Karen Walker
The Meaning of Words Unknown to Doug
· matutinal: occurring in the morning
Doug is not at the kitchen table with his oatmeal. He's in the garage under the Chevy, stuck in a pool of thick oil.
· jentacular: pertaining to breakfast
Louise stirs You could've died in a pot on the stove. Pours it into her bowl and his. Despite a kiss on the cheek and an extra spoonful of brown sugar, Doug denies needing anyone's help or ever wanting oatmeal.
· dès vu: the knowledge that something has become a memory
As the dealership changes the Chevy's oil, Doug sinks deeper and deeper into a leather tub chair in the customer lounge. There's only complimentary latte. No coffee. What's a latte?
· acatalepsy: the impossibility of comprehending the universe
At least six—!—building permits would be required to convert the spidery garage into a den or other living space.
· umarell: a retired individual who stands and watches construction sites
When the strip mall was finished, the guys signed a 2x4 and presented it to Doug. They gave him leftover insulation and wire, promised to come see his garage renovations. They haven't, and he hasn't applied for a single permit.
· catastrophize
When Louise's preliminary results come back, Doug paces the garage. It's thirteen of his Please-God-save-her-I-can't-be-alone shuffle steps wide and twenty-five long.
· saudade: a longing that's as hazy as it is powerful
He grew up a grease monkey in his father's garage. Mechanics taught him how to change a Chevy's oil. Doug recalls them slapping his back, tousling his hair, shouting, Attaboy! and maybe even, Proud of ya! Doug's father, being forever busy with oil changes, did not.
Karen Walker (she/her) writes in Ontario, Canada. Her most recent work is in New Flash Fiction Review, Exist Otherwise, Misery Tourism, Switch, The Ekphrastic Review, and EGG+FROG.
