Noble Maloof, The Athlete
The bus was fairly crowded this morning. Noble Maloof was sitting next to - surprise surprise - a white woman. I've noticed he prefers white women as bench bus companions to all others and he will never speak to a fellow passenger unless they are a white woman. Wonderful.
I take a seat up front as the bus drives on and suddenly Noble's voice rings out, (You haven't forgotten that he's practically deaf, have you?) "I really admire the high jumpers, you know." "Do you?" his companion-of-the-moment says politely. "Yes, they have a great deal of skill you know," he said. There was a slight pause in the conversation, probably because the other woman didn't know what to say. I mean obviously if a high jumper is any good he or she has skill. That's what makes them a "high" jumper. If they had no skill they wouldn't get very high and would be called "low jumpers" or "chump" or something derogatory. But anyways, back to the conversation... "I used to do the high-jump," said Maloof, loudly, for all the bus to hear. Several heads turned to look at the shrivelled old man in the cabby hat. "When I was younger," he qualified. "Oh, did you," said the nice, white lady. "Are you watching the Olympics?" she said, probably still trying to make sense of the overall meaning of the conversation. "What?" he said. "Are you watching the Olympics on TV?" she asked again. "No, no," he said, "I couldn't do that anyways. (here he chuckled) You see, I have no television." If the nice white lady responded, I didn't hear it. The bus roared onto the highway.
I take a seat up front as the bus drives on and suddenly Noble's voice rings out, (You haven't forgotten that he's practically deaf, have you?) "I really admire the high jumpers, you know." "Do you?" his companion-of-the-moment says politely. "Yes, they have a great deal of skill you know," he said. There was a slight pause in the conversation, probably because the other woman didn't know what to say. I mean obviously if a high jumper is any good he or she has skill. That's what makes them a "high" jumper. If they had no skill they wouldn't get very high and would be called "low jumpers" or "chump" or something derogatory. But anyways, back to the conversation... "I used to do the high-jump," said Maloof, loudly, for all the bus to hear. Several heads turned to look at the shrivelled old man in the cabby hat. "When I was younger," he qualified. "Oh, did you," said the nice, white lady. "Are you watching the Olympics?" she said, probably still trying to make sense of the overall meaning of the conversation. "What?" he said. "Are you watching the Olympics on TV?" she asked again. "No, no," he said, "I couldn't do that anyways. (here he chuckled) You see, I have no television." If the nice white lady responded, I didn't hear it. The bus roared onto the highway.
posted by k_sra at 8/24/2004 10:50:00 AM
1 Comments:
I first met Noble Maluf in 1988. I was a photographer for the School of Medicine at CWRU. He would bring in kidneys from giraffe's, elephant's, taper's and so on. We would produce photographs for him on a weekly basis through the 90's. Everything you have said about him is true. Did you know he was never married but has a daughter? In fact she was married to the deceased Peter Jennings of ABC news fame. Anyway if you would like to know anything about this old bird ask away. I can be reached at thomas@case.edu.-Mike T. P.S Is he still alive in 2009?
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