tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28277566733144243292024-02-19T10:58:16.069-08:00Madbandit Roy's BlogA blog of fiction, reviews, photos and other things.Roy Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08816499735037160378noreply@blogger.comBlogger55125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2827756673314424329.post-77522808335582252152015-03-20T09:18:00.000-07:002015-03-20T09:28:55.826-07:00Riverting, Important Coming-Of-Age Tale by Renaissance Man Parks<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://images.moviepostershop.com/the-learning-tree-movie-poster-1969-1020255124.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://images.moviepostershop.com/the-learning-tree-movie-poster-1969-1020255124.jpg" height="320" width="211" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.umbc.edu/cadvc/foralltheworld/images/film/The-Learning-Tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.umbc.edu/cadvc/foralltheworld/images/film/The-Learning-Tree.jpg" height="228" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The appearance of a biracial man in
the Oval Office (two-terms!) sadly hasn't simmer down racial strife in the
country since the Emancipation Proclamation was signed. That, along with recent
fatal shootings involving African-American men and police officers, shows that
society has a long way to go. One film perfectly notes that: the film version
of Gordon Parks's partially biographical, poignant and powerful, coming-of-age
tale, "The Learning Tree".<br />
<br />
It's an interesting coming-of-age tale because it focuses on two
African-American boys, who are quite different: the curious, good-natured and
sensitive Newt Winger (Kyle Johnson, son of Nichelle Nichols of "Star
Trek: The Original Series") and the volatile, bitter and frustrated Marcus
Savage (Alex Clarke, who could have mistaken for a teenage James Earl Jones)
try to live and survive in the hamlet of Cherokee Falls, Kansas of the 1920s,
which isn't quite the Jim Crow South, but it's not a liberal-minded northern
metropolis. The backgrounds of each boy are the basis of their yin and yang
personalities. Newt has a stern ranch hand father (Felix Nelson of "The
Ballad Of Cable Hogue"), a kind mother (Estelle Evans of "To Kill A
Mockingbird") who's the housemaid for the local judge (Russell Thorson of
"Hang 'Em High), a wise blind uncle (Joel M. Fluellen of "The Great
White Hope"), an ideal big brother (Phillip Roye of "Black
Caesar") and a sassy but concerned sister (Saundra Sharp of "Minstrel
Man").<br />
<br />
Marcus, whose surname sadly fits him, has none of them, save for a booze hound
junkyard owner of a father (Richard Ward of "Across 110th St" and
"For Pete's Sake"), whose irresponsibility leaves Marcus open to
trouble, causing it (he bullies Newt and three other boys into stealing apples
from a farmer's land) and attracting it (Dana Elcar, later of
"MacGyver", is pretty effective as the motorcycle-riding racist
sheriff Kirky), leading to temporary incarceration in a juvenile reformatory
and later janitorial work in a shabby bordello. Newt has his conflicts: college
aspirations are deterred by a stubbornly bigoted teacher while his first love
is sexually deflowered by one of the Judge's two sons, a careless lothario.
When a man is killed and another framed by Marcus's father, both boys will come
together at a boiling point.<br />
<br />
Having the reputation of being a famed photographer for Life magazine, an prose
author and a documentary director, Parks (the first two "Shaft"
films, "The Super Cops", "Leadbelly") was the perfect
candidate to cine-adapt his novel, becoming the first African-American to
direct a big studio film (Warner Bros.) "Tree" may come off like an episode
of "Little House On The Prairie" meets an episode of "Peyton
Place" with its' cornball sentimentality, but the film's perfectly solid
with Parks (wrote, produced, directed and composed the film's music score!) at
the helm. He even got cinematographer Burnett Gurney (worked on many classic films
from Columbia Pictures, including "From Here To Eternity" and
"Gidget") to capture the beautiful atmosphere of the countryside.
Most of the cast is obviously from the theater and may come off stiff as some
points, but it's nice and pleasant to see African-Americans portrayed
non-stereotypically. I related to Johnson as Newt, a daydreamer who's trying to
find his way in the world by asking questions and sharing his feelings. By
doing that, he forces his high school principal and the judge to admit that the
system is, for lack of a better word, is screwed up. Marcus reminds me of boys
I knew, angry at their predicament and helpless to change, sadly dooming
themselves to a tragic fate. Having the boys' opposing characteristics make the
film almost like a Sam Peckinpah film (stock actor Dub Taylor has an appearance
as shady boxing ring promoter at a local carnival).<br />
<br />
Like the book, the film version of "The Learning Tree" should be
required in every school, especially if it has African-American students. It's
all too important and riveting at this time.</span></div>
<span style="color: white ; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xjwvoo_the-learning-tree-1969-trailer_shortfilms#.VQxIKB_yiEA.blogger">The Learning Tree (1969) - Trailer - Vidéo Dailymotion</a></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span>
Roy Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08816499735037160378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2827756673314424329.post-72905826855572128432014-03-19T09:36:00.003-07:002014-03-19T09:36:54.538-07:00Elysium Movie Review
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.movienewz.com/img/gallery/elysium/posters/elysium_movie_poster_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.movienewz.com/img/gallery/elysium/posters/elysium_movie_poster_1.jpg" height="320" width="215" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">It’s
more than obvious that when people go to their local movie house on rent/buy a
DVD, they don’t want to think about anything, aside from having a good time.
Fair enough, but being voluntarily stupid doesn’t exactly contribute to
society. Message films today are kind of looked upon as “pro-Commie, bleeding
heart propaganda” (thanks, Fox News), but they still have a place in the world.
One of them is “Elysium”,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Neill Blomkamp’s
slam-bam yet thoughtful follow-up to his Oscar-nominated “District 9”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Like the song by the funk band, War,
the world has become a ghetto by the year 2154, due to disease, pollution and
overpopulation, and anyone big-pocketed has high-tailed it to a halo-shaped
space station, its’ name shared with the film’s title, decked with Beverly
Hills-like mansion, servant and security droids and rejuvenation chambers. Any
“undesirables” are quickly shot down, under the command of Delacourt (Jodie
Foster, “Taxi Driver”, “Flightplan”) the station’s secretary of defense. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.iwatchstuff.com/2012/07/05/elysium-damon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.iwatchstuff.com/2012/07/05/elysium-damon.jpg" height="225" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The fly is in the ointment happens
to Max Dacosta (Matt Damon, the “Jason Bourne” saga, “Dogma”), an ex-thief turn
robot factory worker, who’s dying of radiation poisoning after a work-related
accident. Refitted with an exo-suit by “smugglers”, he’s sent to capture and
download financial intel from the brain of his apathetic ex-boss (William
Fichtner, “Prison Break”, “Drive Angry”) as payment for his journey to the
space station, but the intel’s actually a reset program for said station as the
ingredient for a coup, making Max a target for DelaCourt and her field soldier,
the sociopathic Kruger (Sharlto Copley, “District 9”, “The A-Team Movie”).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Like “District 9”, which allegorized
apartheid in South Africa, “Elysium” brilliantly allegorizes illegal
immigration, social division and healthcare. Did it have to take a South
African-born filmsmith to make a sci-fi satire about the aforementioned topics?
Guess so, else the film’s wouldn’t had a sharp edge, the space station being a
pristine heaven while Earth’s a garbage-encrusted, decaying hell. Production
designer Phillip Ivey captures that division, especially in the look of the
technology. No one here’s in exactly good or bad, just opportunistic, noting
how society can fall so low.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Damon fits
in a role Bruce Willis could have played to a T; Foster echoes Sigourney Weaver
with pure coldness and Copley, the 21<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">st</span></sup><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Century’s Bruce Campbell, is both bottle-cap
sardonic and sinister. They’re helped by Alice Braga (“Repo Men”) as an old
childhood love of Max; Diego Luna (“Rudo Y Cursi”) as Max’s old heist pal and
Wagner Moura as an “tech coyote”. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Elysium” is one of those films that
deserves to be watch more than once because, like Blomkamp’s first film, it
tells the truth about the human condition in a sci-fi canvas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/oIBtePb-dGY?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
Roy Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08816499735037160378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2827756673314424329.post-58208736295027900142014-03-05T08:57:00.001-08:002014-03-05T08:58:54.943-08:00Patty: A Short Story<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I
was watching TV when I heard the crash. Knowing what happened, I sighed, but I
didn’t leave my room. I waited for the show to end. Politeness. When I did
leave, I<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>went into the kitchen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I
found shards of an aqua-blue painted mug on the floor. Hovering over the mess
was Patricia. I swore under my breath.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“I’m
sorry,” she mumbled.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Go,
Patty,” I said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“I’m
sorry,” she left the kitchen as I grabbed a nearby broom and dustpan to clean
up the mess my older, mentally handicapped (retarded is crueler, politically
incorrect) sister made. Six years apart in age, I always thought I was the
older one, yet I never knew what’s it like to be trapped in the sense of you
can’t be like everyone else. By God’s unbreakable will, you’ve given the
intelligence of a three-year-old. That’s Patty. She wanted to be like everyone
else, but doesn’t have the capability to do be. The shards told me that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I
sometime wondered why they are mentally retarded people in the world. Pardon me
if you think I’m a supporter of eugenics. I’m not. I dare not think it. The
only answer is probably humanity needs flaws, warts on the butt cheeks, so that
we can be a little nice and civil towards each other. Patience. I didn’t knew
if I could have that at the time when I was growing up, wishing about what
could have been. I wish I had a big, normal<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>brother, who helped me with life and be more understanding than my
father. It’s not easy being a middle child, let alone the only son, in the
family, who doesn’t “act like a man”. I’m not gay, mind you. Just thoughtful
and reflective.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>But
what about Patty? A twisted version of Peter Pan, who didn’t ask to be this
way. A lover of food-especially cheese, bread and milk-when someone “raids” the
fridge.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">An illiterate when looking at a
newspaper or a magazine; the photographs fascinated her. If I told her the ugly
truth about her idol, the pop singer Michael Jackson, whose hit single, “Beat
It” was on the tip of her tongue-but just the title-she wouldn’t care. She
“loves” him. Patty was also a giggler. What was in her mind that made her
chortle will forever remain a mystery.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>She
was a pain in the ass, too. Sitting on the commode and never getting up (unless
she wants to) was a common habit. Two reasons were excretory and her<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>menstrual cycle. The latter seemed eternal,
because the sight on blood-stained<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>maxi-pads was common, gross and weird. Especially weird when a person’s
body keeps growing but<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>their mindset is
forever stuck. My mother and younger sister sometimes had the thankless,
unfortunate task of helping Patty with maintaining her hygiene. I didn’t have a
strong sense of patience as they did. Guess I saw her as an ubiquitous,
undeviating ball-and-chain, punishment for a sin I had in a past life. Who
needs religion to keep you on a high, moral ground?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And
she was stubborn and sneaky. If it was time to eat, Patty refused to. If you
force her to, she’d eat slow and throw away the rest in the kitchen’s garbage
pail when no one was around. If she wasn’t quick, I would devour her dinner,
but devour with sorrow, since she was skinny as a twig. Mom had to get
prescription medicine so Patty could liv longer. The mean side of me wanted my
older sister to die. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Naturally,
of course. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Patty
often placed a current newspaper on the pile of old, read newspapers, making
the search of an important news article into a treasure hunt for the rest of
the family. Patty did that with other items, including an envelope containing
my birthday money when I turned ten. Maybe there was some deep, hidden
animosity and jealously from her towards me because I wasn’t like her. Kids
used to think I was mentally retarded, and they mocked me. I tattle-taled and
got punch-drunk. Was I defending myself from being “trapped” ? Yes. Was I
insecure about having a relative who had a IQ of 12 and asked for “juice” and
“what’s your name?”? I guess so. Was I defending my sister? Maybe.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>After
cleaning up the shards and dumping them in the garbage pail, I went back to my
bedroom, turned off the TV and went to bed. I wasn’t sleepy, though. I started
to read some chapters of a library-owned copy of “On the Road” by Jack Kerouac.
When I read the prose, I was jealous, wishing I was Kerouac, traveling across
America without a damn in the world and writing down my adventures. Love and
responsibility kept me away from that. They are chains unbreakable.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I
heard Patty mumble to herself. A sigh left my lips, and I left my bed and room.
I found Patty in the living room.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Time
for bed, Patty,” I tapped her right shoulder.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“I
wanna go to the bathroom.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Please
go.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Huh?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Just
go. Please.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Kiss,”
she shoved her lips towards me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I
shook my head, not wanting to kiss any of her acne-coated cheeks, but I gave a
kiss on her cheek, escorted to her bed and was grateful we had two bathrooms in
the house.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>-30-<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
Roy Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08816499735037160378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2827756673314424329.post-46068450670158647732013-07-29T08:43:00.002-07:002013-07-29T08:43:26.925-07:00Black Dynamite Review: Look out, you jive suckas! Black Dynamite's Here!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTExNzUxNDU4NTReQTJeQWpwZ15BbWU3MDc5MDEzNjM@._V1_SY317_CR4,0,214,317_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img bba="true" border="0" src="http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTExNzUxNDU4NTReQTJeQWpwZ15BbWU3MDc5MDEzNjM@._V1_SY317_CR4,0,214,317_.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
Taking scenes from current films and goofing them up, parody flicks come off as lazy and, in the long run, forgettable. That's not the case with "Black Dynamite", a slam-bam spoof of the blaxploitation films of the 1970s, that stand on its' own two feet. Holy Mel Brooks and Quentin Tarantino (Both men should watch this film)! <br /><br />Big, black, sexy,dangerous and sometimes ludicrous is the title hero (Michael Jai White of, "Spawn", The Dark Knight" and an edited scene from "Kill Bill"), an ex-CIA operative who's on the road of revenge when his kid brother's killed for being an undercover snitch (and speaking proper English!). <br /><br />The crime leads to plots involving drug-addicted orphans (Huh?) and malt liquor that emasculates African-American men (What the?!). Through it all, BD encounters mobsters, dealers, pimps, hustlers, whores, Black Power revolutionaries, corrupt CIA operatives, kung fu assassins and. . . good God. . . a nunchuks-wielding Richard Nixon (Now, why didn't Zack Snyder give his Nixon in "Watchmen" some mad kung fu skills?)! <br /><br />Unlike previous spoofs of the genre ("I'm Gonna Get You, Sucka!" ,"Undercover Brother" and "Pootie Tang"), "BD" takes place in the 1970s, not only embracing the funky fashions, ambiance and lingo, but also the embarrassing gaffes, miscues and continuity errors that the politically minded, yet Ed Wood-like auteurs blatantly sanctioned in their cine-opuses. A character hits his head against the boom mike. A stuntman's quickly replaced within the reel (!) after getting hit accidentally. Wild, shaking close-ups are aplenty. Exposition is told in song. Supporting players appear out of nowhere! For cine-sticklers, it's a parade of goofs.<br /><br />A crowd pleaser at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, "BD" is a laugh riot and a half, thanks to the gonzo ace script by White (possibly the next Leslie Nielsen), Byron Minns (who plays a rhyming night club owner, a la the late comic Rudy Ray "Dolemite" Moore, here) and Scott Sanders ("Thick as Thieves" which features White), the film's helmer, who expertly winks at the audience as he stands behind the camera.<br /><br />Characters actors are dead-on camp: Salli Richardson-Whithead ("Posse", the TV show, "Eureka") is a Black Power revolution dame, who falls for the hero; Mike Starr ("Goodfellas", "Jersey Girl") is a mobster flanked by bikini-clad babes; Phil Morris ("Seinfeld", "The Secret Saturdays") is a revolutionary capo; Mykleti T. Williamson ("Forrest Gump", "Lucky Number Slevin ") is a mean street hustler, comics Arsenio Hall and Cedric Yarborough are tacky clothed pimps; Tommy Davidson ("In Living Color") is a politically incorrect gay man; Roger Yuan (the film's co-stunt choreographer, "Shanghai Noon") as a fiendish kung fu villain and Nicole Sullivan ("Rita Rocks, "The Secret Saturdays") is Tricky Dick's better half, Pat Nixon. Yeah. . .she falls for BD too.<br /><br />With a $3 million budget, "BD"'s free to be a true parody, needing not to resort to cheap gags. Some might see the flick as unneeded but the animosity towards our current President (Hint! Hint) disproves that. Go see "Black Dynamite". . .unless you're some super, jive-ass sucka! <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/96Y24a0cyCE?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
Roy Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08816499735037160378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2827756673314424329.post-48843994044632434822013-07-29T08:38:00.002-07:002013-07-29T08:38:18.193-07:00A cool moment in Rap History<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMfifAz-VuKCc0ooJnEPbLhRGvn52gcFISE_0COsLsddiv6DZO2nK0L9hqhFVywdefZkX3nNoqoUYezcsUe5zprfhHSf0tHJeZYROri4yFjDkxtdi10bKtPIYxVcXNfXQzAFqXfadLLx_x/s1600/IMG_20130727_124434.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img bba="true" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMfifAz-VuKCc0ooJnEPbLhRGvn52gcFISE_0COsLsddiv6DZO2nK0L9hqhFVywdefZkX3nNoqoUYezcsUe5zprfhHSf0tHJeZYROri4yFjDkxtdi10bKtPIYxVcXNfXQzAFqXfadLLx_x/s320/IMG_20130727_124434.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
This is where the rap group, A Tribe Called Quest, filmed their video, "Check The Rhyme":
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/lRrM6tfOHds?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
Roy Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08816499735037160378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2827756673314424329.post-83930144913943088212013-06-17T09:17:00.000-07:002013-06-17T09:17:21.113-07:00Man Of Steel: The Blue Boy Scout Grows Up...and Kicks Ass!!!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.hdwallpapers.in/walls/man_of_steel_2013_movie-wide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" cya="true" height="200" src="http://www.hdwallpapers.in/walls/man_of_steel_2013_movie-wide.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I find it interesting that I grew up reading comic books yet didn't like the granddaddy of superheroes, Superman. Why?<br /><br />I found him silly, unrealistic, buffoonish. The four films starring the late Chris Reeve cemented my viewpoint. Leave him to the non-fanboys, I thought. They can have and keep him, I thought. What changed my mind?<br /><br />His appearance on his solo late 90s animated series, "Justice League: The Animated Series" and "Smallville". He has feelings, doubts, real internal conflicts. He's relatable! The bottle cap of that revelation happens to be the sixth film featuring Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster's iconic hero and the sixth film by madcap fanboy director Zack Snyder (the Dawn of the Dead remake, "300", "Watchmen", "Legend Of The Guardians", "Sucker Punch"). The less said about the 2006 misstep, the better...<br /><br />The birth of the baby, named Kal-El, precedes the destruction of his home planet Krypton, forcing his parents, scientist Jor-El (impressive Russell Crowe of "American Gangster") and ex-astronaut Lara Lor-Van (elegant Ayelet Zurer of "Darling Companion") to send him to Earth via rocket ship with the genetic codes of many Kryptonians. Fanatical military leader General Zod (manic Michael Shannon of "Boardwalk Empire") tries to stop this during a coup d'etat, but fails and he and his loyalists are sentenced to the Phantom Zone. <br /><br />Kal-El, meanwhile, is found and rechristened as Clark Joseph Kent by farmers Jonathan (Kevin Costner of "Silverado") and Martha Kent (Diane Lane of "Under The Tuscan Sun"), but his budding powers make him an outcast. So, as an adult (buff but noble Henry Cavill of "The Tudors" and "Whatever Works"), Clark leaves Smallville, Kansas, becoming a nomadic worker, until, as an Arctic expedition grunt, he discovers a Kryptonian spacecraft in the North Pole that reveals his heritage and destiny. It's a good thing too as Zod and his group are freed from the Zone by their planet's end, and they see Earth as a new home. Uh-oh...</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://the-void.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/man-of-steel-general-zod.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" cya="true" height="191" src="http://the-void.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/man-of-steel-general-zod.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: left;">
<br /><br />If you try to compare "Man Of Steel" with the older films, you'll be disappointed. With a powerful yet down-to-earth, sometimes non-linear script by David S. Goyer and Chris Nolan (the Dark Knight trilogy) on his lap, Snyder throws away the camp and silliness of said films and, like the under-rated "Watchmen", matures the superhero archetype. Chris Reeve's Superman can't exist in the real, let alone post Sept. 11 world; he looks dumb, phony, anachronistic. If you're the only powerful alien on a planet whose populace could fear and hate you, you're far from sociable, but you try to make a difference anyway. Mr. Cavill plays that role to total competence.<br /><br />He's lucky to surrounded by a strong supporting cast, composed of Oscar winners and nominees and Emmy winners and nominees. Crowe has an middle-aged Obi Wan Kenobi tone that outdoes Marlon Brando's Jor-El; Costner (hauntingly good) and Lane (warm & sweet) are baby boomers with Norman Rockwell hints; Laurence Fishburne (the Matrix saga) is dead-on caustic as Daily Planet chief editor Perry White and Chris Meloni (Law & Order: SVU) is valiant as an Air Force general.<br /><br />Like Cavill, the next two actors have refashioned their characters. As Zod, Mr. Shannon gives an A-game performance, being a mad dog with an army unit, technology and a well-meaning but twisted goal to save his race, conflicting with Mr. Crowe's noble means. It's a Sam Peckinpah bromance on a galatical scale (the director was slated to direct the 1978 film but his rep went south).<br /><br />The other thespian's button-cute Amy Adams ("Junebug", "Enchanted") as Daily Planet news hound Lois Lane, who befriends our hero. Sure, she's independent and gutsy, but, thanks to the lack of camp, she's also smart, likable, relatable and realistic, not the inane harpy who demeans milksops. <br /><br />Someone to look out for is Antje Traue as Zod's icy, loyal right-hand lady, Faora-Ul. "For every life you save, we will kill a million more," she promises to Kal-El during a chaotic brawl in his hometown. Speaking of the battles, they are fast and destructive, echoing the "Dragon Ball" animated series. I think I lost a tooth or two...<br /><br />Hans Zimmer's day-and-night score is Oscar worthy. D.P Amir Morki captures rural tranquilness and urban destruction capably. SFX wiz John Desjardin's work inspires, especially Krypton's magnetic nanotech.<br /><br />Supposed fans will moan and bitch over this film, but maybe they really don't know Superman as they think they do as they dismiss his fellow heroes at DC Comics, let alone the whole comic book medium. The character's not Bugs Bunny, Mickey Mouse, Woody Woodpecker or Yogi Bear. Despite his powers, he's a person like the rest of us. That's what makes him a great hero, well deserving of a high quality summer blockbuster that's one of 2013's best. </div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/T6DJcgm3wNY?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
Roy Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08816499735037160378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2827756673314424329.post-90467600208336734722013-06-10T10:11:00.000-07:002013-06-10T10:11:21.974-07:00Inherit The Wind: The More Things Change, The More They Remain The Same<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.classicfilmfreak.com/wp-content/uploads2/2011/09/inherit-the-wind-1960-193x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" cya="true" src="http://www.classicfilmfreak.com/wp-content/uploads2/2011/09/inherit-the-wind-1960-193x300.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
