Leroy's (part 20)

Conversation from Booth 19, Leroy's Family Diner, C St. and Fireweed; 22Feb05; Mungo and Double O
MUNGO: All the girls at work love me.
DOUBLE O: How do you know?
M: When I was leaving yesterday, I heard the cutest voice in the world say, "Bye, Mungo!"
DO: Who was it?
M: The cutest girl in the world, Melissa, the pregnant Melissa. I was surprised she knew 'Mungo' and I said, "Everybody knows, good! Bye!"
DO: Okay, so?
M: I forgot my backpack on the hook upstairs so I put my new stuff in my car and went back. Aaron and Nick came running up the stairs laughing. Aaron said, "Everyone thinks you're quitting." Nick said, "Ya, all the girls are down in customer service talking to Miguel asking him to convince you to stay." Aaron, "They said to The Big M, 'Mungo's quitting' and without missing a beat he said, "Yes, sadly, Mungo's no longer with us." Nick said, "They're all really cryin' for ya down there."
DO: That's hilarious. Did you talk to them?
M: No. Far as I know they still think I quit. It'll be funny when I go back on Thursday.
DO: What new stuff did you get?
M: New Sorel hoodie, Sorel coat, and a pair of $200 Rocky boots that Miguel marked down to $20 for me.
DO: Man.
M: Dude, did I tell ya about my guitar?
DO: No, what's wrong with it?
M: The tuning fork is screwed. Well, unscrewed. Everything's loose and some of the screws have fallen out. I busted a string playing that new song I wrote, Hillary wanted to hear it, and when I tried to restring it, well, I couldn't.
DO: Probably just have to rethread it. I'll take a look at it.
M: No offense, but I think I'll let Kid Kenny take a peak first. See what he thinks. Oh, hey, you wanna go to his show with me on Friday? He's playing an acoustic set at Metro.
DO: Ya! I gotta meet this kid.
M: He's awesome.
DO: I kinda want some onion rings, but I can't.
M: I'm full too. Those were some fat burritos.
DO: Ya they were really good. I shouldn't eaten three of them.
M: Two was enough for me. All them ingredients were 100% natural and organic too.
DO: Really? Are you serious?
M: Couldn't even tell, huh? The beef came from that AlAskA gourmet Meats over there by the Bike Shop on Northern Lights. It was Australian Natural Beer-Drinkin' Beef or something like that. And the cheese was extra aged unpasturized supa good.
DO: Cool man. Here, read my outline, I just rewrote it.
M: It's the same as the old one.
DO: But I rewrote it in this notebook. See if I left anything out.
M: It's good. Hey did you name the bar yet?
DO: Ya, Foghorn Saloon.
M: You know what you should name the bay the Russian crabbers' boat sinks in? You already got the town of Kilmerton named after the Glacier in the mountains and on your little map there you got the run-off going into the bay, just name it Kilmerton Glacier Bay.
DO: Ya, but that's too-
M: Dude. Kilmerton Glacier Bay. K.G.B. Dude, the Russians sink in the K.G.B. That'd be awesome.
DO: I'm doing it.
M: Sweet.
DO: Hey man, I got to go, I'm getting tired. Got a full belly and a beer on top of it.

-Mungo Gives Double O A Ride Home, Returns To Leroy's And Writes Like A Maniac In His Book-

Somewhere around 3:05 a.m. a slightly overweight gentleman, around the age of white comb-over hair and thick glasses, came in and asked where he should sit. PrettyLiz told him to sit where ever he would like, that the world is his open-seating oyster. He sat at the booth he was nearest. I recognized his voice from somewhere, that distintive voice that alluded to a core of pure joy, a high voice, one of age and sincerity. I stood up from the end of the counter, where my notebooks were opened and papers surrounded a cup of coffee and a tall plastic white glass of ice water. I saw and recognized the man. Though I had not seen him in 3 1/2 years and had only talked to him once, I knew him right away. I didn't know his name, so to me, he was The Guy from Stewart's Photography on 4th Ave. I let Liz fix his table up with a menu and water before I approached him.

