SKYPE WITH A TOTAL STRANGER

You're sitting there trying to deal with the onslaught of a recession.

Do you take the bid on the house? 

120,000 less than you paid.

20.000 less than you owe.

Suddenly a big cosmic goldfish globule!

Silence has been Skyped.

Loneliness breached.

It's the GOLDFISH again.

And you don't even feed the fucker.

You don't get these SFX in Beckett silence.

But this ain't a story of analogue ennui.

This is one of digital despair.

Tinged with dishonest possibility.

Ones and zeros.

Cyber-sex.

Beauty or beast.

Come on baby.

Skype me.

We have contact.

We have picture.

Static.

No web-cam on me.

Can I web-cam on you.

On your grandmother's teengage breasts.

Over to you

It's Vanessa Odoru

[19/07/2012 18:06:39] Vanessa Odoru: Hello

Hello indeed. What could Vanessa Odoru possibly want?

[19/07/2012 18:06:43] Vanessa Odoru: Can you add me to be come honest friends

Honestly.

Time to introduce Vanessa: She is female. She is pretty. She is a girl from Potchefstroom city. That's South Africa. Or so we're told. 
Vanessa is on the prowl. 
She's looking for an honest, single man to share the "rean of my life with and stay with forever."

A tall order? Well with Skype you can walk the whole wide world.

Just to find me.

Me here, hungover in a warm, grey, Dublin evening.

She found me! Found me. Found me.

Lotto winning yippee!

[19/07/2012 18:07:19] Kevin Barrington: Why me? Why you?

[19/07/2012 18:08:34] Vanessa Odoru: Oh Dear anthing but if you don't like is ok

Why me?

[19/07/2012 18:14:03] Kevin Barrington: But you don't know me. Why are you sending me a message. Perhaps I boil babies for breakfast, peck at toddlers for lunch, pig out on grannies at night. Maybe you should run along down the highway

[19/07/2012 18:16:48] Vanessa Odoru: Okay My Dear

And with that Vanessa Odoru had come.

And gone.

From my life.

How was it for you?

Vanessa.

Odoru.