I wrote that famous saying because, if you have respect for history, you know about how in 1925, one biology teacher, John T. Scopes, was arrested and tried in Dayton, Tennessee for teaching the theory of evolution to his high school students in a state where the act was illegal (Scopes, for accurate history's sake, volunteered to challenge the law on a bet). Nowadays, creationism, the belief that God created life, is being decorated as "intelligence design" by fundamental Christians who want the idea taught in public schools. Though a judicial defeat came in Dover, Pennsylvania, the idea hasn't lost steam. Just look at the public school system in the state of Kansas. Yeech!!!!<br /><br />Anyway, "Inherit The Wind" is a fictional account of the "Monkey Trial" Scopes endured, written by Joseph Lawrence and Robert E. Lee as a play. Socially conscious filmmaker Stanley Kramer ("Judgment At Nuremberg", "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner?") took the play to the silver screen and the conclusion is smart, quart-amount funny and proves that having an opinion different from the status quo doesn't (and shouldn't) mean a person should suffer the wrath of judicial condemnation (Hear that, you McCarthies and Asscrofties!).<br /><br />Bertram T. Cates (a gaunt, brave Dick York) replaces Scopes as the accused in the town of Hillsboro, "the buckle of the Bible belt". His fiancée, Rachel Brown (Donna Anderson) wants to him to admit his guilt and apologize, so their marriage could be a holy union in the eyes of the town's citizens, particularly her preacher father. Cates stands firm, even though high-confidence biblical lawyer and three-times Presidential candidate Matthew Harrison Brady (a spirited Frederic March, whose character swaps with William Jennings Bryant) has volunteered to assist the prosecution. Brady sees "God's on trial", but he didn't count on an old friend, civil rights attorney Henry Drummond (an aging yet scrappy Spencer Tracy), a trade for Clarence Darrow, to defend Cates.<br /><br />"Wind" is an unusual but heated boxing match. Pro and con opinion holders are boxers meeting in the ring, facing each other and sizing each other up. Onlookers are referees. Nobody throws fists, only words, and thanks must given to Ernest Laszlo, the genius behind the film's cinematography. Two-time Oscar holders Tracy (nominated for this acting gig) and March defend the opposing beliefs as "colonels", deemed by judicial power. And when they argue, they argue! Critics have deemed famed song-and-dance man Gene Kelly ("On The Town", "Singing In The Rain") miscast for the role of E.K. Hornbeck, the faux version of holy ideal-scoffing newsman, H.L. Mencken, who delightfully demeans Brady, his supporters and their belief in God, but the performance is eye-wink ironic. Kelly pokes righteous fun at the "moral people" who have enjoyed his usual musical performances yet have bigoted views against people and ideas different from themselves. However, Kelly's Hornbeck learns he's no different from them in his championing of Cates.<br /><br />A sharp cast occupies the film, littered with future TV players. York is best known as the first Darrin Stevens of the sitcom "Bewitched"; Claude Atkins ("B.J. And the Bear) is a vehement sour puss as the Reverend Jeremiah Brown; Brady cheerleader Jesse H. Dunlap is played by Ray Teal, of the western drama, "Bonanza"; Harry Morgan (the late 1960s TV version of "Dragnet", M.A.S.H.: The Sitcom) is the no-nonsense judge; a simple farmer is played by Noah Berry Jr. of the detective drama, "The Rockford Files", and Norman Fell ("Three's Company") has a funny, little part as a radio technician.<br /><br />Two interesting notes: Florence Eldridge, March's real-life wife, plays Brady's wife, Sarah, who shows not everyone on her husband's side is fanatical, and her husband's is "just a man". Also, the film's co-writer, Nedrick Young, had to use the pseudonym, Nathan E. Douglas, in order to be credited with fellow scribe Harold Jacob Smith on the film, let alone work in Hollywood, despite his then-blacklisted status for having Communist ties. How real life and fantasy can intertwine… The 1988 TV remake is a wooden penny, with Jason Robards and Kirk Douglas miscast as Drummond and Brady. The producers probably wanted "a theatrical play" to the film, but a play and a film are two different animals. However, Darren McGavin of the pre-"X Files", sci-fi/horror/fantasy drama, "Kolchak: The Night Stalker" is more than suitable as Hornbeck, since he played an outlaw newsman on TV, and gives the snail-like story some sparks. Superiority is present in the 1999 version with Jack Lemmon as Drummond (he won an Golden Globe), George C. Scott as Brady, Piper Laurie as Sarah, a crackerjack tongued Beau Bridges (his and his brother Jeff's dad, Lloyd Bridges, was also blacklisted) as Hornbeck, Tom Everett Scott as Cates and a pretty, pre-"Cold Case" Kathryn Morris as Rachel.<br />
<br />
"Wind", as the play, the 1960 and the 1999 film versions, should be mandatory material in high school because the story's lesson is the right to think, no matter how agnostic or religious you are, is a holy gift. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/fdHbgFnJ06Q?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
Roy Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08816499735037160378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2827756673314424329.post-75389702255288937112013-05-22T09:55:00.002-07:002013-05-22T09:55:54.306-07:00My First Job: A Novelette<span style="font-family: CourierFinalDraft;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Hey, kid. Wake up. We’re here.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oliver Scott stirred from his nap, which was more of a sleep, because he didn’t really planned to sleep, but it happened. He looked at the person who woke him. The man was portly, balding, had a two o’clock shadow and was dressed in a cheap three-piece suit. Oliver wished he was woken by an angel or, realistically, a <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:state w:st="on">Victoria</st1:state></st1:place>’s Secret model.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Oh,” Oliver grumbled. “Thanks.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">The man nodded and stood up from his seat. He, Oliver and a bunch of other people were on a charter bus. Oliver blinked a bit as his fellow passengers began to depart. The young man slowly stood up, left his seat and got into the bus’s aisle. He then opened the overhead compartment case that was above his head. He drew out a duffle bag.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“I’ve been coming here twenty years ago,” the portly man was next to him, “This town’s pretty tough. You can handle it?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“I’ll manage.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">The man shrugged and went to the bus’s service door with the other disembarking passengers. Oliver adorned the duffle bag and got off the bus. The mixed smell of gasoline, tire rubber and human defecation filled his nostrils as he stood in the line of passengers, who were waiting to receive the luggage from the charter’s bus’s trunk. They were in the parking garage of the Port Authority Bus Terminal in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">New York City</st1:city></st1:place>. Bus engines roared. Horns blared.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">When he left the garage and entered the building, Oliver melded with the sea of visitors. When he left the building, Oliver melded with the sea of humanity as he looked at the New York Times Building. He didn’t look at the one of the newest symbols of New Times Square for long. Despite what the city’s PR mouthpiece and the Sept. 11 attacks (Oliver thought “9/11” was a bad catchphrase.); Oliver had a half-fearful/half-fascination view of the City That Never Sleeps.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">It started when he watched “Taxi Driver” when he was a sophomore in college. Oliver felt it was like an unofficial sequel to “Catcher In the Rye” by J.D. Salinger, felt sorry for Robert DeNiro’s Travis Bickle, an alienated Vietnam vet who wants to connect with people, but can’t due to the corruption of the 1970s Big Apple.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Oliver Scott?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Oliver turned around. A man, heavy build and clean shaven, came up to him. He wore a black, three-piece suit and a chauffer’s hat.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Yes?” Oliver was surprised.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“My name’s Hardwicke. Come with me, please?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">The chauffer turned around and went to a parked limousine. Oliver followed him, passing the statue of the late actor Jackie Gleason, dressed as his infamous TV role, the irascible bus driver Ralph Kramden. Leaning next to Ralph was a young man, longhaired and scruffy. He was around Oliver’s, holding a sign made of cardboard. The message read: NEED $$$ FOR WEED. <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Hardwicke opened one of the car’s rear doors, “I’ll handle your luggage.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Oliver gave him his bags, went in the limo and closed the door behind him. While the chauffer loaded Oliver’s bags in the trunk, an unkempt, homeless man came up to the limo. He knocked on the limo’s rear door window, startling the college graduate.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Hey, man! I wanna free ride too!” he was also drunk, “C’mon! Let me in! Let me--”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Hardwicke came to the vagrant, pulled out a $20 bill and shoved it in his face. The vagrant stepped back a bit, grasping onto the bill as if it was his last. The chauffer got inside the car, getting behind the wheel.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Sorry about that, Mr. Scott,” he said, “We’ll be on own way.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">He started up the car.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">When the limo stopped in front of a townhouse on the <st1:place w:st="on">Upper East Side</st1:place>, Oliver was surprised. It looked like it was built around the Revolutionary War. Hardwicke opened his door, and Oliver stepped out of the limo, “He lives here?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Amos McQuarrie bought it two decades ago,” the chauffer noted, “but he didn’t want the sale to be known to the general public.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">He closed the door. The chauffer then went to the limo’s trunk, opened it, drew out Oliver’s luggage and gave them to the young man.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Good luck,” Hardwicke tipped his hat and went back into the car. It purred and went down a street, leaving Oliver alone and stunned. He then looked at the house and sighed. Oliver went up the front steps and rang the doorbell. A few seconds went by. The young man was about to ring the doorbell again, but the door opened.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“May I help you,” the butler had an English accent. He was also thin, graying, neat and serious.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“I’m Oliver Scott. I’m here for the assistant job,” Oliver said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">The butler quickly looked him over. Then, “Please come in,”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Oliver did. The butler closed the door and led the young man in. The foyer area was lined with oak wood, giving a sense of warmth and prestige. The butler went up a flight of stairs; Oliver followed. The two then arrived at and walked down a hallway, lined with framed, black and white photographs of celebrities, all autographed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Oliver was impressed, “He knows a lot of people.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“But he doesn’t have a lot of friends.” the butler said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“How come?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“You’ll know.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">They also passed a locked door. A small plaque was on it, reading <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">LYDIA</st1:country-region></st1:place>. Oliver wanted to know what was its’ significance, but the butler stopped at a pair of closed, wooden doors. Oliver stopped as well. The sound of typewriter keys clacking came from behind the doors. The butler then knocked. The clacking stopped.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Didn’t I tell you I didn’t want to be fucking disturbed when I’m working, Edwin?!” a raspy voice noted.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Oliver was taken aback. Maybe this was a mistake, he thought.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“My apologies, sir,” Edwin said, “but your new assistant is here. Mr. Oliver Scott.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">A few seconds went by. Then, “What are you waiting for, man? Bring him in.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Edwin opened the doors, and he and Oliver went in a room, lined with bookshelves, all occupied with books. The place looked like it was a part of the New York Public Library or the infamous Sanctum Sanctorum of Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme. The two turned right, going towards a desk. Behind the desk sat a man, fifty going on sixty, but didn’t want to admit it. Lanky, wrinkled and thin, the man had a stare that could cut through steel. His hair, salt and peppered, was styled in a ponytail. On the desk with some typed papers, some unmarked papers and a typewriter, a black-painted Remington, which was probably old as the man himself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Oliver Scott, Amos McQuarrie,” the butler noted.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Oliver offered a handshake to the man.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Are you familiar with my books?” Amos asked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oliver awkward retracted his right hand, “I--I read “Anger of Men” and “The Night Hawks when I was in high school.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“The critics hated those, as usual. Both were best-sellers, but that wasn’t good enough got the spineless, bed-wetting bastards,” Amos opened one of his desk’s drawers. He pulled out a bottle of rum and two drinking glasses.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Sir, have a care,” Edwin was concerned.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“I’ve been interrupted, halted from my work, Edwin. So, have a fucking care for me, the man who pays you by being creative,” Amos opened the bottle and poured some rum into one of the glasses, “Want some fire in your belly, boy?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“I--I don’t drink, sir,” Oliver admitted.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Amos looked at the young man as if he defecated on a group of nuns, “What the hell are you doing here?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Excuse me?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Don’t you want to be a writer?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Well, I’m already a writer. I wrote some entertainment reviews for my college newspaper. Two of my short stories were printed in the literary magazine and I wrote some slogans for--”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Then why the hell don’t you drink? Are you some kind of a pansy?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“You don’t have to be rude about it.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“The fuck I don’t,” Amos took another drink, “Dodson, that prick of an agent. I should have fired his ass months,” He gave Oliver a mean look, “You’re still here?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“I need the job, sir,” Oliver got worried, “I have nowhere else to go.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Not my problem.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Edwin didn’t like this, “Sir, I implore you--”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Don’t be inane with that tone. You know the drill.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Edwin looked at the young man, who looked like he was going straight to the guillotine.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Edwin opened the door, and Curtis Dodson came in. He was younger than Amos, looking conservative and friendly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“My humble apologizes, Mr. Dodson,” Edwin closed the door behind the agent.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“I know the drill, Edwin,” he took out his coat and gave it to the butler, who hung it up on a nearby coat rack. The two went into the living room, where Oliver sat one of the two couches, “Are you all right, Oliver? How was your trip?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“I don’t know if it was worth it.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“It is,” Dodson turned to the butler, “He’s upstairs, right?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Edwin nodded.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“He’s not working here,” Amos folded his arms as he stood against his work desk.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Amos, you haven’t given him a chance,” Dodson noted.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Why should I? The boy told me he doesn’t drink. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">You</i> didn’t tell me he doesn’t drink, and you’re my agent!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Don’t yell at me. I get enough of that from Janet.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“How is the ex-wife nowadays?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“She’s fine, but don’t change the subject. We’re talking about an above average college graduate, who’s written four published short stories on the Internet, plus a thesis on Hemingway, and you say ‘Pass”?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“He should have learned the important thing about Ernie. He drank.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“And that’s a good thing?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Ernie was brilliant when he was drunk.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“So is Oliver, without the drunkenness. I bet you haven’t read his work.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Amos said nothing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Damnit, Amos.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“I’ve working on my masterpiece.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“For six-going on-seven years already. On and off. You’re damn lucky I’m your cousin. Else, I would have dropped you like a hot potato.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Likewise, and I’m better at similes, Amos headed behind his desk and sat in his chair, “Now tell me how much of an asshole I am. Go ahead. I’m ready for my beating.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“You’ve already done the work, Amos,” Dodson quipped.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Amos chuckled, “Now, that’s cute. That’s really cute.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Be serious. You need an assistant, because you’re not getting any younger--”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Amos started typing, yet there was no paper in the typewriter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Fine. See how far you get without an agent,” Dodson headed to the two doors.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Amos stopped typing, “Yes, I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">will</i> be fine.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Dodson stopped, “No, you won’t. Amos, the truth is you’re a dinosaur. Not a lot of people like hard-boiled detectives or sword-swinging barbarians. The publishing industry flooded with vampire heartthrobs, geeky wizards and flesh-hungry zombies.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“You can’t make me write any of that bullshit, Curtis.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“And you shouldn’t write that, but I warn you, Amos: If I leave you, you’re done. Finished.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bad enough you’ve burned half the industry and the critics.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Most of them--”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“--don’t like you to begin with, but you should get along with people.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“If I wanted to get along with people, I’d taken a shitty nine-to-five job. Instead, I like this, and I don’t give a damn what the critics think, especially that shit-twit, Paul Swanson. ‘King of the Crap Heap’ he says. I’ll make eat those words.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“I thought you kicking him in the nuts was enough.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“It’s not. We still have Jim Wells as out attorney.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Yes.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“He’s a good man.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“What about you?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“What about me?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Are you going to keep Oliver?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Amos groaned.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Oliver woke up in a bed and in a room he never expected to be in, never in his wildest dreams. He had to pinch himself <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">before </i>going to bed, and it, the bed, was king sized. The pillows full and plump and the sheets were thin and cotton. The room was part Victorian, part-modern. A yawn left the young man’s mouth. He stretched his limbs, left the bed and went into another room.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">It was a private bathroom, lined with black marble. Oliver looked at himself in the room’s large mirror. His hair was unkempt, but he didn’t have a care. The boy was fit and comfortable. Two grand a month and free boarding were nothing to complain about.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">He went to the shower booth, drew some cold water, took off his shorts—the only article of clothing he had on—and got into the booth. He didn’t need a bath because he slept pretty well, but Oliver wanted to take some advantage of his new situation. The young man hummed as he soaped himself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Don’t take too long, tadpole.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Oliver stopped, stunned, looking around with his eyes, “Wha--What--Mr. McQuarrie?!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Give the boy a cigar.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Oliver covered his genitals.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“I can only hear you, tadpole. Just hurry your ass up and get ready for breakfast.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Clothed in a T-shirt and pajama pants, Oliver stormed into the kitchen. Amos was at the table, reading the New York Times. Edwin poured some orange juice into a glass and gave it to his employer. The butler then left the room.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Good morning,” Amos looked up from the paper, “The orange juice’s pretty good. It could use some rum, though.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“You have a lot of nerve,” Oliver noted.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Oh, please. You’re still alive. Sit down.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Oliver did. A plate, filled with some bacon, pancakes and hash brown, was in front of him. So was a glass of milk and orange juice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“I just wanted to make sure you’re not a goof-off.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Where is it?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Where’s what?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“The electronic bug you have in my room.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“That’s none of your damn fucking business. If you want to leave, fine by me. Enjoy being destitute and homeless and broke in the greatest city in the world.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Oliver shot Amos a dirty look, but he started to ear. Amos grinned.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">There must have nearly five hundred pages in the pile Amos gave to Oliver as the young man sat at a small desk, a few yards from Amos’s own. Some of the papers were stained with alcohol.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Are you writing a novel or the Holy Bible?” Oliver asked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“I thought I hired an assistant, not a comedian,” Amos went back to his desk.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Maybe you should have,”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">:”No chance, tadpole, I’m stuck with you, and vice versa.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Amos sat and opened one of his desk’s drawers. He took out the same bottle of rum, opened and drank a good swill from it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Hey, take it easy,” Oliver was worried.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hey</i>, you do your work, and I’ll do mine,” Amos took another swill and exhaled a belch that sounded like a strangled lion’s roar. Oliver sighed. He took the first paper off the pile and looked at it. Then he took a red pen and made some corrections on the paper, marking it with proofreading symbols.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Thought I might be endangering my work status, you should get a computer.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Don’t like them. Don’t trust them. Get to work, tadpole,” Amos started to type. Oliver continued working. A moment of silence came between the two. Then. . .”Why don’t you buy one?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Oliver stopped, “I only have $350 on me.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“You got any friends around you can borrow money from?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Oliver sighed, “I don’t have any friends.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Amos stopped for a beat, then resumed, “I’m going to need some ribbons for the typewriter soon. You’re going to Doc’s Stationery Supplies on the Lower East Side. You know how to ride the subway?