11-16-2010, 12:00 AM
Louis Black was driving on his way to work along a favorite stretch of Washington state coast line on a beautiful sunny day. He was abruptly jolted from his reverie when his car slipped out of gear and the engine just revved redundantly. After repeated attempts to engage the gears he gave up and slowly rolled to a halt at the side of the road. He pulled off under the shade of a large tree and switched off the engine. He was not really surprised. His car was pretty old and his transmission had been giving him problems for awhile, slipping and not always shifting when it should. He knew it was just a matter of time before it failed him completely.
Lou got out of the car leaned against the front fender and took in the absolutely breath taking view of a field over looking the ocean. Wow! What a display. He took out his cell and called his secretary informing her of his dilemma. She offered to come and get him but he declined. This departure from his usual routine he was going to welcome as a gift and after all he was the boss, owner of his own company and it was such a beautiful day. Before he hung up he jotted down the number of a towing company his secretary looked up for him and left her instructions to hold all calls, he was not to be disturbed. He called the towing company and gave them his location. They told him it would be at about an hour before they could get there, which was just fine with Lou, who was looking forward to “owning his own company” again, a thought which made him quietly chuckle to himself.
Standing there looking at the car he thought it was time to get a new vehicle. He let out a sigh. He loved that old car, that black Jaguar XJ12. He had inherited it along with the business when his dad had passed years ago. At first he had not liked the car, seeing it more as an eccentricity of his father who enjoyed power and making statements, right down to the license plate, “NOIR”, a multiple play on their family name, the color of the car and his favorite wine, pinot noir. But the more he drove it the more it grew on him, especially when he saw others reactions to it, people seemed to like it and made comments about the license plate. It certainly was powerful and more and more Lou saw himself easing into some of the persona of his father through that car, which, in an odd way, had helped him feel more comfortable taking over the reigns of the company, Black Pearl Estates, a famous wine producer of the region.
“Yes, we have come along way together, you and I,” he thought appreciatively.
Letting his mind drift, Lou relaxed into the moment and the spectacular view before him. There was hardly any traffic and it was pretty quiet. Every now and then he could hear the wind in the leaves above him and the swaying of the tall grass in the field. Down the road to his right was one on those mirages you see on a hot day. Then, just as he was looking there, a man emerged from the shimmer walking towards him. The man was still a ways off but Lou could feel himself anticipating encounter and intrusion into his stillness. As soon as he noticed this he let it go in an all inclusive embrace of the day and whatever it had to offer.It was not long before the man reached him.
“Hi.” said the man, “Perfect day. Not a cloud in the sky.”
“Yes it is,” replied Lou, succinctly. He thought the man would keep on his way but instead he just stopped and stood there looking at Lou, which made Lou feel slightly uncomfortable though he had already determined the man was not a physical threat.
“Whew, nice car,” announced the stranger.
This was the point Lou usually went into set pieces of conversation about the car designed to establish himself, who he was and what he did. That now seemed a little hollow considering the circumstances. So he opted for casual, evasive talk about nothing.
“Yeah, but it broke down. I am waiting for a tow truck.”
“What’s the matter with it, asked the man?”
“It’s the transmission, I need a new one but I might just get a new car instead. What are you doing all the way out here, a little off the beaten path aren’t you,” asked Lou, changing the subject? He knew that stretch of road and there were no houses or conveniences for miles. He was trying to figure out where the man could have come from.
“I am parked a few miles down the road. I like to go for long walks. Today I am in search of a good spot where I can enjoy a bottle of wine and some cheese.” He patted a nap sack at his side as he said this. “But it looks like you have found that spot. Mind if I join you?”
Lou could not help be curious at the mention of wine, wondering if it was something from his winery.
“Sure, why not? I have a table waiting right here,” he said, with a big grin, patting to the hood of his car.
The man stepped forward and extended his hand.
“My name is Sam, Sam Allgood, pleased to meet you,” he said with some enthusiasm.
“Louis, Louis Black, you can call me Lou,” said Lou, looking for any sign of recognition in Sam’s eyes. There was no such hint so with that they warmly shook hands. Sam reached in the nap sack hanging from his shoulder and produced some cheese which he tossed to Lou, then brought out a small paring knife, which he also gave to Lou, two stemless wooden goblets and an unusual wooden plate, which he carefully placed on the hood of the car.
