for a
reasonable 02.50, and by then, the
lunch crowd will be cleared out.
Also, during lunch, the aforemen
tioned specialty slices are in their
prime. A favorite of mine that pops
up frequently is the “Asiantico.”
The only complaint: For food as
edgy as Bene! serves, they don’t
provide a very diverse music selec
tion. Every time I’ve been, I’ve
heard only one type: classic rock.
Contact the Pulse reporter
at aaronshakra@dailyemerald.com.
Peace Corps
Interviews are scheduled at...
University of Oregon
November 4-5, 2002
Are you ready to make a difference? To gain
unique career skills, and to have the adventure
of a lifetime? Peace Corps could be looking
for you.
Don't wait! Call Peace Corps campus representative
Robert Richardson at (541) 346-6026 to schedule
an interview. A completed application is required
by the interview date. Apply online or call for an
application kit to be mailed to you.
www.peacecorps.gov
(800) 424-8580 - Option 1