Fictionalized recollections from a hypothetical acquaintance

I don't remember his name (her name? their name?)—I think it's K-something. Kevin? Kyle? Kelly? Kara? I haven't seen them around Jamaica Plain for a while. I thought they were cute in a sort of awkward way. They reminded me of my little cousin. I think they were maybe trying to hit on my roommate, Danielle, by giving her a drawing of a flamingo. A flamingo with buck-teeth, a propeller hat, an accordion, and long socks. This kid is hard to read.

Usually when K- walked into the Behan they’d just order a drink and sit somewhere alone, watching people and drawing in a little book. But this particular night (close to midnight) they approached me directly and mumbled something about being "in a mood". Something about how it was the last day of their job. A kids' TV show, I think? "There was an octopus named Sal. I think they liked what I did with his tentacles." They looked at their palms and wiggled their fingers—I couldn't tell if they had already been drinking or if this was just typical "in a mood" behavior.

"So why was it your last day? Did the show get canceled?" I asked. "Oh, I don't even know. Production ended, but, like, it only started airing a couple months ago." That sounded to me like a long way of saying it was canceled. "Bummer! What are you going to do next?" "Everyone's telling me to move to LA." "LA is awesome," I said to be supportive. Truth is, I've never been to LA…but the west coast is super exotic to New Englanders.

K- got quiet after that. They opened their bag, pulled out that little black book, and started scribbling. Literally scribbling. I tried to see if they were drawing someone in the bar, but they were just scribbling with a pen. Sort of like my little cousin (when he was a toddler). But that expression was so serious…

"What would you want to do if you could have any job?" I tried to sound cheerful. Their brow furrowed. They played with their hair. But they didn’t say anything. I looked to Danielle so maybe she could save me from this conversation, but she seemed to be avoiding us by playing darts. I looked out the window and I saw my boyfriend having a cigarette outside. We locked eyes and he waved. Just as he was stepping in and I stood up to greet him, K- answered: "I just want to make stuff up."

I hope someone listens to my little cousin when he's in a mood someday.