“There, now all I need is a tree,” said Sam looking around, “and I see one right there.”
Lou was more than puzzled as he saw Sam move towards the tree taking out the bottle of wine as he walked. Lou still could not make out what kind of wine it was other than it was red, which was a mild relief.
“What is this guy up to,” thought Lou?
When he reached the tree Sam gave the bottom of the bottle three stout raps against the trunk of the tree. Each time he did this the cork eased itself out of the bottle. When there was enough to get a good grip Sam turned around and pulled out the cork.
“Voila! Old Indian trick,” he said winking at Lou.
Sam filled both goblets and put the bottle down.
“Let’s give it a moment to breath, he told Lou.
Lou nodded his head and went to work on the cheese, all the while eyeing the bottle, which might have been one of his but there was no label on the bottle.
“Well if you are going to break down, this is as good a spot as any.” said Sam surveying the view, “Perfect!”
“Yeah,” Lou said with a nod, while thinking, a new car show room wouldn’t be bad either but kept his thought to him self, then cut off a hunk of cheese, and popped it in his mouth and passed the knife to Sam.
After eating a chunk his self, Sam picked up one of the goblets and said, “Cheers,” which was Lou’s cue to do likewise.
“Cheers,” replied Lou.
“Umm, oh yeah,” said Sam with a smack of his lips, obviously enjoying the wine, which intrigued Lou a little, but as his standards were so high he inwardly prepared for disappointment. Lou put the goblet to his lips and sipped. He let the wine rest on his palette for a moment then swallowed. The taste was indescribable. He put his nose to the goblet and inhaled deeply. He couldn’t place it. He took another sip, his attention riveted. The taste was sheer pleasure coursing through him exciting and caressing every wine tasting refinement he had cultivated over the years.
“Good isn’t it,” said Sam, with another smack of his lips?
“Good? Good?” Lou blurted out incredulously. “Good is hardly the word. What are we drinking? I mean what kind of wine is this? “
“Oh, I don’t know. I have had this bottle laying around for awhile,” said Sam.
“Why doesn’t the bottle have a label,” asked Lou?
“It got left outside in the rain and the label came off, it’s a long story,” replied Sam.
“Where did you get it?”
“From a local grocery store,” said Sam nonchalantly.
Lou looked at Sam in disbelief and took another sip. Again the pleasure infiltrated the most reserved recesses of his being. Lou finished his wine and poured himself another goblet not waiting for Sam to finish his.
“This wine is extraordinary,” announced Lou as he took another sip, “I can’t believe you don’t know what it is!”
“Ahhh, it’s all good. It’s like that field, said Sam pointing across the road, you cannot distinguish a single blade of grass, yet the field is beautiful, wouldn’t you agree?
“Well of course I can’t make out the blades of grass from here but if I went over there I would see the blades of grass,” replied Lou a little impatiently, failing to see what it had to do with the wine.
“Yes but then you would lose sight of the field, now wouldn’t you,” said Sam with a smile, as if he had just uttered the most obvious thing in the world? In fact you probably think that your perception of that field and the taste of this wine are two different things, because your eyes see the one and your tongue tastes the other, don’t you? But I say, this wine and that field are no different and the taste of that field and the taste of this wine no different! There was a twinkle in Sam’s eye as he looked at Lou.
Even though it seemed ridiculous to Lou he took the bait.
“I assure you this wine is delicious a mouth full of dirt from that field is not,” retorted Lou. He tried to temper his edge a little out of respect for Sam’s kindness and his wine, but he could feel himself starting to get dismissive so he calmed himself with another sip of the wine and let it go.
“But that’s just how it tastes to your tongue and feels in your mouth, you love the one and are adverse to the other” said Sam.
Lou shrugged his shoulders. “Err, yeah?”
Sam then stood up walked across the road into the field bent down and appeared to be scooping up dirt. Moments later he returned with a handful of dirt.
“Now Lou, please just humor me. I want you you to wet your finger with your tongue, dip it in the dirt I am holding and taste it.” With that Sam extended his hand towards Lou, urging him to do as he said with a slight nod of his head. Reluctantly Lou did as instructed, feeling rather foolish as he did so but remembered that wine growers the world over frequently tasted the soil to get an indication of the flavors of the minerals that would later show up in the wine.