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">The F train Oliver was on was swift, yet it made local stops. He wanted to take a cab, but his funds were limited. So Amos gave him a Metrocard and told him to ride in the first train. Crime may be down, but there are some fucking reprobates out there, Oliver remembered what Amos said. The writer also gave him sixty bucks for the ribbons.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Oliver looked around him. The train was half-clean, half-dirty. There were some candy wrappers and empty Styrofoam cups. His other fellow travelers: a heavy set man with an elaborate snake tattoo on his right arm; an lanky old man, who could have Amos’s brother and whose beard and mustache were white as a cloud; a thirty-something plump mother, doting over<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">her toddler daughter. They were normal, everyday people.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Oliver was more focused on the couple that was sitting in front of him, yet he did his best not to stare. They were around his age, maybe younger, and they had love in their eyes as they looked at each other. Oliver hated it. He was anything but a lady killer. The girls from his school days ignored, mocked, feared or despised him for being smart and quiet. He had no luck from boys, and he’s not homosexual. Carnal knowledge was forbidden.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The two exchange warm, soft kisses, and all Oliver could do was watch with sad, green, hungry eyes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Doc’s Stationery Store was one of those hole-in-the-wall places that shouldn’t exist nowadays, thanks to the booming of big box department stores. However, some people referred old fashioned, mom ‘n pop stores for quaintness and human familiarity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>When he entered the establishment, which was part-time machine, part-museum and part mausoleum, the exotic scene of incense and some ink come into Oliver’s nostrils, giving a jolt to his nervous system. The walls were painted jaundice yellow. So was its elaborate, intricate ceiling that gave off a Greek-like aura, despite the appearance of the ceiling lights that came from either the 1960s or 1970s. A huge, broken, faded chessboard was the floor. The aisles were cheap, metal, tan-painted shelves, occupied by pens, pencils and papers. There were staplers, erasers, brads, rules, notebooks, notepads, drawing pads. There was also glue, chalk, markers, correction fluids, compasses, protractors, envelopes. Old, antique typewriters were present, and there. Customers, old and new, browsed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Oliver went to the counter, located near the back of the store. A balding, lanky man was behind the counter, next to the cash register. He looked at the latest issue of the Village Voice, going through the adult services section.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Hello,” Oliver said, “You Doc?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“I’m not the Queen Elizabeth II,” the man looked up annoyed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“I’m here to pick up typewriter ribbons for Amos McQuarrie.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Doc’s eyes lit up like Times Square, “Why didn’t you say so?” He knelt down for a while and came up, holding six small boxes, “$28.00.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Oliver took out two Andrew Jackson from his pocket and gave it to Doc.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“How’s Amos, that crazy son of a bitch?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“I have to agree with that description.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Doc chuckled, “Good old Amos. He used to come here a lot before he became a big<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">shot,” He rang up the cash register and gave Oliver twelve dollars, “When my old man ran the shop, he and Amos were good friends.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“We--We’re talking about Amos, right?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“He didn’t tell you?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Tell me what?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Amos finished off and dumped the bottle of rum into the wastebasket, next to his desk, as Oliver came in the room, carrying the ribbons in a plastic bag.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“What took you so long?” Oliver was annoyed, “I told you to buy some ribbons, not climb a goddamn mountain.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“There was a train delay,” Oliver gave the bag to his employer, “Doc said this is the last batch. It’ll take two-to-three months for him to order more.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Shit,” Amos stroked his chin, “I need another drink. Get one at Murray’s on Second Ave and 55<sup>th</sup>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“You already had one, and what about the work?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Are you arguing with your boss? The work will keep and, don’t be such a fucking hen.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Oliver groaned under his breath.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>When Oliver returned with a bagged bottle, he found Amos slumped over his typewriter, snoring.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Edwin!” the young man yelled.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Oliver turned on the shower’s spigots as Edwin did his best to keep an inebriated Amos on his feet. The butler and the young man them removed the author’s shirts and escorted into the shower stall. The water was warm, and Amos felt it as it his face and torso. He started to jerk about like a wild animal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Take it easy!” Oliver said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Amos sent a quick right punch against the right side of Oliver’s chin. The boy sailed to the floor.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Oliver didn’t know which was bad enough: the punch or the ice pack he was pressing against his face’s right side. He gave Amos, who was drying off, sitting a few feet from him and drinking a cup of coffee, an “I hate your fucking guts” look as they were in the kitchen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Don’t get angry at me, if you can’t take a punch, tadpole,” Amos sipped his coffee.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Oliver said nothing. He just had that look.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Do you want a lollipop with that ice pack? Say the word, Edwin will get it. You can pick your favorite flavor.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Still nothing. Just the look.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“I’m surprised someone you age likes silent movies.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The same old story.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Will you please say something before I kick--”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“You’re a genuine asshole.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“What?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“You expect me to work with when you’re drunk?” Oliver shook his head, “You’re a genuine asshole.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“I concur,” Edwin entered the room, holding some mail.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“You keep <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">your</i> English hole shut, Edwin,” Amos warned.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“With all due respect, Master Amos, you should take your own advice. If you wish to sack me for my insubordination, by all means, sack away,” Edwin laid the mail on the kitchen table and left the room. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Amos frowned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He then looked at Oliver, who has a little grin on his face, ‘Don’t get cute, tadpole.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Oliver’s grin went away.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Amos went through the envelopes. Most of them were from insurance companies. There were two from non-profit organizations. One particular envelope was different; its edges were embroidered. Amos gently opened it and drew out a thick, folded card, “I didn’t expect to get this. Good old Curtis.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“What is it?” Oliver asked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“An party invitation from the Genre Writers of America Guild,” Amos handed the card to Oliver, who looked at its’ message: “MR. AMOS MCQUARRIE: WE, THE GENRE WRITERS OF AMERICA GUILD, HUMBLY INVITE YOU AND A COMPANION OF YOUR CHOOSING TO THE FORIETTH ANNIVERSARY AT THE WALDORF ASTORIA HOTEL”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“It’s two Saturdays from today,” Oliver noted, “I thought you didn’t like these things.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“I don’t,” Amos said, “but I didn’t expect to get invited.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“I bet I know why.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Spoken like a true wussy, who probably hasn’t gotten laid in his life.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Oliver gave Amos a “fuck-you” look.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Sure, you get mad at me, but don’t get mad at a fact I was quick, very quick, to point out that you probably never had any snatch, which will be definitely be at this upcoming soiree. Am I right or am I wrong?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Oliver sulked.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A jazz band played a lively, smooth tune. It oozed through the hall, where many scribes (professional and novice), agents and editors and their non-literary companions conversed among each other. A white banner, reading HAPPY 40<sup>TH</sup> ANNIVERSARY, GENRE WRITERS OF AMERICA GUILD, hung against the tope frame of a stage. Bow-tie wearing waiters snaked through writers, offering glasses of wine and hors d’oevres on trays.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Amos, Dodson and Oliver, all dressed in causal business suits, came to and stopped at the hall’s entrance. Dodson gave the invitations to a man, who stood behind a podium near the entrance. Oliver nervously tugged at his tie.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Will you stop that?” Amos barked, “This is a party, not an execution.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Sorry. I haven’t been in a suit since the tenth grade,” Oliver noted.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Well, grow the fuck up and don’t embarrass me.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“You should talk,” Dodson quipped.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Don’t you start.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“I haven’t finished yet. Two drinks, Amos. Just two.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Yes, Mom. I’ll also wash my hands after I take a shit.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Dodson sneered at Amos as the three entered the hall, blending with the crowd. Amos went by a waiter, who was carrying a tray of wine glasses. The author quickly plucked one up and drank, surprising the waiter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Don’t go too far, boy,” Amos said, “I’m gonna need you later.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">The waiter stared incredulously as Amos went on his way. Dodson saw the whole thing and shook his head. He was about to follow his cousin, but a woman around his age stopped him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Except for his boss and Dodson, Oliver didn’t know anyone here. Sure, he recognized a mystery novelist here, a sci-fi scribe there, but he didn’t want to make the impression that he was a sweaty, overactive “fanboy”, and he knew the type when he worked as a clerk as his local comic book store.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">The young man spotted two empty chairs against a wall. He passed some people, sat in one of the chairs, put his chin in his hands and looked the same as he did when he was in the eighth grade when none of the girls wanted to be with him at the spring dance. The same old story.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Oliver noticed a small hallway where a buffet was located, accessible via a small flight of stairs. Some guests were picking up food. One of them was out of place, since the room was filled was people who looked like college professors. Holding a tray of food, the young woman looked like and probably was a fashion runway model; she was tall, had smoky blue eyes, light brown hair, and cherub-like cheeks. A black, embroidered dress and a pair of black, teardrop-open toe, platform heels were her clothes. She was about to down the stairs, but hesitated. Oliver left his chair, crossed the room and went to the young woman. He lent out his right hand.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">The young woman lit up with an embarrassed yet grateful smile, “Oh, thank you,” She took Oliver’s hand and was guided down the stairs and to the two chairs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Thank you, again,” the woman sat in one chair, “Sorry, if I troubled you.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Oliver sat in the other, “It’s--It’s okay.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">The young woman started to eat. Then, “Aren’t you going to eat?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Uh . . . no. I’m not really lonely--I mean hungry. Hungry. I’m not hungry.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">The young woman chuckled, “What’s your name?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“O…Oliver Scott”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Maureen Struzik.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">The two politely shook hands.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“You’re young for a writer,” Maureen noted.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Oh, I’m an unpublished one. I work as Amos McQuarrie’s assistant.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Amos. . . Amos McQuarrie? Didn’t he write “Doctor Mayhem” and “I Live To Kill?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“That’s right. You’ve read his work.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“When my uncle isn’t around.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Who’s your uncle?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Dean Meeker, as I live, breathe and get wet,” Amos went to a man who had the body of a barrel and the face of a bulldog. Dean’s hair was dark brown, yet his temples were graying, “I didn’t know you would have the stone to invite this hoedown.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Dean wanted to punch Amos, but they were his fellow scribes around, “It’s . . . nice to see you again, Amos.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Oh, don’t do that. Don’t cradle <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">my</i> stones and tell me it’s good for me,” Amos took another glass of wine from a passing waiter, a different one from before, and put the drinks. Dean frowned.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“I didn’t think I would meet someone like you,” Oliver admitted.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Really? Ohio has fashion models,” Maureen noted.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Well, not quite as pretty as you . . . I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be so honest.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“It’s okay. You’re the first guy who meant it without trying to get into my panties.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Oliver blushed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Don’t call me Dino,” Dean meant it, “It’s bad enough I invited you here.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“I’m still a member, and I pay my union dues,” Amos said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“That you do, but you’re still a menace.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Excuse me?” Amos was getting a little steamed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Oliver said nothing as Maureen finished her food.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“You’re quiet,” Maureen said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“I--I was just waiting for you to finish eating,” Oliver said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“You’re also weird.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Oh . . . I better go,” Oliver got up from his seat, but Maureen held onto his right arm.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Don’t go. Please.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Oliver slowly sat down. Another girl would have told him to get lost and never come back. Maureen put her plate, now empty, on the floor, “Are you afraid of me?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“A little.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Why?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Because girls--women don’t like me.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Why not?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“I’m--I’m too smart . . . too real…”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“You must get along with your mom.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Oliver shook his head, “She wanted me to be a teacher, but I hated school.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Maureen noticed Oliver’s frown. She then leaned over and gently kissed him on his right cheek, surprising the young man.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Why did you--”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Because no girl wanted too . . . and you’re nice to me.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Oliver grinned sheepishly. Then, a woman screamed in the distance. The jazz music band stopped playing. Oliver and Maureen left their seats as some of the party guests began to flood towards a certain part of the hall.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">In that certain party, Amos and Dean scuffled with each other. Both men weren’t in great shape; it was pulling, pushing and some growled cursing. Some waiters went to the two men and pulled them away from each other, despite them flailing their arms, as Oliver and Maureen came into the scene. Maureen clasped her hands to her mouth. Oliver was stunned.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Son of a bitch!” Dean roared, “You dirty son of a bitch!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Why don’t you look in a mirror, you hack!” Amos countered.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">The crowd gasped. Dodson turned white.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Get him out of here!” Dean ordered, “Get him out! Right now!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">The waiters that held Amos abided, dragging him out of the hall. Dodson followed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“This isn’t over, you shit!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You hear me?! This isn’t over!” Amos roared.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Dean fixed his tie as Maureen came to him, “You all right, Uncle?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Ruffled, but alive, my dear,” he replied, “I shouldn’t have invited that…barbarian of a writer here,” Dean then noticed Oliver near his niece, “Who are you, young man?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Oliver turned white with fear. If Dean learned that he came with Amos. . .<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Oliver Scott, struggling writer,” Maureen said, “He’s an assistant at Ford. Sorry about this being short notice, but I invited him because he wanted to get to know the business.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Oliver slightly looked at Maureen, a goddess, a savior…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Good idea,” Dean shook hands with the young man, “Nice to meet you, young man. Hope that little ruckus didn’t turn you off.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“N--No,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>sir. I’ve been in some scuffles back in high school.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Bullied, eh? Happens to the best of us. Tell me, Mr. Scott: what’s your favorite novel?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“I have too many to pick, sir.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Pick one. Any one will do.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Well, I like ‘Fahrenheit 451’ by Ray Bradbury.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Dean grinned, “Good. I like a man who likes the classics, but I have to go and prepare my speech. If you two would excuse me. . .” He gave a quick kiss on the cheek to his niece and left her and Oliver.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">The young man sighed, “If he knew...thanks.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Well, you owe me something,” Maureen said. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">The elevator car rose slowly with a mild hum.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“I should call Amos that I’m going to be coming home--”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“You should leave, if you’re going to be a wet blanket.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Oliver didn’t say anything. He was lucky enough to have Maureen wrapped around his left arm, let alone have a box of condoms in a bag, which he held in his right hand. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">The car stopped, its doors yawned open, revealing a short hallway that led to a spacious studio. Maureen led Oliver out of the car and into her apartment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“It’s . . . nice,” Oliver said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“You can describe it better than that,” Maureen unwrapped herself from him, “Sit you butt on the couch. I’ll get some brew.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“I--I don’t drink.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Maureen thought he was kidding, “How old are you?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Twenty-two.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“And you don’t drink?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Oliver nodded, embarrassed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“You’re cute,” Maureen went to the kitchen area as Oliver sat on a black leather couch. Near his feet was a coffee table. A widescreen, plasma TV set was in front of him. Above the appliance hung a painting, depicting a white-colored smiley face with skull teeth on a black background.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“You bought that?” Oliver pointed at the painting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“A birthday present from one of my model pals,” Maureen opened the fridge and drew off a milk carton. She also took out two drinking glasses from a cupboard, “How long have you been in New York City?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">”Three weeks.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Do you like it?” Maureen poured milk in each of the glasses.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“It--It’s lonely.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Yeah. Where do you live?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“The Upper East Side.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Maureen was stunned, “I must be in the work line of work.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“I live with Amos.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Oh. My apologizes,” Maureen put the milk carton back in the fridge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The model then carried the glasses to her guest and gave it to her guest, “It’s low fat.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Thanks,” Oliver drank it, but left half.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“How long have you been writing?” Maureen sat next to Oliver.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Since high school. I wrote some short stories. By college, I wrote book and movie reviews for the newspaper.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“You were a prodigy.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“I felt like a goofball. When you write a novel—which was pretty awful, to begin with—people think you’re from Mars.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“When did you have the time to write a novel?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Weekends. I had a lot of time alone to write a novel on the weekends,” Oliver smiled sadly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“You have a pretty sitting next to you, and you’re not going to--”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Oliver finished the glass of milk on the coffee table. He then took Maureen’s right hand and laid a soft, gentle kiss on her right hand. Maureen gushed. She put her glass on the coffee table. Oliver then leaned close and gently kissed Maureen’s right cheek, then her left.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“You’re too cool,” she said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“So…that means--” Oliver was a little embarrassed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">:”You <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">know</i> what that means,” Maureen then noticed the left side of Oliver’s face, touching a bump that was the size of a chocolate chip, “What’s this?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“It’s a birthmark. You don’t like it?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“It’s cute.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Maureen leaned over and kissed Oliver on his lips. She then pulled away and brushed Oliver’s left leg against her right. The young man leaned down and slowly massaged Maureen’s leg, the one that was brushing against him. His hand went down to her foot, her shoe, and he inserted his index finger into the shoe’s teardrop hole. Maureen hummed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">He hoped it wasn’t a dream when he opened his eyes. Comfortable was the silk sheet that covered Oliver as he was in Maureen’s king-sized bed. Sunlight lit up the room, coming via the windows doors that led to the balcony outside. The view of the Manhattan skyline was beautiful, but not as beautiful as the woman hugging Oliver as she slept. This morning was probably better than the others he had.