Ah, okay –  But, anyway                            

Hey, great—good stuff, that drink, eh? I can see it in your face. I happened on this stuff while I was down here getting this place built. What do you think of this nice quiet spot here? I had them level this side yard, and plant in this garden space, as a little bonus just for us, while they were finishing up the relocation. I figured, why not throw some money this way? It’s a cool perk. This garden, that is. What do you think?

It’s okay. But—what drink is this?

Ah. How ‘bout you guess?

I can’t guess. It’s—its just good {b-b-b-b-but at that very moment this pleasure’s offset by past experience, that without any exceptions, anything popping up unexpectedly pleasant, that is so unexpectedly pleasant as to be a life-changing breakthrough, as this—drink outshines any prior drink, and God damn it to hell “I can never ever drink another”—only to find very soon after that the unpleasant aftertaste—which bubbles up completely repulsive—says you must never ever try that drink again, Daddy, yah yah no no it is in fact so terrible! Where is a sink? I need a sink! Or water fountain, or something to flush out this taste, and, thank God the evil of this drink? Food? Or whatever made itself known quickly—if not, we very well may have told others you must try  this—you will not be sorry eh will each of your friends try to tell five more friends each to try and them same so ah game being to cover the planet with fans of  this drink drinkers of this drink lovers of it consumers of it tell a friend tell a friend but then they start tell a friend tell a friend tell a friend to grab their stomachs change tell their a faces friend to tell what a the friend I don’t I thought wow this isn’t good it tastes horrible why the hell’d you recommend this to me, GIMI? Were you trying to kill me with this, Daddy, oh, of course you know I don’t mean that literally, GIMI—oh, no you don’t, Daddy? Really really, Daddy? If you really didn’t mean it why’d you do it to me, Daddy, do you always make a point of doing some set number of “meaningless things” GIMI, and if so, Daddy, does trying to poison us me or them with this gasblaster hot tongued overlycrapullar supercloyingone drink, GIMI? Oh, yah, DADDY, yeah that’s so, GIMI, really, really so, DADDY! You are not our friend afterwards are you oh you will be made very very sorry GIMI because each of your former friends will tell five more generating more former friends, DADDY, telling  five more and then five again five again friends the game being to cover the planet with maximum hatred for you yes you DADDY—maybe even a touch past the maximum for YOU–so there. Phew!}

Oh? Is that all you’ve got to say? That it’s good?

Yep. Why?

Oh, no reason. But anyway—as we were saying before—

Jim Meirose’s short work is widely published, and his novels include “Sunday Dinner with Father Dwyer”(Optional Books), “Le Overgivers au Club de la Résurrection” (Mannequin Haus), “No and Maybe – Maybe and No”(Pski’s Porch), “Audio Bookies” (LJMcD Communications), “Et Tu” (C22 press), and “Game 5” (Soyos Books).  info: www.jimmeirose.com,  X id @jwmeirose