The soil was gritty its texture unpleasant just as expected, hints of different minerals and then there it was, the indescribable pleasure he had tasted with the wine. It was then that he realized something about the wine he had been drinking and spit out the dirt and quickly took a sip of the wine to confirm his suspicion. The wine was very ordinary just like any cheap store bought wine just as Sam had said. Earlier Lou had confused the sheer pleasure he felt from tasting the wine with the actual taste of the wine itself. But there it was again with each sip. Sheer pleasure coursing through his being. Lou pointed to the dirt Sam was holding and Sam obliged, holding it up towards Lou. Lou quickly dipped his finger in the dirt and tasted again. Just like the wine more waves of euphoria. Lou put his his hands to each side of his head and looked up at the clear blue sky. Then he looked at Sam who was stood there gazing steadily at him with a slight smile adorning his face.
Lou broke the silence. “The wine, the dirt, different yet the same. What is going on?”
“There is nothing happening”, said Sam, quietly. “I open the wine, I hold the dirt!”
“What is this? This is not about the wine or the dirt is it? How can this dirt be the same as the wine yet different, I don’t understand”, said Lou shaking his head?
“In order to know that you must see where the dirt is. Step into the field with me. I will sustain you so the bliss does not overwhelm you and you abandon everything.” And with that Sam walked towards the field.
Lou took another sip of the wine, savoring every drop, then eagerly stepped across the road and followed Sam into the field.
He arrived at Sam’s side and stood still looking west in the same direction as Sam facing the ocean. The euphoria abruptly ceased, replaced by a pristine clarity, stark and primordial.
Lou looked around him.“This sameness is the absence of everything, a vast spaciousness, continuously manifesting, appearing as a multiplicity, never coming into being, inconceivable, immaculate, unsurpassable,” Lou declared! He turned to Sam for acknowledgment but Sam was nowhere to be seen. Somehow Lou was not surprised. It was as if he knew Sam would not be stood next to him. Lou savored the moment.
Just then there was a loud sound that reverberated and rippled all around. It seemed to be coming from everywhere and nowhere. A moment later the sound repeated, two short bursts. This time Lou recognized it and turned to see the tow truck, sounding the air horn as it backed up to his car.
Lou got out of the car leaned against the front fender and took in the absolutely breath taking view of a field over looking the ocean. Wow! What a display. He took out his cell and called his secretary informing her of his dilemma. She offered to come and get him but he declined. This departure from his usual routine he was going to welcome as a gift and after all he was the boss, owner of his own company and it was such a beautiful day. Before he hung up he jotted down the number of a towing company his secretary looked up for him and left her instructions to hold all calls, he was not to be disturbed. He called the towing company and gave them his location. They told him it would be at about an hour before they could get there, which was just fine with Lou, who was looking forward to “owning his own company” again, a thought which made him quietly chuckle to himself.
Standing there looking at the car he thought it was time to get a new vehicle. He let out a sigh. He loved that old car, that black Jaguar XJ12. He had inherited it along with the business when his dad had passed years ago. At first he had not liked the car, seeing it more as an eccentricity of his father who enjoyed power and making statements, right down to the license plate, “NOIR”, a multiple play on their family name, the color of the car and his favorite wine, pinot noir. But the more he drove it the more it grew on him, especially when he saw others reactions to it, people seemed to like it and made comments about the license plate. It certainly was powerful and more and more Lou saw himself easing into some of the persona of his father through that car, which, in an odd way, had helped him feel more comfortable taking over the reigns of the company, Black Pearl Estates, a famous wine producer of the region.
“Yes, we have come along way together, you and I,” he thought appreciatively.
Letting his mind drift, Lou relaxed into the moment and the spectacular view before him. There was hardly any traffic and it was pretty quiet. Every now and then he could hear the wind in the leaves above him and the swaying of the tall grass in the field. Down the road to his right was one on those mirages you see on a hot day. Then, just as he was looking there, a man emerged from the shimmer walking towards him. The man was still a ways off but Lou could feel himself anticipating encounter and intrusion into his stillness. As soon as he noticed this he let it go in an all inclusive embrace of the day and whatever it had to offer.It was not long before the man reached him.