Conversation from Booth 2, Leroy's Family Diner, C St. and Fireweed; 22Feb05; Mungo and That Guy
MUNGO: Hello, Sir.
THAT GUY: Hello, I'm Bob, what's your name, Young Man?
M: I'm that guy Mungo.
BOB: Pleased to meet you.
M: We've already met. Three years ago, maybe it was four, I was down at Stewart's Photography scoping out chemicals, enlargers, shakers, developing trays- thinking about starting up my own dark room.
B: We've got all that.
M: I know! I bought a shaker, but that's as far as I ever got.
B: That's too bad.
M: You and I ended up talking for about, oh, 3 hours or 4, about old records. Records from the 19th century, the ones first pressed in Berlin. I told you that my mother also collected those and had dozens of them at home.
B: Oh yes, seems to me that they were down south somewhere? Oklahoma was it?
M: Iowa, but ya, that was me.
B: Why don't you sit down.

for the sake of the bro's, I'll just chop this conversation off here... it was over an hour long...
-Mungo And Bob Talked About Records, Digital Cameras, Cats, Cats, And More Cats That Bob Tends At The Shelter-

Later, an old man, who had previously tried to pawn a desk off on me (an old 'military' desk, he said, that was strapped to the roof of his Suberban) asked Liz to ask Mr. Wan if he could take some pictures of the paintings on the wall.

Conversation from the floor, Leroy's Family Diner, C St. and Fireweed; 22Feb05; Mungo, PrettyLiz, and Mr. Desk
PRETTYLIZ: He says it's fine, go ahead.
MR. DESK: Thank you. That's. That's Don Quixote there. The windmill. That's.
MUNGO: On the one over there by the door?
MD: That's Don Quixote.
PL: I never noticed that.
M: I think it's just a guy and a windmill.
MD: Then that's. Huuuuhhhh.... Don What's His Name Quixote.
PL: That's awesome.
MD: It's beautiful and I'm going to take a picture of it for my grandson. God knows his father wouldn't do it for him.
M: I always hated that painting.
MD: Then you've never read about Don Quixote.
M: You mean Miguel de Cervantes 16th century Spanish classic, the pillar of the Western literary canon, and widely regarded as the world's first modern novel, "Don Quixote," no, guess I've never read it. What's it about?
MD: Oh, you should read it then.
PL: Like, yaaa, Erik, you should totally read it 'n' stuff. You'd, like, totally love it. It's about this sorta madman that's also sane and he's like this knight and has this faithful squire guy, Sancho something that follows him around and says, like, all these super smart things 'n' stuff.
MD: See, she's read it. I'm going to take, going to take a picture of this for my grandson.

-Mungo Laughs And Laughs As He Shares The Inside Joke With PrettyLiz-

About 20 minutes before I left Leroy's, a cabby, Cabby Jack, decides that it's high time he starts talking. I have seen him in Leroy's a dozen times before, and he always sits at the counter, never saying much except to order "whatever you're bringin'."

Conversation from the counter, Leroy's Family Diner, C St. and Fireweed; 22Feb05; Mungo and Cabby Jack
CABBY JACK: See this?
MUNGO: Who me, what that?
CJ: Do you know who that is on the cover?
M: Um, lemme guess, the Love Child of Vince Gill and decrepit Elvis?
CJ: Got some mouth, don't you? Well no, wise ass, that's me on the CD cover.
M: You've grown your hair out since, I see.
CJ: That's right. We did a show, it was a benifit for some Gaddangdum Kids without mothers or some shit, and we were voted "Best Benifit in 2001."
M: Well that's real nice.
CJ: Yep, just got the CD in today. What don't you flip it over and see if you know any of them songs on there.
M: "My Girl," "Unchained Melody," that's it.
CJ: Those are great songs though, but what about this one. You know this one?
M: Not right off, I'd have to hear it maybe.
CJ: You.... make me see.... how much... I have.... And I... still tremble when we touch... And oh the look... in your eyes---
M: Sir, seriously, that's not necessary. I'd prefer it if you didn't sing "When We Make Love" to me. Really. Please, just, sit, down.
CJ: Alright, just trying to be friendly.

-Mungo Endured Just About As Much As He Could Handle, But Ultimately Decided It Was Time To Leave For The Night-

Peace and Love,
Mungo