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Oliver didn’t want ruin the moment, the warm silence, but he softly rubbed the hair of Maureen’s head. The model stirred up from her slumber, blinking.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Hello,” Oliver said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Hello,” Maureen kissed Oliver’s chest.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“It’s Sunday, right?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“You’re not religious, are you?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“You took care of that,” Oliver rubbed Maureen’s head again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“What the hell did I do to you?” Maureen teased, “Maybe I should do it again.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Oliver pushed Maureen up a bit. They looked at each other with love.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Can I swim in your smoky, blue eyes again?” Oliver teased.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“You can get another condom. Then, you can swim,” Maureen kissed him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">She wore nothing but a New York Giants football jersey and light blue, puffy slippers as Maureen fixed up a pancake on the stove. After the cake was fully golden brown, the model lifted at from the pan, with a skillet, and dropped it on two others that lied on a plate, set on the counter next to the stove. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Aren’t you going to have any?” Oliver was sitting at the kitchen table.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“You can afford to get fat,” Maureen turned off the stove, picked up the plate and delivered it Oliver.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“No, I can’t. I burn food as much as I eat.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Stop being a writer and eat,” Maureen picked a quart bottle and poured it over the pancake stack. With a knife and a fork, Oliver carved out a piece of pancake and ate, “Well?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“You’re going to give me cavities,” Oliver mumbled as he finished eating his bite, “Can I be honest?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“You don’t like it.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Oliver shook his head, “I like you in heels.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Oh. You’re one of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">those</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“What do you mean?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Guys who think women should look ‘hot’, 24/7, no matter how painful or exhausting we may feel about it.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“No, I’m not. I--I just like you in high heels, like the ones you wore last night. That’s all.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Maureen smirked. Then, the elevator car started to him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Oh, shit,” the model spat.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“What?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">The elevator door yawned open. Blond-haired and around Maureen’s height and age, a beautiful, young woman left the car. Wearing causal, yet fashionable clothes, she dragged two luggage bags, set on wheels, behind her. She turned to Oliver and Maureen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Who is this?” her accent was Eastern European.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Hello, Natalia,” Maureen was caustic, “ ‘Hello, Maureen. Milan was famous!’”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Don’t be clever,” Natalia pointed at Oliver, “Who is this?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Oliver Scott, writer’s assistant. Natalia Lenkov, fashion model and roommate.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Oliver smiled at Natalia, who didn’t, “He looks like a stick.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Oliver frowned.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Be nice, Natalia,” Maureen warned.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“I thought you wanted sex from Devon? He’s bigger than--”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Natalia, if you don’t--”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Okay, okay,” Natalia looked at Oliver, “Sorry. The airport security was being mean as usual. I’m going to bed,” She crossed the living room, dragging her luggage and entering a corridor.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Sorry about that,” Maureen said, “Natalia can be a pain sometimes. Russian models…”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“I’ll live,” Oliver expertly sliced another piece of pancake, “Do you mind if I ask you--”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Devon’s a male model. All beefcake. I’ve been a model since I was twelve. My mom’s Irish. My dad’s Polish.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“You must have a cute mom.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Maureen went to Oliver and poked him in the chest, “Are you proposing to me, Mr. Scott?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“I’m just being nice…to someone who’s nice to me.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“You <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">are</i> proposing to me.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Uh--N--No--”, Oliver blushed. He quickly ate his piece.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“You’re a liar. A lousy one.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Well…will I see you again?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Maureen said nothing for a while. Then, “With my job, I’m not really a homebody . . . but I don’t want to forget you. If you want, if you get a big break, I’ll dress up for you in lingerie and heels and sit near your desk while you write.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Oliver coughed a bit. He leaned to the side, careful not to spread germs to his girl, who smiled, but tried her best not to laugh.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Edwin opened the door to the townhouse. He found Oliver outside with a light in his eyes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Master Oliver, you look . . . more than well.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“I do? . . . I mean, yes. I do,” the young man entered the house. Edwin closed the door as Oliver took off his jacket. The butler took the jacket and put it in a closet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Did you have a pleasant night, sir?” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“I did, Edwin.” Oliver rubbed his neck.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“You’re a gentleman, sir.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“You’re a stud, my boy. A regular fucking stud,” Amos poured some brandy from a bottle into a glass, then another, on his desk. Oliver stood near him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“It’s Sunday morning, Amos,” he said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“So call the damn Holy Police. Don’t tell an Irishman he can’t drink,” Amos took one of the drinks and put it away, “It’s a mistake, like you being dry as a desert.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“You don’t have to be an asshole when there’s no need.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“There’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">always</i> a need. I want to fire in my soul. You should follow my lead.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“And become lonely and miserable like you. No thank you.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Amos quickly left his desk and looked at his assistant, face to face, “You got something to say, say it. Otherwise, fuck off and get back to--”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Doc told me about Lydia.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Amos stood silent. There was fury in his eyes, but he turned away and sat back at his desk. He took the second, filled glass and quickly put the drink away. Before he took a third, Oliver went over and snatched the bottle away from the writer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“How fucking dare you! Get me that--”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Not one drop,” Oliver meant it, “We’re going to talk.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Amos sighed. He was quiet for a beat. Then, “Lydia Gersh…She was my girlfriend thirty years ago. She was a model, like the one you were with last night. Not as well known, but pretty. She was a little taller than me, had a pretty body, red hair and great, green eyes. She wrote some poetry as a hobby. He work wasn’t half bad. She was the love of my life. Thought she came from heaven sometimes I thought I didn’t she would ever like an egghead like me. I didn’t feel I deserve her, but she liked me anyway.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Oliver put the bottle back on the desk, “What happened to her?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“She--She was walking on Fifth Avenue and Forty-Eighth, shopping. Some...asshole drunk was speeding. He smashed into the Saks Fifth Avenue store. Two people got killed. Lydia got scarred by some flying glass. Lost an eye,” Amos rubbed his face with his hands, “A few weeks later, she overdosed on some sleeping pills. . .I did the best I could to love her, to care for her after the….You know, that prick Meeker tried to get her--”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“--but you had more charm,” Oliver figured. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“I was going to marry her, but now. . . ” Amos picked up the bottle of brandy, “. . . this is all I need.” He poured some more brandy into one of the glasses and put it away.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Have you talked to a therapist about this?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Why should I? I put my anger and sadness on paper after I have a drink or two…or three. Don’t tell me you don’t do the same thing. Otherwise, why the fuck are you trying to get into this bullshit game to start with.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Oliver said nothing for a beat.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Well?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Okay! I--I used to get bullied in high school. I fought back, but I was still alone. So, I wrote a lot about my feelings and thoughts and ideas…but I’m not the one with a drinking problem. I’m no drinking myself to death!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“I’m fine.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Amos was going for the bottle but Oliver took it away again. The writer sneered at his assistant.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Really? I’d like a second opinion…or are you scared to know the truth about yourself?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Amos frowned. Then the two heard slowly clapping. They turned to the doorway. Edwin stood there, clapping his hands slowly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“You’re a mess,” Leslie Gatling was a lean, tall man, who looked like he could be a background actor instead of a doctor. He was serious as he sat at his desk, looking at Amos, who was sitting next to Oliver, in Gatling’s office, “I’m surprised you’ve lived this long, let alone actually bothered to come in for a check-up.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Yeah, I love you too, Leslie,” Amos grumbled.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“What’s the damage, doc?” Oliver asked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Do you have to be so blunt about my condition? I thought you gave a shit.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“I do, but you need to know the hard truth.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“I like it better when you were a virgin.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Gatling purposely cleared his throat. Amos and Oliver paid attention, “You’re going to need a new liver, Amos, because the one you have can’t take any more abuse. Since Dodson and I are old frat chums, you’re going to be the third person on the transplant list. Until then, which is three months, you’re going to be sober,” He pointed to Oliver, “I hope you’ll keep him sober.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Amos didn’t like the idea, “He’s not my father.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Just don’t act like a child,” Oliver countered, “Besides, I owe you for helping me.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Like I said before: I like it better when--”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Gatling cleared his throat again, “Would you like to deal with the paperwork?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Are you trying to help me or kill me?” Amos looked at his dinner as if it came from an elephant’s backside. It was actually fish, white rice and green beans. A glass of pomergrade juice was next to the dish. The writer, as he sat at the dining table, was flanked by Oliver, at the right, and Edwin, at the left.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“We’re not leaving you alone until you eat,” Oliver meant it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“So, you might as well my culinary product,” Edwin added.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“I helped too.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Amos looked at them both with disdain, but he took a slice of fish and chewed it with spite.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“The Girl from Ipanea”, musak version, plated via the p.a. system as Amos and Oliver sat in the hospital’s waiting room, whose walls were painted egg white. The only person with them was a woman, who was pretty obese. The pants she wore looked like they were going to burst from her body. She coughed quite a bit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“If you’re going to die, don’t fall over,” Amos quipped.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">The woman flipped the bird at Amos.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“I went through that shit when I turned fifty, sweetheart.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">The woman, embarrassed, got up and went to another chair in the room, away from Amos, who grinned and Oliver, who gave his employer a dirty look.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“What?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“You could be nice before you go in for your surgery.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“No shit, Sherlock, but don’t give me any shit. Just because I’m a son of a bitch, doesn’t mean I’m going to Hell.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Really?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“What do you want from me?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“After the surgery, I want to stop drinking. Go to AA. Have a brighter look on life, which is too short.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“That depends if I make it.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Why do you have to say that?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Because I’m being real. Like you said: life’s too short,” the writer frowned. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Oliver put his right hand on Amos’s right shoulder as Gatling came into the room, dressed in dark blue scrubs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“We’re ready, Amos,” he said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Amos looked at Oliver, “Don’t expect me to nice to you when this is over.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“What about ‘if’?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“You know your conjunctions, you crafty bastard,” Amos left the chair and he and Gatling left the room. Amos looked Oliver with a subtle grain.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Oliver dreamt nothing but darkness as he slept. A human hand woke him up. He looked up to find Dodson, holding a cup of steaming, warm coffee. Another cup, one with hot chocolate, was on a small table.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Hey, Curtis,” Oliver blinked his eyes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Your chocolate’s on the table,” the agent noted. He then sat next to Oliver and some of his coffee, “What’s the story?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“He’s still in surgery. It’s been--” He glanced at the room’s clock, stationed on one of the room’s walls, “--two hours.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“You should go home. I can call you if anything--”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“I’m here for the same reason you are.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Dodson smirked as Oliver took his chocolate and drank some of it, “He really loved Lydia, you know. The room she lived in his house is a shrine.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“He already told me.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Oh. That’s good. He’s almost a human being again.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Oliver chuckled a bit. He took another sip of chocolate as Gatling came into the room. Oliver and Dodson stood up and saw the doctor had a sad, tired look.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">The afternoon was windy. Grey clouds blanketed the sky. There were just Oliver, Dodson, Edwin, a trio of caretakers and a priest, who read Psalms 18 as they stood before a closed, honey-colored wooden casket in Cypress Hills Cemetery in Brooklyn. Heart failure, Gatling said. Amos McQuarrie may have been a chronic alcoholic, but he died of heart of failure. Oliver knew better. Amos died of a broken heart that was beyond repair. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“I’m getting pretty good at this,” Oliver pounded on the typewriter’s keys while he sat at Amos’s desk. Near him was Maureen, sitting on one edge of the desk, dressed in a black teddy, black seamed stocking, and the same heels she wore when she first met Oliver.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“You look like you’re ready to be in a retirement home,” she quipped.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Oh, stop,” Oliver kept on typing, “You’re lucky I’m letting you stay here, rent-free.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“And I appreciate that, Ollie, but you should appreciate me.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“I will in a minute. I have to finish this paragraph. Matt Mason’s in quite the shit.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“You’re torturing me.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Edwin came in, holding a tray. Four sandwiches—bacon, lettuce and cheese—and two glasses, filled lemonade were on the tray.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Your lunch, Master Oliver, Ms. Struzik,” the butler rested the tray on a bare section of the desk.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Thank you, Edwin,” Oliver kept on typing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Same here,” Maureen added.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Edwin slightly bowed and left the room. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Maureen left the desk, “Will you please stop and eat before I got nuts?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Oliver did. Maureen sat on the writer’s lap.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Do you like inheriting a writer’s fortune and home?” she asked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“I like you sitting on my lap.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Maureen smirked. She took hold of Oliver’s face and gently kissed him.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="left">
<br /></div>
</span>Roy Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08816499735037160378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2827756673314424329.post-63492497163779722672013-05-17T08:51:00.004-07:002013-05-17T08:54:14.666-07:00A Memory of the 165th Street Mezzanine on Jamaica Avenue<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I used to buy comic books at the newsstand around this arena when I was a squirt. :(</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh83yZOpYu253_JfqdS3CXn-qpzCHNwTfVgTgXHwPhkYTUodLs0_PDD3hgMZ4RZR5SLjJ38szyWLiX6rtUtiFTcBsnEb9I-n6mAvJdhrXdqzjHAxAbpdwjO2a7HP8rC1zaxCI67aQJXhwZL/s1600/IMG_20130510_143855.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" pua="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh83yZOpYu253_JfqdS3CXn-qpzCHNwTfVgTgXHwPhkYTUodLs0_PDD3hgMZ4RZR5SLjJ38szyWLiX6rtUtiFTcBsnEb9I-n6mAvJdhrXdqzjHAxAbpdwjO2a7HP8rC1zaxCI67aQJXhwZL/s320/IMG_20130510_143855.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7D9I5J3kjpTz-ZZeQbx9hJY5fA9k9KSI7s1o7rmDSiT0UrM5cWPTOrH4A0-qIkdUDPhd3mGW5TU7s20ly1UvwknZZLCsUykphsKH2bml747iL0o7O2Re8S2Zck4DSUGszL-LlCThJHWVF/s1600/IMG_20130510_144011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" pua="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7D9I5J3kjpTz-ZZeQbx9hJY5fA9k9KSI7s1o7rmDSiT0UrM5cWPTOrH4A0-qIkdUDPhd3mGW5TU7s20ly1UvwknZZLCsUykphsKH2bml747iL0o7O2Re8S2Zck4DSUGszL-LlCThJHWVF/s320/IMG_20130510_144011.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Roy Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08816499735037160378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2827756673314424329.post-58320653560499830572013-05-17T08:50:00.000-07:002013-05-17T08:50:13.292-07:00David: A Short Story<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Mama Tried” by Merle Haggard sailed from the blue and pink-framed jukebox. Rachel Wyatt wasn’t a fan of the song, let alone country music, let alone Merle Haggard, but she kept her trap shut, still wanting to work at Moonlight Diner, a lonely establishment outside Las Vegas. With her sweet, cherub looks, Rachel could have made a good living as a showgirl, but making it big in Hollywood was her dream, and she wanted to struggle. Get in line, her friends from high school told her. Some friends.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Her sandy blonde hair tied in a bun and dressed in an egg-blue blouse and dress, Rachel went to a booth. The tray she carried was occupied by a bacon cheeseburger, ketchup-drenched French fries and a big Styrofoam cup, filled with ice cold Coke. The customer: a paunchy truck driver. Plaid shirt. Uneven, two o’clock stubble. Cap with a picture patch of the American flag on it. God or the government must have a secret factory where guys like him are put together, but Rachel hid her thought behind a warm smile.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Much obliged, missy,” the trucker smiled. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Rachel turned away, hoping she wouldn’t get her derriere pinched. Fourteen times, it happened last week. If only she had a knife. . .but ten thousand dollars was her goal. Ten thousand dollars, she promised to save in the bank and leave, avoiding the fate of Lorna Selmer. A fellow waitress, Lorna probably had dreams when she was younger, but they went away quicker than a cancelled sitcom on the crappy Small Three (or Two) TV broadcast networks (if you don’t had cable), when she got knocked up by Dwayne Eldelson, her boyfriend from high school. For ten years, they’ve been married and breed three girls, eleven, seven and four. Hank works construction, Lorna waits on tables and her grandmother, Anna, keeps watch over Sidney, Tara and Charlotte.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Sure, she wanted kids, but Rachel wanted a career first, and she didn’t think being a plump baby doll was going to help her. Lorna was one. Red-haired. Freckled-faced. A bit cynical on how life turned out for her. A few paces away, she had two trays, one in each hand, which had the same meal: gravy-covered meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green peas and carrot cubes and a cup of orange juice. The couple that got them was probably on their second honeymoon. The man’s buttoned shirt was so loud, a deaf man could hear it, and the wife looked like Allison Janney of “The West Wing” without the charm.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Hey, Rachel! Pickup! Booth seven!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Al Tremaine tapped the bell on the service window’ sill as he peered through it, from the kitchen. The tray besides him had another bacon cheeseburger, but with a cup of lemonade and a slice of apple pie with a dash of whipped cream on it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Rachel went to the service window and picked up the tray, “Is Billy still playing hooky?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Don’t get me started on that fool son of mine. The next time I catch him. . .”He picked up waved a meat cleaver. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Then Lorna and I would be out of a job.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Joke on your own time, Rachel. Booth seven.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Rachel turned away. An exact copy of the Vic Tayback, the late actor who played Mel the diner cook in the Martin Scorcese-directed dramedy “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore” and its family-friendly TV sitcom version “Alice”, Al Tremaine was a tough boss. Twenty-two years in the Navy made him that way. Ran Moonlight like a ship, ready for battle.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>One time, Al blew up and gave Lorna shit and a half for accidently dropping a fried egg on the floor. Racherl thought she was going to have a heart attach. Just think about the ten thousand, she told herself. Only $2,871.38 to go.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Rachel went to booth seven. Causally dressed, trim, clean-shaven and neat, a man sat there. He was kind of nerdy, like Dale Keating, a little boy Rachel knew from her kindergarten class, who was made fun of because he was naturally smarter than the other kids, and he threw up on the new sneakers of classmate Carolyn Bennett. It was an accident, but none of the kids, not even Rachel, would let him forget it. When he was ten, Dale and family moved to San Diego, leaving Rachel with feelings of regret. She liked Dale. Sure, peer pressure told her to shut the fuck up, fall in line and accept the status quo, but Rachel was young and dumb, and her feelings were more than true.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Rachel laid the tray on the table, “Excuse me. . .but you look familiar.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">The customer looked at her, “I do?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Yeah.