“Hi.” said the man, “Perfect day. Not a cloud in the sky.”
“Yes it is,” replied Lou, succinctly. He thought the man would keep on his way but instead he just stopped and stood there looking at Lou, which made Lou feel slightly uncomfortable though he had already determined the man was not a physical threat.
“Whew, nice car,” announced the stranger.
This was the point Lou usually went into set pieces of conversation about the car designed to establish himself, who he was and what he did. That now seemed a little hollow considering the circumstances. So he opted for casual, evasive talk about nothing.
“Yeah, but it broke down. I am waiting for a tow truck.”
“What’s the matter with it, asked the man?”
“It’s the transmission, I need a new one but I might just get a new car instead. What are you doing all the way out here, a little off the beaten path aren’t you,” asked Lou, changing the subject? He knew that stretch of road and there were no houses or conveniences for miles. He was trying to figure out where the man could have come from.
“I am parked a few miles down the road. I like to go for long walks. Today I am in search of a good spot where I can enjoy a bottle of wine and some cheese.” He patted a nap sack at his side as he said this. “But it looks like you have found that spot. Mind if I join you?”
Lou could not help be curious at the mention of wine, wondering if it was something from his winery.
“Sure, why not? I have a table waiting right here,” he said, with a big grin, patting to the hood of his car.
The man stepped forward and extended his hand.
“My name is Sam, Sam Allgood, pleased to meet you,” he said with some enthusiasm.
“Louis, Louis Black, you can call me Lou,” said Lou, looking for any sign of recognition in Sam’s eyes. There was no such hint so with that they warmly shook hands. Sam reached in the nap sack hanging from his shoulder and produced some cheese which he tossed to Lou, then brought out a small paring knife, which he also gave to Lou, two stemless wooden goblets and an unusual wooden plate, which he carefully placed on the hood of the car.
“There, now all I need is a tree,” said Sam looking around, “and I see one right there.”
Lou was more than puzzled as he saw Sam move towards the tree taking out the bottle of wine as he walked. Lou still could not make out what kind of wine it was other than it was red, which was a mild relief.
“What is this guy up to,” thought Lou?
When he reached the tree Sam gave the bottom of the bottle three stout raps against the trunk of the tree. Each time he did this the cork eased itself out of the bottle. When there was enough to get a good grip Sam turned around and pulled out the cork.
“Voila! Old Indian trick,” he said winking at Lou.
Sam filled both goblets and put the bottle down.
“Let’s give it a moment to breath, he told Lou.
Lou nodded his head and went to work on the cheese, all the while eyeing the bottle, which might have been one of his but there was no label on the bottle.
“Well if you are going to break down, this is as good a spot as any.” said Sam surveying the view, “Perfect!”
“Yeah,” Lou said with a nod, while thinking, a new car show room wouldn’t be bad either but kept his thought to him self, then cut off a hunk of cheese, and popped it in his mouth and passed the knife to Sam.
After eating a chunk his self, Sam picked up one of the goblets and said, “Cheers,” which was Lou’s cue to do likewise.
“Cheers,” replied Lou.
“Umm, oh yeah,” said Sam with a smack of his lips, obviously enjoying the wine, which intrigued Lou a little, but as his standards were so high he inwardly prepared for disappointment. Lou put the goblet to his lips and sipped. He let the wine rest on his palette for a moment then swallowed. The taste was indescribable. He put his nose to the goblet and inhaled deeply. He couldn’t place it. He took another sip, his attention riveted. The taste was sheer pleasure coursing through him exciting and caressing every wine tasting refinement he had cultivated over the years.
“Good isn’t it,” said Sam, with another smack of his lips?
“Good? Good?” Lou blurted out incredulously. “Good is hardly the word. What are we drinking? I mean what kind of wine is this? “
“Oh, I don’t know. I have had this bottle laying around for awhile,” said Sam.
“Why doesn’t the bottle have a label,” asked Lou?
“It got left outside in the rain and the label came off, it’s a long story,” replied Sam.
“Where did you get it?”
“From a local grocery store,” said Sam nonchalantly.
