#80 The Wavemaker Falters- George Saunders
A man working with his wife, his high school sweetheart, at
a local water theme park has caused the death of a boy while at the wave pool
controls. He is depressed, despondent, impotent, and has nearly hit rock bottom.
He is visited each night by the ghost of the boy, they
interact with each other. He asks the boy for forgiveness and it is not given.
His wife, losing patience and sympathy cheats on him with the park’s
supervisor. The night he learns of the infidelity, the boys father visits with
a shotgun:
“I don’t hate you, he says. But I cant have you living on
this earth while my son isn’t.” He agrees and awaits his death, but it doesn’t
come. So the boy-killing, cheated on, urine soaked pool-boy wanders the forest
looking for redemption. He wont find it, but he might find rock bottom.”
“Lightning strikes the slaughterhouse flagpole and the
antelope scatter like minnows as the rain begins to fall, and finally, having
lost what was to be lost, my torn and black heart rebels, saying enough
already, enough, this is as low as I go.”
This isn’t as depressing as it sounds. There are actually
some funny moments (see below*)
*Notable Passage: “I cant stand Leon. On the wall of his
office he’s got a picture of himself Jell-O wrestling a traveling celebrity
Jell-O wrestler. That’s pure Leon. Plus he had her autograph it. First he tried
to talk her into dipping her breast in ink and doing an imprint but she said no
way. My point is, even traveling celebrity Jell-O wresters have more class than
Leon.”
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