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Who am I supposed to look like?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“An old classmate from school. . .but older, obviously.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Obviously.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Rachel blushed, “Well, I--I better get back to work before--”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Thank you, ma’am.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Rachel grins. She left the customer as he took a bite into his bacon cheeseburger. “Mama Tried” dies down, and is replaced by “That’ll Be The Day (When I Die)” By Buddy Holly. Rachel thought he died too soon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">The dine’s door opened, tickling the bell hanging over it. Rachel stopped. The new visitor was tall, paunchy and muscular. His hair was long and jet black. A black leather vest, a white T-shirt, blue jeans and pointed cowboy boots were his clothes. Two identical tattoos marked his upper arms: OMB. With a serious look on his face, the man went to table four and sat.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Rachel shuddered. Yeah, the new customer was intimidating as a shark in a kiddie pool. Lorna went to her, “You want to serve him?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Lorna, if you want to, I won’t mind.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“You need the money, sweetie,” Lorna tapped Rachel’s back.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Rachel sighed and gulped. She went to booth four, where the new customer folded his hands against each other on the table. The aspiring actress pulled out a small notepad and a pen from her blouse’s pocket, “What’ll it be?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">The new customer picked up the menu and studied it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Sir?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Three things. One: black coffee.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Rachel writes it down.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Two: you.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Rachel stopped, “Uh. . .that’s nice, sir, but--”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">The man quickly pulled out a pistol from his jeans’s left pocket and pointed it at Rachel, who froze and dropped her pen and notepad. Lorna and the other woman screamed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Shut up!” the man said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Silence, save for Buddy Holly. The door to the kitchen swung open. Al came out, holding a 12-gauge Winchester shotgun and aiming for the man, “Drop the gun, you--”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">The gunman pointed his gun at Al and fired. The round barked, finding Al’s right shoulder. A geyser of blood flowed out. The waitress and customers dropped to the floor. So did Al, but he fell down hard. The women screamed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“I said shut the fuck up!” the gunman was serious.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Silence came back again. Buddy Holly was still singing. Rachel covered her mouth, suppressing her needed will to scream. This wasn’t the way she wanted to go. After two husbands, some Emmy nominations, a Golden Globe, she would have preferred a prescription drug overdose, but that seems so stupid to think about at a time like this.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">The gunman left the table, passing Rachel and arriving at Al, whose blood stained his shirt and part of the floor. He groaned. The gunman holstered his pistol and picked up the shotgun.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Thank you, dipshit!” the gunman kicked Al in the belly and chuckled.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">The trucker grew up a pair. He got up from his booth and ran to the gunman, who turned and fired the shotgun. The blast struck and lifted the trucker off his feet; his hat left his head and fell to the floor. The poor fool fell back, crashed through one of the diner’s windows and landed in the diner’s parking lot. Rachel and the other women screamed and cried.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Shut up! Don’t you assholes listen?!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Rachel cried. Bad move. The gunman went to and dragged her up by her blouse. Rachel squealed; she smelt beer and tobacco.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Open the cash register, stupid! Now!” the gunman shoved her away. Rachel went behind the counter and crossed to the cash register. She quickly dialed some keys and the drawer popped open.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Bag it all, bitch!” the gunman pointed the shotgun at Rachel’s head.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Rachel sobbed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Leave her alone.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Silence. Buddy Holly still sang. The gunman focused on the man. The man who was causally dressed, trim, clean-shaven and neat. The man who ordered another bacon cheeseburger, but with a cup of lemonade and a slice of apple pie with a dash of whipped cream on it. He was finishing the cheeseburger as the gunman went to him, aiming the shotgun.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Excuse me?” the gunman was annoyed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“You heard what I said.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Rachel whimpered, “Please, mister. Don’t--“<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Shut the fuck up!” the gunman went back to the customer, “Who the fuck do you think you are?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">The customer sipped some of his lemonade, despite the gunman getting closer, pushing the shotgun’s barrel straight at his right temple.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“I’m talking to you, asshole!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“And I’m listening to you.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Look at me, you shit!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">The customer abided.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“You see my tats on my arms?!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">The customer nodded.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“OMB. My name’s Grady Cole, but I’m OMB. One Mean Bastard. I like to fuck bitches, kick dogs and spill at little kids, if I’m doing gigs like this. I’m one mean bastard, and I’m damn fuckin’ proud of it, too. Damn proud. Now, you better tell me who the fuck do you think you are, before I get to five, you fuckin’--”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Five.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">The customer quickly took the gun from Cole, surprisingly him, Rachel and everyone else. He then got up, tossed the gun aside and went Cole, who looked like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming vehicle. Desperate, the thug threw a right punch. The customer stepped aside quickly, but forced his right hand into Cole’s chest, piercing it. Blood erupted as the thug yelled; a pathetic stare marked his face. Shock covered the customers and diner workers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">The customer then ripped Cole’s heart with one pull. As the thug’s corpse, the women screamed. Then, Cole’s body shrived up, the same way a grape becomes a raisin but quicker. The customer then looked at the heart in his right hand, covered it with his left and squeezed it. His hands slowly glowed warm blue. The customer opened his hands. A butterfly flew out and from them. It fluttered outside through the broken glass window.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Rachel, after seeing this, fainted.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Rachel felt being rocked as she woke up. She wasn’t in the diner, but in a car, going fast on a highway. She was in the passenger seat, buckled. The customer was behind the wheel.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Wh--What?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Nice to meet you, Ms. Wyatt,” he said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“What is this? Where are you taking me?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Far from here.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Let--Let me out! Stop the car and let me out!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Can’t do that, ma’am, and I wouldn’t even to hit me or leave a speeding car.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Rachel couldn’t believe this, “Who are you?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“David Halloran, at your service,” he grinned.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Rachel gives him a hateful stare.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“I’ll shake hands with you when we get to our destination.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“And where’s that?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“A church.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Which church?’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Any one I see.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“You--You killed that man.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“I killed a demon.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“What?!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“You know. A demon. One of Satan’s minions. Nasty fellows.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“You’re an angel?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Why are you—excuse me—why <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">were</i> you were a waitress, if you have a brain.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“You’re telling me that you’re an angel.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">David nodded.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Oh, God,” Rachel covered her face.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Don’t be so morbid. He loves you. He needs you. You’re the new Mother.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Rachel looked at David, “The what?!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“The new Mother. You’re responsible—well, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">partially responsible</i>—for the second<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>coming. I’m commissioned to keep you safe and happy.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“The other people in the diner, Al, Lorna--”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“I called 911. They’ll be all right.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Let me out, you freak!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">David pulled over to the highway lane’s sleeve. He then grabbed Rachel’s left arm, “Look, Ms. Wyatt. I’m here to protect you, the carrier, the Mother of my boss’s Son. I’m not going to—excuse me—fuck it up, because if I do, I’ll be in trouble and so will the whole world, let alone all of existence. Being hysterical isn’t going to help. Being rational is.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Rachel relaxed and started to cry, “All--All I wanted is to be an actress.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">David sighed as he let her go, “Rough luck. Just be strong,”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He started the car and drove, “By the way, God not only wants me to protect you, he wants me to. . .well, I’m gentle.” He winked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Rachel covered her mouth, turning white as a sheet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">-30-<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Roy Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08816499735037160378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2827756673314424329.post-53766009207763831072013-04-18T09:44:00.005-07:002013-04-18T09:44:49.262-07:00Photos of The Planting Fields Park in Long Island<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
I was here as an background extra, working on the fourth season of the HBO period crime drama "Boardwalk Empire". I couldn't take pictures of the actors (I DON'T WANT TO GET FIRED, OKAY!!!!), but I took pictures of the area. <a href="http://www.plantingfields.org/">http://www.plantingfields.org/</a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR167KgQfBLcFYsfczy2lBvX8SQGe3ZgGhHM_EhTsik8VkcJND9BC9kn_3SJa3w1z_Am7uZXgSRP8Q4JXWy-0_Do818vTMEVdfhEutUs5Yy3K753lD-nV9K_EjMQ3eS-NsYrqtcmgVCn4-/s1600/IMG_20130408_110637.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dua="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR167KgQfBLcFYsfczy2lBvX8SQGe3ZgGhHM_EhTsik8VkcJND9BC9kn_3SJa3w1z_Am7uZXgSRP8Q4JXWy-0_Do818vTMEVdfhEutUs5Yy3K753lD-nV9K_EjMQ3eS-NsYrqtcmgVCn4-/s320/IMG_20130408_110637.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" dua="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7uBWuTkOwsyZObCs6uU4lay53ZCMU4cgKCZpkRGw8t_pjCmhSNmyH2V-6WYQjfo_O8cQ0ZOlePsZPaCrK21blAs7Wx7vkPQJUtP12FKayZHr6ip0ETb2vA5pAqKTuG45c2PFrv9fFT4cS/s320/IMG_20130408_110854.jpg" width="320" /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo1zXDQ13XdDkbgESWeksGJJALwzthbYv1m-c_dChrSlHbyUDU5geIMTCPUSr9FP-tkmbtBIB20s88EGpPbOer5g5Bdn26vojLc-7qAeTPXpcYH-Nj_H1U_7LAqyffL976NthGy9aHioJh/s1600/IMG_20130408_110936.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dua="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo1zXDQ13XdDkbgESWeksGJJALwzthbYv1m-c_dChrSlHbyUDU5geIMTCPUSr9FP-tkmbtBIB20s88EGpPbOer5g5Bdn26vojLc-7qAeTPXpcYH-Nj_H1U_7LAqyffL976NthGy9aHioJh/s320/IMG_20130408_110936.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_wzUeAGzQWlqqSYjUSvTBYa9pt2mh7_uOXR8MiX1LNzSwWAQ2c5GymGWZj671iQRqhrY1CKwhz_l7EeG5qGAgLOM7dkEI4pEjNJFsTrJbFJ0vz23ebjKJWx7O69IXygja_p1Jt4PP38oa/s1600/IMG_20130409_155814.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dua="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_wzUeAGzQWlqqSYjUSvTBYa9pt2mh7_uOXR8MiX1LNzSwWAQ2c5GymGWZj671iQRqhrY1CKwhz_l7EeG5qGAgLOM7dkEI4pEjNJFsTrJbFJ0vz23ebjKJWx7O69IXygja_p1Jt4PP38oa/s320/IMG_20130409_155814.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMcMpGxyodV9vQLq2VI9GZQxW547gD8CDdVSYxfOvSYG1GnGw5KUjRFMF2QigZKNjBEh9PTavljCo1eiYyYJR7jcNhr_3kz-pPX5Oy7iR4pBkitreo5XT96bfrrV5l2-JIbQtpehqtWYsf/s1600/IMG_20130409_155859.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dua="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMcMpGxyodV9vQLq2VI9GZQxW547gD8CDdVSYxfOvSYG1GnGw5KUjRFMF2QigZKNjBEh9PTavljCo1eiYyYJR7jcNhr_3kz-pPX5Oy7iR4pBkitreo5XT96bfrrV5l2-JIbQtpehqtWYsf/s320/IMG_20130409_155859.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimmbGw0A1muBQtvOF2GMMK2OjF9OUaa_Inr4xwEnVhMmhNzX-RVK-IC6lIE8bSqwYWmk9nAZ-2UP5Yd7nBqYGKEbFHpYdnhvwZjpnjQ91rK5FoqSkG3jB91IDN5lr2ZfeHeSoSd3XwzEXq/s1600/IMG_20130409_155835.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dua="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimmbGw0A1muBQtvOF2GMMK2OjF9OUaa_Inr4xwEnVhMmhNzX-RVK-IC6lIE8bSqwYWmk9nAZ-2UP5Yd7nBqYGKEbFHpYdnhvwZjpnjQ91rK5FoqSkG3jB91IDN5lr2ZfeHeSoSd3XwzEXq/s320/IMG_20130409_155835.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_jPsFV4eYxtcnL6_LYCDGEbMH5-x_5o5-OVNrE1MZ8cYssuxiPyJ5QKbLeqLVCzMXlQrz3D84ZJ5CTxKsjVCkXXYQOZ9sEQz6v4ESp3c_E7VAq7wpNHdIU938amYXViWTS52ppQ9Uc069/s1600/IMG_20130409_155940.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dua="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_jPsFV4eYxtcnL6_LYCDGEbMH5-x_5o5-OVNrE1MZ8cYssuxiPyJ5QKbLeqLVCzMXlQrz3D84ZJ5CTxKsjVCkXXYQOZ9sEQz6v4ESp3c_E7VAq7wpNHdIU938amYXViWTS52ppQ9Uc069/s320/IMG_20130409_155940.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Roy Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08816499735037160378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2827756673314424329.post-15813675531914430262013-04-12T09:51:00.000-07:002013-04-12T09:51:21.763-07:00Frank Cooper: The Ice Cream Madman: A Short Story<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEgKBSkqSbOplLGomNXv8R2vYlxeDuGZCVvvLjzC9zUeBMos9DM4wN1XQDNIfkdQtpT6yutmzb-mzEndqaaudReT6e-jZ67RwAViSpdl0_vkfETkGg_rzUrlXkCx6p2vxusFbTJ9GoZFg4MTHYMz8Hs284sAu8nViMtA24joqy7-7dnD9SY=" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" bua="true" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEgKBSkqSbOplLGomNXv8R2vYlxeDuGZCVvvLjzC9zUeBMos9DM4wN1XQDNIfkdQtpT6yutmzb-mzEndqaaudReT6e-jZ67RwAViSpdl0_vkfETkGg_rzUrlXkCx6p2vxusFbTJ9GoZFg4MTHYMz8Hs284sAu8nViMtA24joqy7-7dnD9SY=" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Our treats equal happiness.”</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;">That's the motto of the Rainbow Ice Cream Company, a New York City-based business that makes and sells frozen sweets. During the seasons of spring and summer of every year, the company sends out ice cream vendor vans on the city streets, giving treats and drinks</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">—at cheap prices—to sufferers of the sun's heat and humidity. The veteran vendors get some satisfaction from bringing a smile on a child's face; Mike Rollins only saw dollar signs and some job experience.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">His mother wanted him to work at a hospital as a volunteer, after finishing his sophomore year in college. Mike didn't want to be around the infirm and elderly, let alone not getting paid for it. That got him a bump on his head, courtesy of Mom and her frying pan. Fortunately, Mike found Rainbow's ad, in one of the local newspapers. It called for high school and college students to apply as assistant vendors. A driver's license was required, and no experience was necessary. He got the job on the spot, and Mike looked for van #832 in the company's garage Wednesday morning. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">The funny thing was the human resources manager, who interviewed Mike, wished him “a whole shitload of good luck,” and never explained why.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">After going through rows of identical vans—they were all painted white with the company's logo and mascot, “Bowie”, a rainbow with a cartoon face and limbs, on both sides—Mike found his assigned vehicle. He looked into the passenger's seat window. Inside, a man was sleeping in the driver's seat. He had jet-black hair. A pair of thick-rimmed glasses, a black golf shirt, fading blue jeans and a pair of black sneakers were the articles he wore. Mike knocked on the glass, and the man woke up from his slumber.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">He wasn't happy when he faced Mike, “Who the fuck--Who the fuck are you? Don't you know not to interrupt a man's sleep?!”</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“I--I--I'm sorry. You're Frank Cooper, right?”</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;">Frank opened the passenger door, </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“I'm actually the Pope. This is just a day job.”</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;">Mike got in the van, sat in the passenger seat and extended his right hand, </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Mike Rollins. I'm your new partner.”</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“This isn't a fancy-pansy tea party, kid. You know the schedule?”</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Yeah. I have the paper in my right pocket.”</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;">Frank sighed. He looked at his watch. It was 9:35 a.m. He put on his seat belt and turned the van's ignition key counter-clockwise. The motor first purred and roared as Mike put on his seat belt. His partner then moved the stick shift from position to drive, looked both ways for traffic. Frank pressed his right foot on the accelerator. Holding the steering wheel with both hands, Frank turned the van to the left and drove it outside the warehouse and onto <st1:address w:st="on"><st1:street w:st="on">Queens Boulevard</st1:street></st1:address>. Mike felt pretty nervous around the man behind the wheel. He wanted to start some conversation, but grouchy was a good adjective to describe Frank. Maybe he should listen to his mother and--<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Are you goin' mute on me, kid?” Frank broke the silence as he stopped at an intersection in Woodside when the light turned red. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“N--No.”</span><span style="font-family: SimSun; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Good. I thought I was stuck with a mute or a dead man.”</span><span style="font-family: SimSun; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“I'm neither.”</span><span style="font-family: SimSun; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Sure. This is a summer job for you?”</span><span style="font-family: SimSun; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Yeah. I need some cash for textbooks, clothes and stuff.”</span><span style="font-family: SimSun; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“A college boy. Which college do you go to?”</span><span style="font-family: SimSun; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Queens College.”</span><span style="font-family: SimSun; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“You wanna be like Jerry Seinfeld or Paul Simon?”</span><span style="font-family: SimSun; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“I haven't decided which major I want to take.”</span><span style="font-family: SimSun; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;">The traffic light turned green. Frank drove on, </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“What the fuck? You're tellin' me you're in college, and you don't know what major you're gonna take as a major? Why the hell are you in--”</span><span style="font-family: SimSun; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Hey, I'm still young.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Yeah. So was I, and I got what I wanted out of my life. Life's too short. One friend I knew had no sex with women in his life. A fifty-two-year-old virgin. Can you fuckin' believe that?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His mother fucked up his brain with sex being a sin and all that shit when he was growin' up. His father skipped on the both of them. So guess what?”</span><span style="font-family: SimSun; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“What?”</span><span style="font-family: SimSun; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Guy buys a porno tape. Betty Gets Banged In <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:state w:st="on">Washington</st1:state></st1:place>. He gets a heart attack. Died in his underwear,” Frank shook his head, “Life's too short for some fools in this world.”</span><span style="font-family: SimSun; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: SimSun; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Mike's eyes widen. Silence cam</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">e again when they went through the towns of <st1:city w:st="on">Elmhurst</st1:city> and <st1:placename w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Rego</st1:place> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Park</st1:placetype></st1:placename>. When they came into <st1:place w:st="on">Forest Hills</st1:place>, Frank steered the van to the left, going on <st1:address w:st="on"><st1:street w:st="on">Jewel Avenue</st1:street></st1:address>. Then, the van crossed over the Van Wyck Expressway, entering lower <st1:place w:st="on">Flushing</st1:place> and made a left on <st1:address w:st="on"><st1:street w:st="on">Main Street</st1:street></st1:address>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Mike popped, “Hey, I thought that we're going to--”</span><span style="font-family: SimSun; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“--the co-ops near your college,” Frank said, “We are. I just have to drop out some books and get some more at the library.”</span><span style="font-family: SimSun; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“But--”</span><span style="font-family: SimSun; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Don't be such a Nancy Neat, okay?! We're not doin' any fuckin' rocket science.”</span><span style="font-family: SimSun; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;">The Kew Gardens Hills branch of the Queens Borough Public Library. Mike tapped his fingers on the reading table where he sat. He hated being sidetracked. He saw his partner going through some bookshelves; Frank had three books in a plastic bag. There weren't a lot of people in the library. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Are you finished?” Mike whispered, impatient.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Frank showed Mike his left hand's middle finger and resumed his search for more literature. Mike sighed and shook his head. Then, he began to hear someone grumbling. Mike turned around to the library's foyer doors. A plump man, dressed in a gray shirt, denim shorts and leather sandals, walked in. For some past weeks, this man visited the library, going through newspapers and books while murmuring incoherent words to himself. He hasn’t posed any threat to neither the staff nor the patrons, yet he's annoyed those who wanted quiet. The man also annoyed Frank. He followed the man when he came into the rows of library shelves. The ice cream vendor got closer to the man, who was reading a book. Without saying a word, Frank threw a roundhouse right punch to the man's jaw. The blow knocked him to the floor. Frank looked behind him; no one saw him hit the guy. The library's restrooms were nearby. Frank dragged the unconscious man there and left him in the ladies' room. He did his best not to laugh as he reunited with Mike.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Why don't you get some books, kid?” Frank said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“I don't want to put my job in jeopardy,” Mike said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Fine. Be a boy scout.”</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;">The two men went to the library's checkout desk. Frank got his books processed. At that moment, a woman's scream pierced the silence. Some of the library's employees went to the restroom area.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“What the--?!” Mike said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Let's go,” Frank said, “Don't look back.”</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“But--”</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;">Frank didn't let Mike finished his sentence. He ran out of the library. Mike hurried after him, and the two went into the van and sped off.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“What the hell did you do back there?!” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Frank explained the whole story.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Are you insane?!”