Lou looked at Sam in disbelief and took another sip. Again the pleasure infiltrated the most reserved recesses of his being. Lou finished his wine and poured himself another goblet not waiting for Sam to finish his.
“This wine is extraordinary,” announced Lou as he took another sip, “I can’t believe you don’t know what it is!”
“Ahhh, it’s all good. It’s like that field, said Sam pointing across the road, you cannot distinguish a single blade of grass, yet the field is beautiful, wouldn’t you agree?
“Well of course I can’t make out the blades of grass from here but if I went over there I would see the blades of grass,” replied Lou a little impatiently, failing to see what it had to do with the wine.
“Yes but then you would lose sight of the field, now wouldn’t you,” said Sam with a smile, as if he had just uttered the most obvious thing in the world? In fact you probably think that your perception of that field and the taste of this wine are two different things, because your eyes see the one and your tongue tastes the other, don’t you? But I say, this wine and that field are no different and the taste of that field and the taste of this wine no different! There was a twinkle in Sam’s eye as he looked at Lou.
Even though it seemed ridiculous to Lou he took the bait.
“I assure you this wine is delicious a mouth full of dirt from that field is not,” retorted Lou. He tried to temper his edge a little out of respect for Sam’s kindness and his wine, but he could feel himself starting to get dismissive so he calmed himself with another sip of the wine and let it go.
“But that’s just how it tastes to your tongue and feels in your mouth, you love the one and are adverse to the other” said Sam.
Lou shrugged his shoulders. “Err, yeah?”
Sam then stood up walked across the road into the field bent down and appeared to be scooping up dirt. Moments later he returned with a handful of dirt.
“Now Lou, please just humor me. I want you you to wet your finger with your tongue, dip it in the dirt I am holding and taste it.” With that Sam extended his hand towards Lou, urging him to do as he said with a slight nod of his head. Reluctantly Lou did as instructed, feeling rather foolish as he did so but remembered that wine growers the world over frequently tasted the soil to get an indication of the flavors of the minerals that would later show up in the wine.
The soil was gritty its texture unpleasant just as expected, hints of different minerals and then there it was, the indescribable pleasure he had tasted with the wine. It was then that he realized something about the wine he had been drinking and spit out the dirt and quickly took a sip of the wine to confirm his suspicion. The wine was very ordinary just like any cheap store bought wine just as Sam had said. Earlier Lou had confused the sheer pleasure he felt from tasting the wine with the actual taste of the wine itself. But there it was again with each sip. Sheer pleasure coursing through his being. Lou pointed to the dirt Sam was holding and Sam obliged, holding it up towards Lou. Lou quickly dipped his finger in the dirt and tasted again. Just like the wine more waves of euphoria. Lou put his his hands to each side of his head and looked up at the clear blue sky. Then he looked at Sam who was stood there gazing steadily at him with a slight smile adorning his face.
Lou broke the silence. “The wine, the dirt, different yet the same. What is going on?”
“There is nothing happening”, said Sam, quietly. “I open the wine, I hold the dirt!”
“What is this? This is not about the wine or the dirt is it? How can this dirt be the same as the wine yet different, I don’t understand”, said Lou shaking his head?
“In order to know that you must see where the dirt is. Step into the field with me. I will sustain you so the bliss does not overwhelm you and you abandon everything.” And with that Sam walked towards the field.
Lou took another sip of the wine, savoring every drop, then eagerly stepped across the road and followed Sam into the field.
He arrived at Sam’s side and stood still looking west in the same direction as Sam facing the ocean. The euphoria abruptly ceased, replaced by a pristine clarity, stark and primordial.
Lou looked around him.“This sameness is the absence of everything, a vast spaciousness, continuously manifesting, appearing as a multiplicity, never coming into being, inconceivable, immaculate, unsurpassable,” Lou declared! He turned to Sam for acknowledgment but Sam was nowhere to be seen. Somehow Lou was not surprised. It was as if he knew Sam would not be stood next to him. Lou savored the moment.
Just then there was a loud sound that reverberated and rippled all around. It seemed to be coming from everywhere and nowhere. A moment later the sound repeated, two short bursts. This time Lou recognized it and turned to see the tow truck, sounding the air horn as it backed up to his car.