A Man Who Plays Billiards Well Is a Gentleman

1982; Antioch College; Volume: 40; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.2307/4611166

ISSN

2326-9707

Autores

Julia Mishkin,

Tópico(s)

Cultural Studies and Interdisciplinary Research

Resumo

A man who plays billiards well is a gentleman; there's no mistaking the sweet nonchalance of a good shot. This man doesn't understand hysterics. His dreams, like omens, tell him to play, and the undying devotion of shoelaces while crossing the street in late afternoon ... he watches green steam rising from the jungle floor and then decides to play some more. Leave nothing to chance! For the man who plays billiards, well, is a gentleman who blows kisses to tourists. They come to watch him play in the Club Meditdrranee, where the waiters-in-tuxedo do the dishes while the kitchen help sing Gregorian chants. This man calls for help from his spiritual aids: the salad fork, spoon, stuffed barracuda, rug of braids. He plays billiards well and offers his parting shot to a lady wearing silk pajamas, for luck: she reminds him of a stranger in his past, one he caught mooning over cracks in the sidewalk. They both resemble his runaway wife. A man who plays billiards well is a gentleman. A man who plays billiards superbly has wasted his life.

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