</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Shut the fuck up! That guy was a fuckin' loony tune! I did those people back there a favor. You should be appreciative.”</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Appreciative?! You punched a guy, and you want me to be--”</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“I don't need your fuckin' criticism. You kids today think you're all bigshots.”</span><span style="font-family: SimSun; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“I don't believe this.”</span><span style="font-family: SimSun; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Just go in the back of the van, okay?”</span><span style="font-family: SimSun; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;">Mike did so. Frank stopped the van at a red light on the intersection of <st1:address w:st="on"><st1:street w:st="on">Main Street</st1:street></st1:address> and <st1:address w:st="on"><st1:street w:st="on">Jewel Avenue</st1:street></st1:address>. The items in the van's back were two freezers units, an air conditioning unit, an ice cream fountain machine, a small table with some candy boxes on it and a small stool. Mike sat on the stool. There was also a dark green duffel bag leaning on the floor, against the van's back doors. The light turned green, and Frank made a right on <st1:address w:st="on"><st1:street w:st="on">Jewel Avenue</st1:street></st1:address>. He turned on the vehicle's sound speakers and tape player. A bright jingle escaped from the speakers and went through the air. Frank clicked on a microphone, connected to the speakers' system and spoke into it. Frank drove through the intersection of <st1:address w:st="on"><st1:street w:st="on">Kissena Boulevard</st1:street></st1:address> and <st1:address w:st="on"><st1:street w:st="on">Jewel Avenue</st1:street></st1:address>, </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“ICE CREAM! GET YOUR MOTHER FUCKIN' ICE CREAM! IF YOU DON'T WANNA SWEAT LIKE A FUCKIN' RETARD OR A FUCKIN' PIG, YOU BETTER COME OUT AND GET SOME ICE CREAM! ICE CREAM! GET YOUR MOTHER FUCKIN' ICE CREAM!”</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;">Mike's lower jaw dropped.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;">Despite some complaints from some customers (whom Frank told to fuck themselves), Frank and Mike worked hard and good. It was a very humid day, and they decided to linger for a while for some more customers, near the corner of the aforementioned streets. Mike like</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">d being in the back of the van. The air conditioner was on medium. Frank was sitting in the driver's seat, drinking a can of beer. Mike thought it wasn't a good idea. To risk Frank's wrath also wasn't a good idea. He stuck his head out the van's customer window. The warmth of the summer’s air brushed against his face. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Then Mike saw a pretty young lady, walking towards <st1:address w:st="on"><st1:street w:st="on">Kissena Boulevard</st1:street></st1:address>. She was a pretty brunette; her hair was laid upon her shoulders. A white tank-top shirt, blue denim shorts and a pair of sneakers were the clothes she wore. The young woman also carried a bookbag on her back; she must be a summer student at the nearby <st1:placename w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Queens</st1:place> <st1:placetype w:st="on">College</st1:placetype></st1:placename>, Mike thought, seeing her coming towards the van. The lady's bosom bounced while she walked, and she gave off a friendly smile to Mike, who waved back. She then stopped. A penny was in her path on the sidewalk. It was probably discarded by one of the customers earlier. The co-ed then bent over to pick up it. Mike got a good look at her cute ass. He felt his genitals throbbing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Mike,” Frank said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Mike didn't respond. His mind was on the young woman, who stood up straight, placed the penny in one of her pants' pockets and resumed her journey.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Mike?”</span><span style="font-family: SimSun; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;">Still no response.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;">Frank turned to the back of the van, and threw his empty can at the back of Mike's head. Mike yelped, putting his head back into the van and nursing it. He faced Frank, </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Why the hell did you do that for?!”</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“You were off on cloud 456,” returned Frank, “What the hell are you looking out--” From the corner of his left eye, Frank noticed the young lady walking by, looking through the van's windshield. He turned to get a better look and whistled, “Man, you got some good taste. If you wanna meet her--”</span><span style="font-family: SimSun; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“I don't know if--”</span><span style="font-family: SimSun; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: SimSun; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Frank shook his head, </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Don't go all chicken shit on me, kid. I bet you haven't got any good pussy in your--”</span><span style="font-family: SimSun; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Drop it, Frank.”</span><span style="font-family: SimSun; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: SimSun; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Frank slowly turned to Mike, </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“You're a virgin, aren't you?”</span><span style="font-family: SimSun; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“That's none of your business.”</span><span style="font-family: SimSun; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: SimSun; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Frank didn't let go, </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Of all the guys I’ve been setup with, I got stuck with a virgin,” He then laughed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“There's nothing wrong with being a virgin.”</span><span style="font-family: SimSun; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Is there anything wrong with not finding a major in college? I think so.”</span><span style="font-family: SimSun; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Why don't you--” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Yo, Frank!” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">The two vendors turned to the customer window. They saw outside a young man.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was in his teens, wearing a New York Yankees cap, a green T-shirt marked with the drawing of a naked girl holding a hotdog, blue jeans and sneakers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Hey, Tim,” Frank and Tim exchanged a slapping five, “How the hell are you, man?”</span><span style="font-family: SimSun; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Fuckin' hot, man,” replied Tim, “Could you give me two Chipwichs, two orange sodas, a bag of M-80s and a bag of reefers.”</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Right. Mike, give him the goodies.”</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;">Mike was shocked, </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“You're a drug--”</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;">Frank went over to the duffel bag on the floor. He unzipped it, pulled out a 12-gauge shotgun and pointed it at Mike's head, </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Do what I say, or you’ll lose what's left of your brains.”</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;">Mike quickly took out two wrapped Chipwichs (a treat made up of two chocolate chip cookies with vanilla ice cream and chocolate chips between them) from one of the freezers and two orange sodas from the freezer. As for Frank, he took out a bag of M-80 firecrackers and a bag of reefers from the duffel bag. The two men then put all of the items in a big, paper grocery bag, which Frank gave to Tim. Tim paid $25.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“You want change?” asked Frank.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Nah, seeing your buddy get scared is enough for me.”</span><span style="font-family: SimSun; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Mike's his name, and he's a virgin.”</span><span style="font-family: SimSun; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“A virgin?!” Tim exploded with laughter, “Oh, man!” Then he left, still laughing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Mike gave Frank an angry look.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Frank grinned, “Check your pants.”</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;">Mike looked down. He felt wet. A wet puddle was present on his crotch.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;">Mike bought a pair of blue jeans and a bag of three briefs at a discount clothing store on <st1:address w:st="on"><st1:street w:st="on">Jamaica Avenue</st1:street></st1:address>, and he and Frank drove to <st1:address w:st="on"><st1:street w:st="on">87th Ave</st1:street></st1:address> and <st1:address w:st="on"><st1:street w:st="on">150th Street</st1:street></st1:address>. When they stopped at the corner, the two men heard the rapid tapping of footsteps against concrete. Mike stuck his head out the customer window. He was met by the requests of a small group of young, screaming children.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Gimme some Buffalo Jim!”</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Do you Rock Pop!”</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“I want a cola!”</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“I want strawberry ice cream!”</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Juicy gum. I want Juicy--”</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;">Frank couldn't stand it any longer. He got out of his seat, went to the customer's window, </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“QUIET!”</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;">The children did so.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“All right, you little bastards! I want a straight line up to this window here, and I want each and every one of you to ask for your candy or ice cream or soda politely and with a please. If not, I'll leave, and you'll get squat!”</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;">An obese woman walked nearby. She heard this ultimatum and didn't approve, </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“You should be ashamed of yourself! How could you be so cruel to these children? All they want is their ice--”</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Shut up, you! I don't need any criticism!”</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“You employer wouldn't like it if I told him about--”</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Tell him shit, since that's what you are! Big shit! If you give a damn, you should drop dead and make an alligator's dream come true, you cow!”</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;">Tears started to roll down her cheeks, and the woman ran from the van crying. The children and Frank laughed. Mike sighed. This was going to be more trouble for him. The kids then followed Frank's instructions and received their goods. When the last kid left the van, Frank asked Mike</span><span style="font-family: SimSun; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">, </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“You wanna drive?”</span><span style="font-family: SimSun; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Really?” Mike was surprised by this sudden change in Frank.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Sure. Just be easy on her.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Mike went to the driver's seat, and started the ignition. An angry, subhuman roar then cut the air. It didn't come from the vehicle. Frank stuck his head out again. He saw the same fat lady behind the van. She ran towards him with an aluminum baseball bat. Frank got his head in the van before the woman got a chance to strike him down. She was mad. Frank could have got out his shotgun, yet more trouble was not needed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Drive, damnit!” he yelled.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Mike pressed the accelerator. He heard the woman’s yelling and her bat’s bashing of the van’s metal. The van went off towards <st1:address w:st="on"><st1:street w:st="on">Hillside Avenue</st1:street></st1:address>, but the woman was right behind, swinging the bat.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Poking his head out from the van, Frank saw her, “You’re doin’ a good job, Babe Ruth!”</span><span style="font-family: SimSun; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;">That comment made the woman angrier. She tried to keep up with the van; her heart couldn't take the strain. She then blacked out, letting go of the bat. Head first, the woman fell to the street. People nearby came to her aid. By the time the ambulance arrived, it was too late.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“...have to admit, Mike. That was funny,” noted Frank.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Mike said nothing, driving the van down <st1:address w:st="on"><st1:street w:st="on">Springfield Boulevard</st1:street></st1:address> in <st1:placename w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Queens</st1:place> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Village</st1:placetype></st1:placename>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“That fatso got what she deserved. Don't blame me for her being a fuckin' loon.”</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;">More silence. Mike bit his lower lip.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“What do you want from me, huh? Man, I should be drivin’ instead of you 'cause you're bein’ such an ass.”</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;">Still more silence.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Please tell me you're alive.”</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“You're a menace, Frank,” Mike said, “You're a real fucking menace.”</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“I'm not Hitler, man. That dumb fatso shouldn't have mess with--”</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“All I wanted was a nice, good-paying summer job without any trouble. A good worker is what to be, and you have to be rude and fucking crazy!”</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Big deal! Instead of cryin’ to your mommy and suckin’ on a lollipop, why don't you just grow up?”</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Why don't you?”</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“I'm forty-eight, you dipstick. So screw off and respect your elders.”</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Respect?! You damn--”</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;">A young boy jumped in front of the van, running. Mike hit the break. The boy wasn't hurt, but he still ran. He wasn't wearing a shirt. His pursuer: a man dressed in a clown suit. A clown suit stained with fresh blood. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“What the fuck--?!” Frank exclaimed. He then went to the back of the van, opened up the duffel bag and took out a wooden baseball bat. Frank then got out of the van and chased the clown.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Hey, you!” Frank yelled.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">The clown looked behind, seeing Frank holding the bat in a threatening way. He tried to move away from the boy, yet he wasn't quick enough. Frank threw the bat at the clown, knocking him down to the pavement. Then the vendor grabbed the clown by the neck of his jumpsuit and punched him with his right fist.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“I got the clown!” Frank said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">The “clown” was one Dave Stang, 45, single. According to police investigators at the 105th Precinct, Mr. Stang was responsible for the kidnapping, rape and murder of twelve children, ages ranging from four to nine, during the last six months. The bodies of the children were found in the basement of his house where he lived alone. Mr. Stang even admitted to the police that he devoured some of the bodies. For twenty-three years, Stang worked as a post office worker at the Main Office in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Jamaica</st1:country-region></st1:place>. His father, Wilbur, worked as a part-time clown, entertaining children at parties. The irony of it was that the elder Stang didn't show the same care or understanding towards his sole child. Not only did the younger Mr. Stang guilty for his acts, he also felt embarrassed about the way he was captured.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Three more ice cream stops were completed, and Frank and Mike returned to Rainbow's headquarters. It was still warm outside; the sun settled westward. When they left their van, a co-worker approached them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Frank, Greenbaum wants to speak to you and the kid. He's really pissed off.”</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Oh, great,” Frank muttered.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“What in the name of sanity is wrong with you, Frank?!” demanded Sidney Greenbaum, the fourth-generation owner and manager of Rainbow. He was sitting at his desk, facing Frank and Mike who sat across from him, “I tell you to be nice to the customers. The customer is our friend. No one can get through life without friends. But you. You want to cause hell!”</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Shouldn't the customer be nice to me?” Frank pointed out, “I bust my ass getting out of bed and working. I believe in the two-way street system.”</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“I don't believe what you are saying!” yelled Greenbaum, pointing at Frank, “You abused the van's speaker system and you let a woman die! A woman who has a husband and three children.”</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“They’re really lucky now,” Mike quipped.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Frank smirked. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Watch your step, boy,” Greenbaum warned, “This is your first day here.”</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“You’re right. So lay off, Sid. We didn’t know she was going to drop dead.” Frank noted, “Boy, was she nuts, and we were just protecting ourselves.”</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Some people called up saying that you made fun of her being fat. That's not self-protection!” barked Greenbaum, “You two will be looking for work if you don't straighten up your act! In fact, you’re both--”</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;">The phone on the boss's desk rang. He pressed the speaker button.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Ms. Simmons, I thought I told you that--”</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;">Greenbaum's secretary, Evelyn Simmons, defended herself, </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“I'm sorry, sir, but there's a police officer from the 105th Precinct on line four.”</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Thank you,” Greenbaum gave his employees a less-than-pleased look as he picked up the phone receiver up to his left ear and pressed the fourth telephone line button on the phone, “Greenbaum here.” Anger disappeared from the man's face, replaced by shock and depression when the police officer on the other side of the telephone line reported Frank's courageous act. After a polite thank you, the manager of the Rainbow Ice Cream Company hung up the phone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“You're safe for now, Frank,” he admitted, “but when you screw up next time, I'll--”</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Yeah, yeah,” Frank got up from his chair as did Mike, “Just make me the employee of the month, like I should be every month.”</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun;">Frank and Mike left the office. Greenbaum slowly caressed his forehead with seething anger and self-pity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "http://images-onepick-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?container=onepick&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmarciaselden.files.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F09%2Fice-cream-truck1.jpg" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEgKBSkqSbOplLGomNXv8R2vYlxeDuGZCVvvLjzC9zUeBMos9DM4wN1XQDNIfkdQtpT6yutmzb-mzEndqaaudReT6e-jZ67RwAViSpdl0_vkfETkGg_rzUrlXkCx6p2vxusFbTJ9GoZFg4MTHYMz8Hs284sAu8nViMtA24joqy7-7dnD9SY=" -->Roy Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08816499735037160378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2827756673314424329.post-85230888320085815672013-04-05T09:59:00.000-07:002013-04-05T09:59:10.541-07:00The Deal: A Short Story<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Jerry Diaz scratched his chin. He sat at his kitchen table, working on the tenth basic algebra problem he made up to pass the time. 3b+20=65. He took the 20 from the 65. The amount was 45. Jerry divided it by 3. 15 equaled b. Jerry liked making up basic algebra problems. He looked at his wristwatch on his left arm. Twenty-five minutes before noon. Noon was the time of the meeting Jerry had to make. It was Saturday. Jerry was unsure, yet there was no looking back. </span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">He put his pen in a metal can that was on the table. It was filled with other pens, pencils, paperclips and pennies. He got up, closed his notebook and left his apartment building. It was a two-story one, standing over a bodega on the northwest corner of Lexington Avenue and East 110th St, in the New York City borough of Manhattan. It was a warm Saturday this June. Jerry walked westward, crossing under the elevated Metro-North line on Park Avenue via the pedestrian tunnel. Then he went south on that avenue and turned right on 109th St, going into a public basketball court. Six guys were playing basketball, fierce and strong. At the other end of the court, a lanky man sat on the ground with his back against one of the court’s metal wire gates. He drank a bottle of iced tea. Jerry approached him, avoiding the players.</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“You’re Dean Bishop?”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Dean looked up. He had a tough, lean and weathered face. He licked his lips and stood up, leaving the bottle on the ground, “You’re here early.”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“So are you.”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“I like to be. Who’s the guy?”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“Enrique Vlasco. You probably heard of--”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“Vlasco. The drug dealer Vlasco. The pimp Vlasco. The headbreaker Vlasco,” Dean caressed his forehead, “How old are you?” </span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“Excuse me?”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“You heard me the first time.”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“Twenty-three.”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“You’re twenty-three years old. You want me to kill Vlasco, and you’re twenty-three years old.”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“I have the money,” Jerry dug into his jeans’ right pocket. He took out his wallet, opened it and pulled out two Benjamin Franklins and an Andrew Jackson, “I work at a law firm as an office clerk.”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“It’s not the money. It’s the reason.” Dean said.</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Jerry let out a sigh, “He stole my girlfriend, Anna. We were going out for two and a half years. I thought everything was alright, but she always wanted to be in the high seat. Money and shit. She got hooked by that asshole.”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“I wasn’t aware there was a snatch shortage. I should get out more.”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“I love her, man. She’s everything to me.”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“Everything’s everything to different people, youngblood. I bet you want to marry her. Get the house with the white fence and the kids.”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Jerry became quiet. Dean cursed under his breath.</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“All right,” Dean took the money, “When?”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“Tomorrow. 10 p.m. He hangs at--”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“I know where he hangs, but you have to help me out.”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“Help you out?”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“Three jobs. I have to do them today. All for different people. You’ll get half the pay.”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“W--What? Wait a second--”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“There’s no wax in your ears, and you’re not walking with three legs. Just do the work with me. You don’t, you’re just an accessory if I get into the icebox. I’ve been there before. Twice. But you. You’re just a cunt who doesn’t know it yet. Stick tight and don’t be a fuck up,” Dean took the bottle from the ground and drank from it.</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Jerry bit his upper lip, “Okay.”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">He followed Dean, who walked out of the court. They came to a black, parked SUV. Dean went to the driver’s side. He opened it with his key, got in, sat in the driver’s seat and opened the passenger’s door. Jerry got in. Both men strapped themselves in with the vehicle’s seatbelts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dean turned on the ignition, got the vehicle’s position into DRIVE, got it out of the parking space and drove westward to Central Park. He then made a left on Fifth Avenue.</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“What’s the first one?” Jerry asked.</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“Muscle job,” said Dean, “Breaking a shithole.” </span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Britt Marlowe, the favorite head breaker for the O’Bannon clan. They’re a family that owns a small brewery, O’Bannon Beer. It is a front for their illegal activities. Britt is a favorite because he hits hard. Hits and breaks hard. He used to be a boxer, an upper middleweight. “Smooth Boy”, they used to call him. Could have been a giant in the industry, yet Alfonso “Big Al” Teague, a newcomer, brought him down with a haymaker and an uppercut. No manager would take Britt, legal and otherwise, and he did not want to work in construction, like his dad, a steel beam wielder, who died on the job. Eric O’Bannon, patriarch, then came knocking. $2500 per muscle job, tax-free and Britt could not be any more pleased. His last job: breaking the arms of Gordon Lopez, the nephew of Frankie Delgado, a rival of O’Bannon. Delgado was expanding his business; O’Bannon didn’t like that.