A tap of the cigarette sent two orange glowing bits down to the bottom of the black plastic ashtray. I was surprised to see her smoke, but when she did, she exhaled smoke up into the air, up towards the ceiling. Instead, smoke from smoking cloves blew through one corner of another girl’s lips from Colorado I met in Hawaii five years ago.

I taught a Sunday School in Honolulu for about a year and because of that experience, I decided to teach a Sunday School in Rochester. My Sunday School is a social club where the member don’t like each other. John wasn’t one of my students since he was in elementary school while I taught high school students, but we’ve become familiar with each other where he would do high kicks at my face and I would square dance with him.

Riding in the car with John reminded me of the time my father let me drive at around John’s age.

Alfred. Hey John, has you dad ever let you drive?
John. The car? No?
Alfred. When I was around your age, my dad called me from the back seat to climb over and sit on his lap. When I did, he let me take the steering wheel while he controlled the gas.
John. Really?
Alfred. Yeah, I remember it being a long straight road, and that it was dark. I could feel the road through the wheel.

John and I stumbled onto Le Trou, a French film from 1960 shot in a beautifully restored black and white medium.

Alfred. Look at that shot. See how the men go down the tunnel with their light? The director wants to show how long the tunnel is, and how long they have to walk from their prison for their escape.
John. Yeah, it’s pretty far.
Alfred. It’s such a great shot. Look at how beautiful that is; how the men and their light walk away from the camera down the dark tunnel.
John. That’s really cool.

John’s little sister running up to me in her diapers reminded me about how as a kid, I loved how electric box fans distorted your voice when you talked into them.
Alfred. Look Katse. Ah-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h.
Katse. *Laughs
Alfred. H-e-l-l-o-K-a-t-s-e.
Katse. Do it again*. *In Korean.
Alfred. H-e-l-l-o-K-a-t-s-e.
Katse. Again*.
Alfred. Ah-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h.
Katse. Ah-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h-h. *Laughs