(MUSIC. A LITTLE SALON DANCE.)
GK: Do you like it here?
SS: I do. Yes.
GK: Do you?
SS: I love the decor.
GK: I was hoping you would.
SS: I do!
GK: I've always loved this place. I've come here for years. It's like another era, isn't it. To me, this is the old St. Paul. So classy.
SS: It's beautiful.
GK: I'm so glad you like it. The Prairie Style is --- it's always meant so much to me ---- that sense of simplicity and elegance -- -- that whole Frank Lloyd Wright sensibility ----- the turn away from the artificiality of the Victorian style, the Art Nou veau -- -- it's ---- it's all here, isn't it.
SS: Actually, this is Art Deco.
GK: Yes, but it's sort of the Prairie Style within Art Deco.
SS: The Prairie Style was earlier. This actually is Art Deco.
GK: It looks more Prairie Style to me. You think this is Art Deco?
SS: I know it is.
GK: Oh.
SS: Prairie Style is entirely different.
GK: I thought that they were sort of related. In a larger sense.
SS: In a larger sense, I suppose that everything is related. But no. This is definitely Art Deco. A whole other look.
GK: Oh. Interesting. Art and ---- design -----. Are you in art history?
SS: I studied art history, yes.
GK: Oh.
SS: I got my doctorate in art history.
GK: Oh.
SS: I'm in the hospitality industry, but my education was all in art history.
GK: I see. Well, I'm glad that you like the decor.
SS: I do. Very much. I've always loved Art Deco.
GK: Do you dance?
SS: No. Do you?
GK: Not really. No. I've thought of it, but----
SS: I used to dance. Quite a bit. In college.
GK: So did I. Years ago.
SS: I haven't for years.
GK: Me neither.
SS: I mean, I'm certainly game to try, goodness knows. (AN INAPPROPRIATE LAUGH, AS IF DANCING IS THE LOONIEST THING SHE CAN THINK OF). Whatever. If you want to.
GK: I was just thinking, the music----- Sort of puts a person in the mood to dance.
SS: Yes, it does.
GK: Not that we have to. It was only a thought.
SS: I'm up for anything---- just say the word!
GK: Okay.
SS: But if you'd rather not, you certainly shouldn't feel any obligation.
GK: I didn't say I didn't want to.
SS: Well, it's too late anyway. It's the end of the tune. (SHE LAUGHS) How ironic. (END OF FIRST TUNE)
GK: Yes. ----Would you like another glass of wine?
SS: If you're having another----- sure. (LAUGH) Why not? Live, love, laugh, and be happy, I say.
GK: Where'd the waiter go anyway?
SS: He went in the kitchen. Maybe the bartender would bring us one.
GK: Would you rather sit at the bar?
SS: No, no-----
GK: We can sit at the bar. I only chose the table because I thought we wanted to talk and it's quieter here.
SS: This is fine.
GK: Are you sure? We could move to the bar-----
SS: It's fine.
GK: Are you sure?
SS: It's fine.
GK: I don't mind if we move.
SS: This is fine.
GK: I thought if we sit here, we get a better view of the bar.
SS: Yes----
GK: It's a beautiful bar, isn't it. It's like a work of art. The molding around the base----
SS: It's carving, actually.
GK: It is?
SS: Yes. That's not molding.
GK: Oh. ----It's beautiful, whatever it is.
SS: It's carving.
GK: The carving around the base, the intertwined leaves and flowers brought up out of the oak-----
SS: It's pine.
GK: Brought out of the pine ----and combined with the stark modernity of the geometric vocabulary of the glass panes and the lamps and the mirrors ----- (SECOND DANCE TUNE)
GK: ----- reminds a person of the Prairie Style and its revolt against all of that pre-Raphaelite swirliness of the Art Nouveau movement and all of that----
SS: Swirliness?
GK: Yes, that swirly quality of the Art Nouveau.
SS: I don't know what you mean.
GK: I mean, those shapes----
SS: Swirliness is not a term that we would use in art history.
GK: Oh. What term would you use?
SS: I wouldn't. Prairie Style couldn't interest me less.
GK: Oh.
SS: It was a small regional movement whose motifs have been closely tied to midwestern isolationism. (PAUSE)
GK: Do you know those people up there dancing?
SS: The ones in the matching green plaid outfits? No. Why in the world people who are overweight and can't dance would go out and stumble around dressed in identical Kelly green pants is beyond me.
GK: Maybe they're having fun.
SS: You'd think people'd have more sense than to dress like that.
GK: You don't like green?
SS: For evening wear? No. Absolutely not.
GK: You want to dance?
SS: You want to?
GK: Sure, if you do.
SS: You don't really want to, though, do you.
GK: Sure, I can.
SS: There's no need to be polite.
GK: I'm not.
SS: I think you are.
GK: What makes you think that?
SS: I've always had a sort of sixth sense about these things.
GK: I think we should dance.
SS: I think if you really wanted to dance, we wouldn't be discussing it, we'd just ---- be dancing. Wouldn't we.
GK: Am I over-intellectualizing again?
SS: Maybe you are.
GK: I am. I know I am.
