Metafriction

Metafriction 

starring Willa Something-or-other

 

This Willa teaches what used to be called “English” at the local high school that used to be called T. J. Jackson. Now it’s called “Language Arts,” what Willa teaches; and the high school is called [Madrid]. She’s a friend of Roz, and of Uncle Albert; at least, they are all in a book group together.

     She said she read the blog, and she asked me if I was writing metafiction. Her voice sounded like reheated coffee.

     I didn’t say, “What’s that?” I said, “Not that I know of.”

     But she said, “Do you know what that is?” So I had to say that I didn’t.

     “No,” I said.

     I asked Roz. She said, “How do I know if you know what it is?” Then: “But Willa wrote a play about it. Don’t you remember?”

     “No,” I said.

     “We went to it!”
     “Oh.”
     “At the high school She wrote it, she directed it, she had a part in it. She played William Gass.” I didn’t ask who William Gass was because it looked like Roz was going to say something else. She did: “Wait a minute!” she said.
     She went away for a while, maybe a few minutes, maybe ten; and she came back with this.

“I had to say “No” because I didn’t. I didn’t remember the play at all. “Is that her?”
     “Yes.”
     “I don't remember her either,” I said though I thought I remembered her voice.

09.05.21