- Donny Zee, Paradise's favorite school teacher and storyteller,
has fallen in love, and Gwen the Beautiful and I saw it happen.
-
- This fine turn of events occurred last weekend, when
DW, the owner of the Paradise Music Store, tossed a party in honor of his
and Mrs. DW's 25th anniversary.
-
- It was the social event of the season, which isn't as
big a deal as it could be when you realize that Paradise has hardly any
social events. Every once in awhile there's a wedding in Paradise Park
or a funeral at Paradise Cemetery, but as Jimmy Blue once said, "The
only high society we got around here is folks who've been sampling their
neighbors' moonshine."
-
- So, DW and Mrs. DW's shindig was a departure from the
usual state of Paradise affairs, and their house overlooking the Buffalo
National River was filled to the rafters with celebrating friends.
-
- The first people Gwen the Beautiful and I spotted when
we pulled into the driveway were Brannigan the Contractor and his lovely
better half, Sweet Jane.
-
- "Gwen! Larry B!" Brannigan roared. "Isn't
it great to be partying at somebody else's house? None of us has to clean
up when it's over!"
-
- Gwen gave Sweet Jane a hug. "He makes it sound like
he does some house cleaning."
-
- "Yes," Sweet Jane said, "that's how it
sounds."
-
- Brannigan got the message. His gaze swept across the
grassy field. "Look, there's the Earthmovers! Hey, Dwayne -- !"
-
- Off he trotted. With a knowing look our way, Sweet Jane
hurried after.
-
- Inside the house, we found more old friends: Uncle Ernie.
Jimmy Blue. Doug the Dog Breeder and his wife Anita. Sweet Jane's sister
Celia. Frankie the Accountant. Even Kenny the Wal-Mart Manager and his
family were there, making this a Big Night indeed.
-
- Also at the party were folks Gwen and I didn't know,
relatives of the DWs from out of town. One in particular, a lovely young
woman, made a big impression. Especially on Donny Zee.
-
- " The biggest bear I ever saw, I saw right down
below this house, on the river," Donny was saying to the young woman
as I approached. He leaned in as close to her as he could without his nose
banging hers. "I'd stopped for a little call of nature, and there
the big guy was, staring right at me."
-
- Donny smiled my way. "You were with me that day,
Larry B," he said. "Tell her. Weren't that bear and I this close
?"
-
- He laid one forefinger against the other, waited for
me to reply. I hadn't been there, of course, but I know how Donny operates.
-
- "Maybe even closer, Donny," I started to say.
-
- "Let's not push it, Larry," said Donny. And
then, to the young woman: "We were eyeball to eyeball. It was just
a matter of who'd blink."
-
- My job done, I moved on. Didn't keep track of Donny or
the young woman until I saw them both again outside as Gwen and I were
leaving. We watched as Donny closed the door of the rental car the woman
was sharing with the rest of her family. Then, as it wound its way around
the other vehicles, Donny turned to us.
-
- "What a terrific woman!" he said. "Did
you see how she looked at me? How she hung on my every word? I think I've
found true love." He nodded, more to himself than to Gwen or me. "I'm
going to make something wonderful happen with that gal!"
-
- Gwen's brows knitted. "Donny," she said gently,
"I talked to your new friend at the buffet table. She's from Philadelphia
and never heard a real Southern accent before. She's been listening so
closely because - well, because she couldn't understand a single word you
said."
-
- Donny looked stunned. Then he smiled. "This is as
good as it gets," he said.
-
- He saw Gwen's puzzlement. "See, for a storyteller
like me, the only thing better than a dream girl is a dream audience. And
what could be a better audience than one that doesn't understand me? Why,
I won't even have to try to make sense."
-
- And, whistling, he walked back to the house.
-
-
-
-
- Copyright C 2007 by Larry Brody. All rights reserved.
-
- Author Larry Brody's weekly column, LIVE! FROM PARADISE!
appears on his website, www.larrybrody.com. He has written thousands of
hours of network television, and is the author of "Television Writing
from the Inside Out" and "Turning Points in Television."
Brody is Creative Director of The Cloud Creek Institute for the Arts, the
world's first in-residence media colony. More about his activities can
be seen on www.tvwriter.com and www.cloudcreek.org. He welcomes your comments
and feedback at <mailto:LarryBrody@cloudcreek.org>LarryBrody@cloudcreek.org.
Brody, his wife and their dogs, cats, horses and chickens live in Marion
County, Arkansas. The other residents of the mythical town of Paradise
reside in his imagination.
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