Jarvis was born and raised in Walterboro, South Carolina. He grew up with an intense aversion to authority. He literally, not figuratively, could not appropriately respond to the words "no" and "don't."
This obviously resulted in numerous social, educational, and professional issues. He was not welcome at the local library, where "no talking" was the rule.
Diligent parenting, and a caring, responsive township, developed compromises that allowed Jarvis to maintain a civil lifestyle. His parents suffered thru his early childhood. The results were disastrous when they scolded "no!" if he got too close to fire, played on the stares, tried to eat his shoes.
But they learned as he grew. Comments like "don't speak to me like that," which led to an unnerving stream of profanities, were replaced by "that kind of speech is unacceptable."
Jarvis lived his life on a delicately thin line stretched across a sea of cracked ice.
School was not easy for him; he dropped out as soon as he could, which was March of 1976.
Got a job bagging groceries at Krogers.
Met a check out clerk named Betty; they shared lunch breaks every now and then.
Betty was an accommodating girl; never said "no" to anybody. She and Jarvis got along real well.
Jarvis very badly wanted to spend some quality "alone" time with Betty, who lived in Yemassee.
His ma and pa agreed to let him use the family truck to go see Betty for New Year's eve; it was sort of a Christmas present. They couldn't say "no" when he asked.
Jarvis would be traveling north along the newly opened I-95; exits 53 to 38.
Things surely would have turned out differently if ma and pa were familiar with this road. Alas, they were not.
Jarvis approached the "No U Turn" sign just past exit 47.
He had no choice; he made a u turn.
Heading south, Jarvis approached his second ever "No U Turn" sign midway between exits 41 and 42.
He had no choice; he made a u turn.
Jarvis continued to travel in circles; continued to make illegal u turns for twenty minutes.
U turns are illegal for a reason.
They are dangerous.
The funeral was not well attended.
Ma and pa were there, but Betty was otherwise occupied.
In 1985, the "No U Turn" signs were replaced with signs that featured the globally accepted symbol of a "U" with a line thru it.
Rednecks were appalled, thinking this was an unnecessary compromise for the Mexicans.
It was for the completely caucasian, completely unfortunate likes of Jarvis.
Was it Jarvis' experience of the tone (somehow offensive) of the word "no" that then gave the written form that expressed this concept of prohibition, the same repulsive connotation and viscerally unavoidable field force of disobedience? Why would the international symbol, assuming he learned its synonimity with the simple English word for negation, have perhaps saved his life? Is there some complaint by the author (Pop) about the English language or perhaps about language itself? Was Jarvis autistic in whole or in part? Was he just a willful punk who had it coming? Was there chemical warfare inside his brain of the most lamentable internecine kind? I want to mourn for him, but I don't quite understand who he was.
ReplyDeleteDuh, the story was about Betty.
ReplyDeleteBelieve it or not, I wasn't trying to sound like Prof. Irwin Corey, but I realize now how very close I came to his abyssal universe.
ReplyDeleteOh! Small world! Here comes His Blackboardship (w/apologies to Bob Denver's Maynard G. Krebbs) right now (he just floated through my wall without benefit of eschatological aid or as a bonafide ghost....how does he do it?). Well, Prof. would you kindly say a few words to Pop about Jarvis and Betty and all concerned?
P.I.C.: Why, positronically! How do you do Jimbo? I am most eager to importune you about the fecundity of a mindset with the fortuitous machinations of a Butch Marchibrodian conceptualization of the Cosmos and that dovetails especialliy with Betty's placidity and/or plasticity as it relates to Jarvis' psychic barking, nay a howling at that "sovereign mistress of true melancholy", the object of that tribe of Marcel who perceived, mistakenly, an azure vision that looped inextricably into the Doge of Dachaville's marmaladian palace! Keep extruding moonbeams with bank robberies of a Woodsidian remembrance and don't Chase hopelessly bended neon rainbows unless Gloria Okon promises you an Arnold Scwarzneggerian Christ-moose.
Rus: Professor, back to the pain of Jarvis' existence, can you advise?
P.I.C.: Now, as a 1959 Daily News caption explained the photo of the "HR trot" of one William Howard Mays (after local, i.e. Seals Stadium fans' anxiety about Mr. Mays' semi-slump) thusly: "Willie? He Did", I too suggest the insertion of that simple question and answer pairing in order to understand the destiny of Jarvis, as well as the "Greatest Gal in the Universe", namely: Betty and her immanence.
Rus: You know Prof., you sounded almost completely rational just now. Are you alright?
P.I.C.: We all have our occasional off days. By the way, that was a lousy brick pointing job you had done. My trans-migration through your wall did not pinch in the least.
Rus: Say goodnight, Professor. Please.
P.I.C. Am feeling much better suddenly. I just speed read your USDH and HS brochure "Depressive Illness: Treatments Bring New Hope". Therefore while Mal-larking about and around the negativity of palmetto bug culture as perpetrated and perpetuated by Pop's altar-eek Oh! of Jarvis' "Fail-yuh to comunicate", I see no reason not to dole out or rather not to dish out what one cannot, but MUST take: a veritable retort to the Life's a Bitch and Then You Die crowd. I say Lie TO the Bitch, 'cause your gonna die (and possibly {Pop} fly) anyway. Keep formulating the reliquary of Blue Moon Odom's diffidence (he was a crypto Marcellian, dossiers reveal) and I thank your for your kind attention.
I'll have what you're having.
ReplyDeleteAre you making up for a basically drug free youth?
Thanks for the laughs, Pop. Very funny stuff.
ReplyDeleteI happily discovered that Professor Irwin Corey is alive and (well, he was NEVER well) his website and Wikipedia bio. both worth the googling. He's pushing 97!
ReplyDelete