DISCARDED SCENES FROM A NOVEL

Imagine a man sanding naked in his bedroom. His left arm is curled around a small teddy bear with yellow fur. He is holding it so sincerely, it’s mocking. There's a dark haired girl in his bed, watching him. She’s pretending not to watch too carefully. He asks, “Can you see me as a father?” She bows her head, but keeps glancing up and laughing. He rocks the bear gently, tenderly. (Stop watching so carefully!) And then. Like a period at the end of a sentence, he pretends to poke its eyes out with two fingers. Ninja style. The juxtaposition is hilarious.