</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Britt took in a quart of beer, sitting on a bar stool near the counter of Harry’s Tower, a local bar in Hell’s Kitchen. The stench of cigarette smoke, urine, sweat, vomit, booze and blood decorated the air. The bartender, a gravel-faced fellow, was wiping a glass mug and whistling. Two barflies, a man and a woman,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>cuddled at a table; they were hammered and in love. </span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The ex-boxer felt a tap on his left shoulder. He turned around and got a fist against his jaw. The blow didn’t knock him out. It knocked him off the bar stool, to the floor. Britt blinked. The hitter was some Spanish punk, baby-faced and all. He was a scared punk too. He ran outside.</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“Hey!” the bartender didn’t like a usual customer getting sucker-punched.</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Britt got up and went outside. A hard object met the back of his head. Britt fell forward and kissed concrete. He then felt the object hit the back of his body, then on his legs. He grunted. Britt turned over. Blood came onto his forehead. The person he saw hitting him was a man, wearing a ski mask.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Britt put his arms up, protecting his face and begging for mercy. The man didn’t answer. He kept hitting him with an aluminum baseball bat. The bartender came out to stop it, yet the man in the ski mask hit him in the chest. With the bat. The bartender fell hard. Britt couldn’t help him. He was an aching and bloody mess of a man. The man then kicked Britt in the chest. Twice. Another kick went against his head. Britt spitted some blood and teeth. Some people on the street screamed. Then the man in the ski mask left. Britt didn’t see where he or the Spanish punk went to. The punk was already in the bar, before Britt arrived. He closed his eyes and cried. Britt cried like when he cried after Alfonso “Big Al” Teague brought him down with a haymaker and an uppercut.</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Jerry nursed his right hand, “Why didn’t you tell me he used to box before I slug him?!” </span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“You wouldn’t have hit him if I did,” Dean was still breathing heavily as he drove his SUV northward on 10th Avenue.</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“Of course I wouldn’t! Shit! I’m just like the bastard who used to beat me up in school!”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“You too?” Dean stopped the SUV at a red light at West 55th St. He shook his head, “Man, I used to be a target, getting kicked around and shitted on by bullies. Guess what I did about it?”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“What?”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“I had this shit of a guy, Moyo Smith, in my face.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Big fat guy. Don’t ask me why his first name is that way. I have no clue to this day. After he slapped me around in gym class, I hit him with a chair in science class. Got him in the back of fuckin’ head. Sure I was suspended for two weeks, and it was worth it. Nobody fucked around with me again. Smith was transferred. I hope he’s dead or something.”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“You’re a big man.”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“I’m not the one who lost his girl to a drug dealer,” the traffic light turned green. Dean hit the accelerator, “She probably left you because you’re all uptight and shit.”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“You don’t know a damn--”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“I’m not that stupid, and you’re not smart. If you were, you wouldn’t be here, and you think you’re smart, you’re more of a shit.”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Jerry said nothing.</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“Okay. Be a mime. I could listen to the fact that you have no balls. I could listen to your frustration about not able to get out of this situation. Can’t stand it, can you?”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Jerry fiercely stared at Dean.</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">He didn’t mind. Jaime Mendoza didn’t mind working on a Saturday afternoon at his grocery store on West 121st and Amsterdam Avenue. He owned it for twenty years, getting from his parents who owned it twenty-two years earlier.</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“$2.98,” he said to a young man. He bought a plastic bag of garlic-flavored sesame sticks, a case of sandwich cookies (whose frosting tasted like peanut butter) and a can of lemonade soda. Jaime placed the items, on the counter, in a medium-sized brown paper bag. The customer paid two dollars; Jaime gave back two pennies from the cash register. The young man left; Jaime resumed reading his copy of the New York Daily News on the counter. Jaime noticed that the young man was carrying a small, black plastic bag. There were three DVD cases in it. It’s been a while since he saw a movie. Must have been six months ago. Some B-action film called “Dark Justice” that was direct-to-video. Lots of action, some nudity and a sex scene and a shadow of a plot involving a Los Angeles cop becoming a street vigilante. One of these days, Jaime was going to take a day off. Or two. Let Greg, his son, take over. He’s more than responsible. Greg was moving three stock boxes into one of the store’s three aisles. The boxes had inside garbage bag boxes and bug spray aerosol cans.</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The door to the store opened. Jaime looked up and saw the customer, “Get the fuck out of my store.”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Dean smiled, “And good afternoon to you too, Vic. Second time, last time, you know.”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“You tell Manny Sanchez he’s getting’ nothing’ from me, you shit,” Jaime took out a 9mm pistol from his pants, pointing it at Dean. Manny Sanchez was the local drug dealer in the neighborhood.</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“That’s not nice,” Dean quickly grabbed Dean’s right hand, the hand that held the gun. The two men struggled over it; they were kids fighting over a lollipop. Greg came towards Dean from behind. Dean turned, driving Jaime’s right arm forward. The 9mm barked twice. Greg fell, bringing some snack bags with him. Horror took over Jaime. He was also open to Dean’s right elbow; the blow broke his nose. He fell back hard to the floor. Dean had the gun. He peered over the counter, lurching over Jaime.</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“Dumb,” he said, “Just fuckin’ dumb.”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Dean turned and walked to the aisle where they had the bug spray aerosol cans. He took for. Then he went back to the counter. Next to the lottery machine, there was a microwave oven. Dean put the cans on top of the oven. He then grabbed two, big, brown paper bags and raided the store. Five potato chip bags. Twelve candy bars. Seven gum packets. A six-pack of beer cans. A box of disposable gloves. Three pairs of pantyhose (they were for Dean’s girlfriend. It was her birthday today). The money in the cash register: $789.49. Then he placed the aerosol cans in the oven, set it for two minutes and left the store. The CLOSED sign was visible from outside. Dean crossed to his SUV and entered it. Jerry was behind the wheel. The motor ran.</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“Let’s go,” Dean said.</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Jerry hit the accelerator, “I hope you didn’t kill the guy.”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Dean shook his head, “Just his kid. With his gun. It’s going to get messy in a few minutes.”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“What did you--”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“Just go.”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“Oh...Hmm! Yes, baby! Yes! Fuck me like this! Just fuck me…”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">A can of beer and a handful of cheese-flavored popcorn painted Tony Manetti’s throat. What a slob and a plump one at that. His wife and their children, two girls and a boy, were visiting his mother-in-law in Orlando, Florida.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That gave this thirty-seven-year-old insurance salesman a three-week lease on single freedom. The first week was almost done and gone. In his house, located in Flushing, Queens, Tony was on the living room’s couch, wearing a white T-shirt and dark blue swim trunks and watching Sylvia Angel’s Foot Fun on his TV. It was one of five porno videos he purchased in an adult store in Midtown Manhattan. Sylvia was a pretty, baby-faced blonde lady with crystal blue eyes. Nice body, too. She laid on a bed, naked; her legs were straight up in the air. Sylvia held her breasts. </span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“You want me in pantyhose, don’t you?” Sylvia whispered.</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">He knew it was just a videotape; Tony nodded.</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Sylvia grabbed a pair of nude pantyhose besides her. Her legs went down, resting on the bed; Sylvia’s toenails were painted blood red. Tony took another sip from his beer, smiling. The porn starlet slowly poured herself into the garment. She cooed, awed. The nylons encased her skin. Tony felt his penis swell and throb. Sex with his wife of ten years, Doris, was a bite from a mosquito. Sylvia smiled, “Don’t I look so cute in my nylons? Don’t you want to fuck me hard and good?” She winked her left eye and giggled.</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Then Sylvia lifted herself; she sat upward. Her feet fell to the carpeted floor. There were seven different pairs of high heels. Sylvia looked down. Her right hand supported her chin.</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“Let’s see. Hmmm…All of them look so good and lovely…I wonder…Aha!”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Sylvia chose the black patent, platform sandals. She picked the left shoe up, smiling, “I know you want me in these. They look so sexy on me!”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">She giggled again. Then she caressed the shoe’s heel, placed it near her mouth and sucked on it. Tony’s penis grew larger, wanting to get out of his pants. Sylvia rose her left foot, placed the shoe on it and restrained and tightened the ankle strap. Her right foot received the same. Sylvia smiled as she touched her leather-covered feet.</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“Hmmm…I was right, wasn’t I? They look so good. Yes, baby…aha. You should lick and kiss them all over!”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The temptress left the bed and began to walk around the room. Tony’s doorbell rang.</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“Shit!” Tony grabbed the DVD remote, pointed it at his DVD and pressed the pause button. He got up, went to his house’s front door and opened it. A young man was holding a photograph of a rottweiler. </span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“Hi. I don’t want to be a pain, but have you seen my dog?”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“No, but you are a pain. Bye,” Tony burped. He tried to close the door. The young man held it open.</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“You probably saw him around here. Sparks. Man, I don’t know what will happen if--”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“Then you should have kept a good eye on him. I want to watch my porno.”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“But--”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“Shithole, move away from--”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">A hard object struck the back of Tony’s head. He fell backward to the floor hard. Unconscious.</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“Moron,” Dean waved his aluminum baseball bat he held in his right hand. The Menotti’s home had a back door. With a small lock picker, Dean opened it.</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Jerry entered the house and closed the door behind him, “Now what?”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">From his pants, Dean took out two pairs of disposable gloves. He tossed one pair to Jerry, “Put them on. We’re going to put Fatty Arbuckle here in the bathtub upstairs.”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“Fatty who?”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Dean shook his head, “Never mind. Guy was before your time.”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Jerry and Dean put their gloves on. Then the two lifted the Tony’s body; Dean held his arms and Jerry held his legs. Carefully and slowly, they went up the staircase and arrived at the top floor. The bathroom’s door was almost open; Dean’s back was near it. He kicked it open a little more, and the two men entered the bathroom and placed the body in the tub. Tony was still out cold.</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“Go into the living room,” Dean said, “Find his wallet and bankbook. I’ll be downstairs.”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“Assault and robbery? You have no sense of knowing how fucking low you are.”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Dean went to Jerry’s face, “Do you want to be the guy that tells Nicky Castella, noted loan shark and head breaker, that he can’t have the $350, plus interest, this…” Dean pointed at Tony, “…dumb shit owes him? If you do, you’re more stupid than you look.”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“I’m not--”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Dean slapped Jerry in the back of his head, “Not so loud. Just get them, okay?”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The two men left the bathroom. Dean went downstairs. Jerry went into the older Manettis’ bedroom. It was plush and wholesome. Jerry scanned around the top of the room’s dresser that was decorated with many items: five porcelain figurines of young girls. Old metal, political candidate buttons. A few scraps of paper. Pens. Loose change. Jerry then found Tony’s wallet. And his bankbook. There were both underneath an unused ashtray with had the insignia of the New York Yankees on it. As he was going to leave, Jerry noticed a framed portrait of the Manetti family. The wife was also plump yet pretty; the children were cute and wide-eyed. The family was smiling. It was on one of the two small dressers that surrounded the bed at both sides. He also noticed on the other dresser there was a phone. Call the police, Jerry. Maybe he’ll get arrested, yet the right thing’s the right thing.</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Then what about Anna? What about him? His whole life’s over if he makes that call. Dean could kill him. He would kill him. If he runs, Dean knows Brent Niles, an old friend of Jerry’s from Central Park East High School.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Brent pointed Jerry to Dean. Brent knows where Jerry lives. Jerry couldn’t put an old friend in big shit.</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">He heard footsteps coming up the stairs; they went into the bathroom. Jerry ran out. He saw the bathroom’s door was closed. He grabbed the doorknob. It was tight. The clerk slammed his fists into the door, “Open it, Dean! Don’t do it! Don’t do it or I’ll call the cop--”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The door opened. Dean came out, aiming the 9mm at Jerry’s head. Jerry became mute.</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“Please shut the fuck up,” Dean said, “I’m working…and I don’t like being interrupted,” He paused, “Know what? Come on in.”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“No, you can’t--”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“Come,” Dean unlocked the safety, fell back into the bathroom, and lead Jerry in. On the floor near the bathtub, there was a butcher’s knife. Tony’s body was now naked. The clothes were near the knife.</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“Get the knife. Cut his head off. The penis and heart, too. Don’t be stupid to use it on me if you give a shit about seeing tomorrow.”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Dean picked up the knife. He had to cut open a dead frog during the lab session of biology class in high school. His lab partner, a pretty girl named Melissa, fainted when he played around with the frog’s intestines with tweezers. The knife and Jerry’s right hand trembled as he came upon Tony’s throat.</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Dean whispered, “Do it, you little shit!”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The knife penetrated the throat. Tony’s eyes popped open. Jerry fell to the floor as the fat man let out a terrible howl, waving his arms madly. Tony drowned in his own blood.</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“Finish it!” Dean grew impatient.</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jerry grabbed the knife’s handle again. Tony’s nostrils, mouth and throat erupted with blood. Then the dying man vomited a good speck of blood into Jerry’s face. The law clerk felt his stomach rumble. He ran over to the toilet and vomited into the bowl.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dean tried his best from laughing out loud. He went over to the body; the head was almost off. Dean grabbed the knife, finished the severing, took the blood-drenched head and placed it in the bathroom’s sink. </span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The hitman looked at Jerry, who was still heaving, “Don’t be a battered housewife,” He then went back to the body.</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The Black Rose restaurant was on Northern Boulevard in Queens. Dean carried a beverage cooler into the kitchen in his hands. Jerry followed him. They both entered through the delivery entrance. It was after business hours. Nicky Castella, a skinny yet tough man, and two big men were also in the kitchen. Nicky ate some honey-roasted peanuts from a small bag. He also had a big, manila-colored envelope under his right arm. His uncle on his father’s side of the family, Salvatore, owned the establishment.</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“Stop,” he told Dean and Jerry as they walked towards him, “Drop the cooler.”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Dean did.</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“Lucas. Jason.”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The two men came away from Nicky and searched both men. Lucas was with Dean; Jason was with Jerry.”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“They’re clean,” Lucas said.</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“Who’s the kid?” asked Nicky.</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“A client,” Dean said, “He helped me with Tony.”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Nicky let out a quick whistle, “Poor fuckin’ you. Who’s the hit?”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“Enrique Vlasco.”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“Vlasco?! What the fuck for?”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“Stole his girl.”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Nicky shook his head, laughing. Then he looked at Jerry, “Kid, don’t mess around with sharks. They bite back.”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Jerry sighed.</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“Open the cooler, Luc.” Nicky said.</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Lucas did. Tony’s head, heart, penis and scrotum were in the cooler, preserved by ice cubes. Dean gave Jason Tony’s wallet and bankbook. Tony’s porno videos were in the SUV. His corpse was still in the bathtub in his house.</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Nicky nodded, “Close it.”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Lucas did and lifted it. Nicky toss the envelope to Dean, who opened it. It was filled with a lot of Ben Franklins.</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“Forty-two hundred. Don’t be selfish, and I’ll call you when I need you again,” Nicky said. He and the two men left the kitchen, going into the restaurant. Jerry crossed to Dean and saw the money.</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“Fifty-fifty. Like you said.”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Dean scowled, “You did two-and-a-half of the jobs. I get the other.”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“But--”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“We have another job.”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“But--”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“Don’t be such a fucking idiot! Do you want the money or not?”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The black SUV was in an empty lot near CitiField Stadium, the home of the New York Mets, near the Van Wick Expressway in Flushing. Traffic was scarce. Dean was eating a peanut-filled chocolate bar. The windows were open. The night had a cool breeze.</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“Don’t you want any?” Dean asked.</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Jerry shook his head. </span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“Oh, right. I forgot.”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Jerry looked at his wristwatch: 12:42 p.m. “Shit! These guys better hurry up. I got to go to my niece’s christening.”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“You’re shitting me, right?”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“No. I’m not much of a Christian, am I?”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“I say you’re not. You probably have a reservation in Hell by now.”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“Don’t remind me.”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“Just don’t confess your sins. I may have to bump off a priest, if you do.”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“You’re shitting me, right?”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Dean took another bite out of his candy bar.</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“Right?”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“I heard you the first time,” Dean then noticed, in the SUV’s inside rearview mirror, a light blue van was entering the lot, “They’re here.”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Jerry noticed too, “You know what they want?”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“Nope.”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“You got the gun?”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“Yes. Just be cool.”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The van pulled up to the SUV on Jerry’s side. The driver had a black ski mask on. So did the guy in the passenger’s seat. Both men left the van. The driver whipped out a .45 pistol from his jacket and pointed it at Jerry’s right cheek, “Get out!”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Jerry was shocked. He looked at Dean.</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Goodbye, kiddo.”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The gunman opened the SUV’s door. He quickly pulled Jerry out, escorted him to the back of the van and hit him with the gun. In the back of his head. As the gunman opened the van’s back doors and placed Jerry inside, the other man gave Dean a big white-colored envelope.</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“Mr. Vlasco thanks you,” he said.</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Dean opened the envelope. Forty-two hundred dollars were in there, “He’s more than welcome.”</span></div>
<div class="normal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The masked men entered their van and drove off.</span></div>
Roy Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08816499735037160378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2827756673314424329.post-56664038011853371212013-04-05T09:45:00.001-07:002013-04-05T09:45:53.758-07:00Eric Burdon and War - Live in Denmark 1971 <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/Tzbidc1pPb8?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
