Edgewise

Sitting next to my father

David Kolodney

It could be a very curious experience sitting next to my father watching a bad movie. He thoroughly enjoyed anticipating the next line of a predictable dialog.

This involved more than just getting the words right. There was also the timing. It had to be quick, and had to hit on the half-beat in the movie’s pacing, exactly midway between two lines spoken on the screen. So I’d hear my father first, courteously sotto voce, and then hear the actor on the screen repeating him! As in…

“Have you completely lost your senses?”

 <em>No, I've just come to them.</em>

“No, I’ve just come to them!”

Or this one:

“What’s stopping you? Nobody will know.”

 <em>I'll know.</em>

“I’ll know!”

In remembrance,

David