The human condition. What are you going to do?

HE DRIVES AS IF THIS WERE THE START OF SOMETHING BY DIGBY BEAUMONT 34THPARALLEL MAGAZINE ISSUE 31

The Picturehouse auditorium seemed empty, then a voice called out, “Hi.” On the back row sat a lone figure—a mountain gorilla—waving Ben over.

The silverback squeezed Ben’s hand and invited him to sit. He went by the name Pablo, he said. A sometime gorillagram. He wore a Lincoln green trilby and black leather jacket zipped to the throat.

The house lights dimmed, the title, Tokyo Drifter, appeared on the screen and the gorilla turned to watch with the look of someone who had spent long hours ruminating on the big questions. “The human condition,” he said. “What are you going to do?”

Outside in the street, post film, he asked if Ben needed a ride. Ben thought of the hard, scratchy bed and rancid carpet smells waiting back at the nightshelter dorm and asked where the gorilla was headed. “Tokyo? A Kentucky Fried Chicken all-nighter? Outer space? Who knows?” he said and he asked if Ben wanted to…