SS: It's okay.
GK: Dance with me. Come on.
SS: Too late. The dance is over.
GK: You're right. Bad timing. (SECOND DANCE TUNE ENDS)
SS: It was a nice idea, though.
GK: Yes.
SS: It's a nice band, don't you think.
GK: Yes.
SS: Do you go out to dances often?
GK: No. I --- I mostly stay home and --- you know --- read.
SS: You're an English major, aren't you? Isn't that what you told me?
GK: Yes.
SS: Do you teach English?
GK: No, I don't.
SS: Oh.
GK: I'm with the Park Board.
SS: Oh. (PAUSE) You're on the Park Board?
GK: I'm with the Park Board.
SS: You work for the Park Board----
GK: Yes.
SS: Are you a writer for the Park Board?
GK: No. ---- Actually, I mow grass.
SS: Oh.
GK: It's a very ---- I find it a very centering kind of work, mowing. It's very directional.
SS: Yes.
GK: It's almost taken the place of meditation for me.
SS: I gathered from talking with you online that you're a very spiritual person. (PAUSE) So------ were you going to call the waiter?
GK: Yes, of course. Excuse me??? Sir??
SS: I don't think he heard you.
GK: It's not closing time, is it?
SS: It's eight fifteen.
GK: Oh. Really. Eight-fifteen. Sort of lost my sense of time. (DANCE TUNE NO. 3)
SS: Do you smoke?
GK: Smoke? No. ----- Do you?
SS: No.
GK: Why do you ask?
SS: If you did, I was maybe going to have one. But you don't. That's fine.
GK: I could go buy a pack for you.
SS: No. ---- I only want one.
GK: I could get one from the waiter.
SS: No, that's all right.
GK: It's no problem. I don't mind if you smoke. I'm not one of those people!
SS: No, I was only going to smoke if you do.
GK: I really don't mind.
SS: No, really.
GK: I'm sorry I don't smoke.
SS: It's all right. It's not a big need or anything. It was only an urge.
GK: Are you angry at me for something?
SS: No.
GK: Oh. ---- I love those geometric planes in those mirrors and that whole Arts & Crafts style of the 20s ----
SS: The late 20s.....
GK: Right, the 20s....
SS: Late 20s and 30s.....
GK: Right....in that whole era.....
SS: The style that led to Art Deco. That whole Streamlined Moderne Style.....
GK: Right.
SS: The stainless-steel train motif....that sense of forward thrust----
GK: Right. That whole sense of forward thrust.
SS: They taught us about that forward-thrust motif in art history----
GK: A sense of forward thrust? That's in art history?
SS: Absolutely.
GK: Anyway, those mirrors ---- and that whole Arts & Crafts movement.
SS: Which is part of Art Deco.....
GK: It sort of led to Art Deco.
SS: It's part of Art Deco.
GK: Tiffany lamps, for example, are Arts & Crafts.
SS: Yes, of course.
GK: They're not Art Deco.
SS: We weren't talking about Tiffany lamps.
GK: Anyway, I love those mirrors for that whole sense of nature and simplicity and ---- you know, the prairie thing ---- as opposed to Art Nouveau----
SS: The swirliness.
GK: Right.
SS: They're nice mirrors.
GK: I've always liked them. For that sort of minimal elegance.
SS: Yes. Very Art Deco.
GK: They anticipate Art Deco.
SS: Well, I suppose you could say that----
GK: Art Deco is sort of based on that Prairie School style. I think.
SS: You didn't take art history, did you----
GK: I don't know why that waiter doesn't wait on table.
SS: Have you ever been married?
GK: What?
SS: Have you ever been married?
GK: Yes.
SS: More than once?
GK: Yes. Have you ever been married?
SS: No.
GK: Okay.
SS: When we talked online, you never mentioned that you'd been married.
GK: The subject never came up.
SS: I'm just sort of surprised.
GK: Why don't we dance?
SS: I'd sort of rather talk at this point.
GK: We can talk later.
SS: What's happening later?
GK: Let's dance.
SS: You want to talk about literature? I can talk about literature----
GK: Doggone it. You know something? it's getting late. Darn. Eight-thirty almost. I promised my ---- the----- I told some friends I'd come over. They live quite a ways away. I'd invite you over, but they're a couple hours from here. And they're terrible d rug addicts and they have vicious dogs. A lot of drug addicts have really violent dogs. So-----
SS: I should be going too. Work tomorrow. Big day. I should get to bed early.
GK: It was nice meeting you.
SS: Yes. I enjoyed it.
GK: I'm glad we decided to meet.
SS: Same here.
GK: Do you need a ride anywhere?
SS: No, no. I'm fine.
GK: Good.
SS: Let me get half the check.
GK: It's only ten bucks.
SS: Well, there's five.
GK: Ten bucks plus tip.
SS: There's six.
GK: Good. Well----- I'll see you on line.
SS: Send me some e-mail.
GK: Great. You're still using your same screen name, aren't you?
SS: Burning Love?
GK: Yes.
SS: Yes. And you're still Hunkahunka?
GK: You got it.
(c) 1998 by Garrison Keillor