Check this out. Doing "Spirit" and "Love is All Around"Roy Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08816499735037160378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2827756673314424329.post-49376687837500741162013-04-05T09:18:00.004-07:002013-04-05T09:18:50.614-07:00Some Photos of the Brooklyn Bridge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Enjoy:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2POR_D-jUl3Rlpd59AbdX8XuA5bhYCmoykCIJZtrHKENKJkc28cNduXJ1aicogKsNSQFN3YIOIe8atUFPLrGNnCzQ4TBm4RA_xU8wF6zuUp2zLD7IlcFSRW2f2gCmjXE1sxSHmOd7RCGc/s1600/IMG_20130404_105538.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" mta="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2POR_D-jUl3Rlpd59AbdX8XuA5bhYCmoykCIJZtrHKENKJkc28cNduXJ1aicogKsNSQFN3YIOIe8atUFPLrGNnCzQ4TBm4RA_xU8wF6zuUp2zLD7IlcFSRW2f2gCmjXE1sxSHmOd7RCGc/s320/IMG_20130404_105538.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHRAoS6vQ9DuB2stN2xL3P-M7-jZHaEREdgcI8R7pBanJtz_iRYpwyiDd-4E5V3XEjjy8PacpTCVoGs6cXAjJLD46BP6WqQqRKgNqWx4Upi21N5UKtJe72w4RO2qCRZDIONqRjAv4Yolb8/s1600/IMG_20130404_105415.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" mta="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHRAoS6vQ9DuB2stN2xL3P-M7-jZHaEREdgcI8R7pBanJtz_iRYpwyiDd-4E5V3XEjjy8PacpTCVoGs6cXAjJLD46BP6WqQqRKgNqWx4Upi21N5UKtJe72w4RO2qCRZDIONqRjAv4Yolb8/s320/IMG_20130404_105415.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyE-he-hhNbN7PJKANSDoPFiz2DCAB6pl8zMAIBc5R1ejodWWgjmU4Il8ALEWro26Ai9TE-x63NCkYPJeXJC3-sfXpsOtuJDy2ltRAEiJiYUt64xwCG19VMCVr3rvfLs_y-Nmj7IB3CmMA/s1600/IMG_20130404_104623.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" mta="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyE-he-hhNbN7PJKANSDoPFiz2DCAB6pl8zMAIBc5R1ejodWWgjmU4Il8ALEWro26Ai9TE-x63NCkYPJeXJC3-sfXpsOtuJDy2ltRAEiJiYUt64xwCG19VMCVr3rvfLs_y-Nmj7IB3CmMA/s320/IMG_20130404_104623.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhafneXx5FPiLYGOozbdzwtKYMM_A-MEPsc-MWxPbUx50jdGf6VgFFAnM1IPkwNPspftuiLuBuyjKTYKHb4HhdLGwVQEMIQ_hCTKSjt4CP2OqCjap50sR0u_qnTW0H5ALDacv0jObZz7Jo5/s1600/IMG_20130404_104132.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" mta="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhafneXx5FPiLYGOozbdzwtKYMM_A-MEPsc-MWxPbUx50jdGf6VgFFAnM1IPkwNPspftuiLuBuyjKTYKHb4HhdLGwVQEMIQ_hCTKSjt4CP2OqCjap50sR0u_qnTW0H5ALDacv0jObZz7Jo5/s320/IMG_20130404_104132.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.nycroads.com/crossings/brooklyn/">http://www.nycroads.com/crossings/brooklyn/</a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<a href="http://www.nycroads.com/crossings/brooklyn/"></a>Roy Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08816499735037160378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2827756673314424329.post-57396958618931485392013-03-28T09:41:00.002-07:002013-03-28T09:41:47.784-07:00Heart In A Jar: A Short Story<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>She must have been crazy to go along with it, let alone take the bet. However, Molly Anne Wilson lost the stake, fair and square with sprinkles on top. No money was exchanged, but the bet was whether or not the actress, Tracey Gold of the bland TV sitcom, “Growing Pains” played the pretty yet spoiled Princess Vespa from the Star Wars-inspired parody, “Spaceballs”, directed by, co-written by and co-starred Mel Brooks.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Daphne Zuniga, who later acted on the primetime soap drama, “<st1:street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on">Melrose Place</st1:address></st1:street>”, filled the role, and Cynthia gale, Molly Anne’s fellow teacher at <st1:placename w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Clarksdale</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">High School</st1:placetype></st1:place></st1:placename> and good friend, won the wager.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Being the two most attractive female teachers is school, Molly Anne (English) and Cynthia (History) received catcalls, whistles and sexually profane love letters from male students who had yet to learn proper and polite courting. Dylan Townsend, one of the school’s gym teachers, was another wannabe paramour, flirting with both women equally. Neither Molly Anne nor Cynthia found him interesting, but neither of them wanted any sexual harassment mess to deal with. So, before summer break, the two friends watched “Spaceballs” on TV at Molly Anne’s house. Cynthia established the bet, since the film’s credits weren’t shown at the beginning, and whoever lost had to date Dylan. Molly Anne accepted the bet; she must have been to.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Sunlight rays made two perfect squares on the carpet floor of Molly Anne’s room, via the twin windows. The young woman stood in front of her mirror, examining her looks. Her floral dress was long, creaseless and romantic. Her dark brown hair was wrapped in curls; some hair tendrils tickled her ears a bit but Molly Anne didn’t mind. Fullness were her cheeks, lips and bosoms. She sat down on a nearby chair, massaging her long legs, each wrapped with tan-colored espadrilles. Molly Anne was pretty, presentable but she felt ready to be executed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A car motor roared outside. Molly Anne felt her heart jumped, wanting liberation. She sighed. The sound of footsteps came marching towards her room’s door, which slowly opened.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“He’s here,” Casey Wilson, a slim, dusty blonde, fifteen-year-old girl in a shirt and blue jeans, was eleven years younger than her sister, her guardian since their parents died in a car crash six years ago. Sometimes, Molly Anne wished she found the right man to settle down so Casey wouldn’t be so footloose. Responsible yet footloose. Casey had a mischievous smile.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Molly Anne didn’t like it, “Are you going to behave yourself, Casey?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Come on, Molly. It’s summer.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Exactly.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“But you’re going out with Dylan Townsend! He’s so yummy!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Molly Anne felt older than she was, “ Well, I give my sincerest apologizes to your fellow female classmates if I take him off their thoughts… though I don’t really want to.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Casey went to her sister, “Why not? He‘s hot!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“He’s…It’s just a date. That’s all.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Uh-huh. Like it’s just innocent.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“What about Kevin Albrecht? Is that innocent?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Must you turn the finger of inquisition towards me?” Casey pouted.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Molly Anne grinned, “ I have to when my kid sister’s becoming a full woman and has thoughts of smashing her cherry. And…” She kissed her sibling on her left cheek, “… I’m glad you’ve gone through the dictionary with a fine-toothed comb.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“You’re glad I’m a geek.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“I’m glad you’re smart. Please keep out of trouble when I’m gone,” Molly Anne went to her dresser, picked up her purse, left the room and went down a flight of stairs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She arrived on the ground floor, a few paces from the front door and paused. The young woman took a quick deep breath, walked to and opened the door.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Hi,” Dylan Townsend was tall and brawny. His lantern-jawed profile and dark brown crew cut hair made him a candidate for the hero role of a Saturday morning movie matinee serial. Veins popped and pulsated on the surface of his thick arms. The dark plaid shirt he wore did nothing to hide his impressive upper body. A pair of blue jeans and pair of beige workman boots Dylan also wore. His perfect, clean smile hinted mischievousness. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Hello,” Molly Anne replied, managing a grin with some hesitation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“You look good, Molly Anne. Really good.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Thank you, Dylan.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Casey came down the stairs, “Please bring her before dark, Mr. Townsend.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Molly Anne turned to her sister, giving her a “knock-it-off” look. Casey shrugged.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Dylan smirked, “Just be glad this isn’t school.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“I’m glad when isn’t a moment of school,” Casey beamed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“See you later, wiseguy,” Molly Anne went outside, closing the door of her house<span dir="rtl"></span><span dir="rtl" lang="AR-SA" style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span dir="rtl"></span><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">?</span></span>the house her parents once owned but left it to her, if they passed on<span dir="rtl"></span><span dir="rtl" lang="AR-SA" style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span dir="rtl"></span><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">?</span></span>behind her. She and Dylan descended down the front steps, went across a shirt path and approached a parked dark blue pickup truck.. Dylan opened the truck, allowed his date to get inside first and closed her door, got in next, closed his door and started the ignition. The motor purred, quickly building up to a roar. Molly Anne gasped.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Don’t worry, baby,” Dylan said, “Just buckle up. I’ll keep you safe.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Molly Anne fastened her seat belt. Dylan drove the car from his date’s house like a bat out of hell.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Screaming, which she did, was bad enough, but Molly Anne felt vomiting, which she also did, after riding on The Peak, the most popular ride of the <st1:placename w:st="on">Seven</st1:placename> <st1:placename w:st="on">Stars</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Amusement Park</st1:placetype> in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Clarksdale</st1:city></st1:place>, was too much. She wanted to hide in and die in a hole somewhere as she finished losing her breakfast, a bowl of raisin-drenched oatmeal and a glass of orange juice, into a commode, kneeling in a stall. Her retching and coughing echoed in the park’s women’s lavatory, and shame flooded Molly Anne’s delicate soul.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The young teacher stood up. She looked down at the vomit-filled toilet and quickly flushed it. No need for souvenirs. Molly Anne breathed heavily, holding her chest. No food inside her wanted to leave the wrong way. Molly Anne turned, left the toilet stall and went to the lavatory’s mirrors. Some women looked at her, but she ignored their stares. She had a lot of dignity. Her hair was a bit messy. With her hands, she lightly groomed her mane. Perfect with a sigh, Molly Anne turned right and left the lavatory.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The sounds of screaming children, loud calliope music and booth barkers met Molly Anne when she went outside. Dylan also met her. He was holding a bottle of ginger ale in his right hand. Molly Anne gave him a dirty look.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Come on, baby,” Dylan said, “It was fun.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“I told I didn’t like going on fast rides.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“You only live once,” Dylan gave the bottle to Molly Anne. As his date drank some of the ale, Dylan took out a plastic wrapped, white-colored mint from one of his jeans’s pockets, “Here another token of my apology.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Molly Anne took, unwrapped and devoured the mint. A cool breeze oozed into her mouth. Dylan went to her, and he quickly hugged the teacher, kissing her on the lips. Molly Anne felt Dylan’s tongue; she hated it and him for being rough and serpentine. The young man felt his date pound her fists against his body. Dylan broke the embrace, “Hey, don’t get so--”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Molly Anne quickly and lightly slapped him across his right cheek. Fierceness was in her eyes, “Don’t tell me how to be, Mr. Townsend! I’m not loose!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Just be cool, sweetheart. I’ll be a gentleman. I promise,” Dylan offered an olive branch smile and his right hand to Molly Anne, who sighed. She took it, and the two educators left the lavatory area, immersing with the crowds of friends, lovers and families. The grinding of amusement rides’ gears, the screams of patrons and the mixing tunes of calliopes filled the air with the movement of a stampede.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And, there were also the bellows of barkers. Dylan heard one and got hooked, “Step right up, ladies and gentlemen! Come and see ‘Oswald’s Oddities’!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Dylan took Molly Anne, and the two became part of a crowd that formed a semi-circle beneath a stage. On the stage, a man stood. He was a red-haired and mustachioed fellow with a barrel belly. He jacket and pants were a dull shade of brown; his white shirt was open a bit at the top. The man, whom Molly Anne guessed as being Oswald, moved back and forth, across the stage, feeling he owns the universe. Sweat glistened on his fat, reddish face. A plastic pail also stood on the stage.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Yes! I got them right here!” Oswald<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>roared, “Right here, you’ll bear witness! Yes! That’s right! You will witness nature’s mistakes and errors!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Can we please go, Dylan?” Molly Anne knew she wasn’t going to like this sideshow, let alone it was<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a sideshow to begin with.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Don’t be such a wet blanket, Mol,” Dylan’s smile was juvenile. Friendly but juvenile. Molly Anne sighed with a hint of frustration.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Ozwald pulled a curtain rope, near his left, downward, “Ladies and gentlemen, behold!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The curtain behind Ozwald slowly pulled apart, revealing in booths, individuals whose physical appearances made the female members of the crowd gasped with fright. Dylan was one of the men who chuckled. One freak had a strong physique, yet his skin was dark green and scaled. He grinned at the crowd. The second attraction was two bow-haired, twin dwarfs, conjoined at their backs. They gave the audience angry scowls. But the last one was more shocking. He was unnaturally thin; his skin chalk white. Black and groomed was his mane. His frown looked permanent. He sat in a chair with a big jar in his lap. The jar contained a human heart, encased in human blood.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Molly Anne looked at him, whose eyes were black, vacant but had tones of loneliness and helpless ness. She felt wonder, dread and pity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Gaze at the Alligator Strong-Man. Marvel a the Groundhog Brothers. Be stunned at the Living Skeleton, whose heart is in a jar!” Ozwald bellowed, “Come on, people! I accept any decent donation to help these poop, misshapen souls have some semblance of a normal life!” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Some patrons dump dollar bills and change into the pail. Ozwald reciprocated with gratitude and blessing from God. Dylan noticed a discarded bag of popcorn on the ground. He picked it up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Hey, Skinny!” the gym teacher faced the Living Skeleton, “Have some food! You need something to eat!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Dylan quickly threw the bag at Living Skeleton. Corn kernels struck the oddity’s face and hair bangs. Dylan chuckled heartfully when his target didn’t respond. A statue with a sad disposition.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Why did you do that?” Molly Anne barked at her date.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Dylan wasn’t empahtic, “Come on, Molly! I’m just having some fun--”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Molly Anne threw the ginger ale bottle at Dylan’s face Glass exploded. Dylan whined as blood and ginger ale streams covered his cheeks and forehead. The crowd gasped.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“How do you like that fun?” Molly Anne stormed away. The crowd, Ozwald, the Groundhog Brothers and the Alligator Strong-Man looked at an embarrassed, bleeding Dylan. Some of them muted their chuckles. As for the Living Skeleton, he looked at Molly Anne walked away.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Molly Anne found herself alone in her classroom, sitting at her desk. A small, neatly arranged pile of paper was in front of her; she couldn’t read the prose. She then saw a figure-sized mirror at her left. Molly Anne slowly left her desk, approaching the mirror. The clothes she wore were a baby blue blouse, a long, gray skirt and a pair of black, open-toe, high heels. Her hair was formally done up in a bun, and the glasses she wore were clean and thin-rimmed. She looked pretty and proper.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A knock came upon the room’s door. Molly Anne turned. A male silhouette appeared in the door’s window. The teacher slowly walked to the door as she heard a second knock. Before Molly Anne could open the door, it opened abruptly from the outside. <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Molly Anne paused, gasped and cringed. The Living Skeleton appeared in the doorway, naked and ghastly. He went towards the teacher, latching his hands onto her arms. Molly Anne wanted to scream, but no sound came from her mouth. Despite his appearance, the misfit’s grip was strong, relentless.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">He picked up Molly Anne from the floor and slammed her down on the desk. She tried to fight back, but Molly Anne couldn’t move. The Living Skeleton, with an eerie grin and without any shame, tore Molly Anne’s clothes from her body. The young woman wanted nothing of this. Her feelings, thought, were muted as the freak leaned over and gave the young woman warm, wet kisses against her lips. She felt him invade her gently and frankly. Molly Anne couldn’t, didn’t resist.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">A yelp left her. Molly Anne blinked her eyes. She looked around. She was in her bedroom, lying in her bed. A white nightgown was the article of clothing she wore. The night air wasn’t humid as the day’s air, but it was still sticky. Sweat dripped from the young lady’s forehead. She exhaled, hoping she was back in reality. She also noticed she was damp in her crotch area. Molly Anne couldn’t believe it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Dressed in a white tank top and torn, short blue jeans, Casey came running into the bedroom. She went to her sister, comforting her, “Hey, sis! You okay?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Molly Anne nodded.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“You really scared me. I was just getting some water from the kitchen and you--” Casey noticed some tears flowing from her sibling’s right eye, “Are you really okay, Molly Anne?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“It--It was him.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Oh. That’s probably some stunt they pulled.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“He--He looked so real to me.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“This is the 21<sup>st</sup> century, Mol.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Molly Anne said nothing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Do you want to talk about it again over some juice?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Molly Anne chuckled, “Since when did you become older than me?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Since I had bad dreams when I was a tadpole, and you calm me down,” Casey left the room. Molly Anne sighed. She left her bed, went to her dresser and opened a drawer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Sorry, ma’am. Can’t see the freaks before 2:30,” the security guard at the “Ozwald’s Oddities” booth was a muscle-bound man. He was bald. A trimmed dark brown goatee and bushy eyebrows marked his face. A plaid shirt with ripped sleeves, dark blue jeans and pointed toed, black leather boots were the guard’s clothes. Two tattoos, a skull and crossbones and the message BORN 2 CRUSH, adorned each of his arms, which were folded against his chest. He was serious. By height, Molly Anne was a midget to him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Please. I just want to see one. The Living Skeleton,” Molly Anne said, “It’s important.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“So’s pissing and shitting,” the guard snorted, “And there’s some good, old fashioned fucking.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Molly Anne backed away when the guard unfolded his arms, putting his fists on his hips. A leer grew on his face.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Ganz!” Ozwald came out from an alleyway near the booth, his voice freezing Molly Anne and the guard, “What the hell are you doing?!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Ganz, embarrassed, moved away from Molly Anne as his employer walked between the two. The carnival barker looked up at the guard, “I’m not in any damn good mood to correct your screw-ups! This is the second time I caught you--”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“But, boss--”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Get to work!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Ganz walked, pathetically for a man of his size. Ozwald turned to Maolly Anne, “Now, miss, what’s your business here?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Molly Anne explained her reason.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“But I’m sorry, miss. You have to--wait. Aren’t you the lady who hit a man who threw popcorn at Elmo yesterday?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Elmo?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Ozwald blushed, “The Living Skeleton.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Oh. That was me.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Elmo?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Elmo sat on a bed in his room, which also had two chairs, a dresser and a small refrigerator. The freak was clothed in green pin-striped pajamas. He turned around and saw Oswald and Molly Anne.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Ms. Molly Anne Wilson would like to talk to you. I’ll be outside,” Ozwald left the room.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Molly Anne strolled slowly, timidly towards Elmo, “H--Hello.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">The freak stood and went to his visitor. His tone was faint, deep, “Hello.” Elmo offered his right hand. Molly Anne hesitated, “I don’t bite.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">With a muted gulp, the teacher reached out and the two people shook hands for a while. Molly Anne broke the exchange, nursing his right hand, “It’s cold.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“That’s what they all say when people want to meet me and shake hands,” Elmo went to the chairs, picked them up, went back to Molly Anne and settled them down. Elmo sat in one chair, “Sit down.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Molly Anne did. A few yards were between the two.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Well?” Elmo said, “What do you want?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Molly Anne felt silly for being an English teacher and had no words to use, until, “Um--A--Are you really--?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“It’s not pretty,” Elmo slowly took off his shirt. The gasp his visitor made was a light feather when she saw the hole, the perfectly shaped hole of flesh on Elmo’s chest where his heart should be. Blood vessels and a few bone ribs were visible.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Please--Please--put on your shirt--”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Elmo did as Molly Anne did her best not to vomit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Then you should have known better, Miss Wilson.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Molly Anne was annoyed, “Maybe. Maybe I don’t? Maybe I’m curious about a person whom I helped defend against a bully? Maybe I like a ‘thank you‘?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Did you like him?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“It was a stupid mistake out a stupid bet.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“What kind of stupid bet?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Molly Anne recounted the whole story and concluded it with a sigh.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“I wouldn’t know. Don’t watch TV, let alone go to a movie theater. Traveling and everything else keeps me from things like that.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“What--What do you do when you’re not--”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“I read. A lot of books, I read. Shakespeare. Poe. <st1:city w:st="on">Hawthorne</st1:city>. The classics, basically. Sometimes, I feel--like Oscar Wilde’s Dorian Gray.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Molly Anne heard the dismay in Elmo’s tone and frowned, “You were born with your heart outside of your body.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“It was too big. Doctors said it was physically impossible but there I was, born that way. I don’t know who my parents are. I went to from foster home to foster home. Didn’t get along with anyone. Then came Ozwald, when I turned eighteen, and here I am, after five years.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“I--I’m--”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Forget it. Pity, I don’t want. An end of my loneliness, I do,” Elmo left his stool and went to the small refrigerator.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“What about the people who work with you?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Knowing other outcasts doesn’t help. Ganz’s a jerk and Ozwald’s my boss. That’s all.” Elmo opened the fridge, “You thirsty? I have apple juice and lemonade.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Apple, please,” Molly Anne said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Elmo took an apple juice bottle out, closed the fridge’s door, went and gave the bottle to Molly Anne. She opened it and drank a little from the bottle.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“May I--May I see it?” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“What?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“The jar,” Molly Anne drank another amount of apple juice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Elmo‘s tone was serious, “You sure about that because--”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Molly Anne nodded. Elmo sighed. He went back to the fridge and opened it. The freak took out a large jar and closed the fridge. Holding it in his hands, Elmo went to his visitor, who settled his bottle on the floor and looked at the jar. Inside, a human heart pulsated, swimming in deep, clear blood. Its tendrils seemed to wave hello.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“It’s lonely,” Elmo said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Molly Anne got up. She went to Elmo and the jar. She slowly touched the jar’s surface. Then the heart grew quickly, like a balloon. Molly Anne, who backed away, and Elmo were surprised. The heart grew so big, the jar exploded. Blood and glass spilled to the floor as the muscle fell into Elmo’s hands. It them squirmed for a while, then leaped and attached itself to the Elmo’s chest. Molly Anne screamed. Elmo gasped, gargled and fell backwards to the floor, flopping about like he had a seizure. Molly Anne went to and knelt above him, holding his right hand. She had no idea what to do as the heart burrowed into Elmo’s chest.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Ozwald came into the room, “What the hell?!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Molly Anne pleaded to the carnival barker as he came to her, “Help him! You have to help--”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">The heart then disappeared, going inside Elmo. The freak stopped moving. Tears started to flow from Molly Anne’s eyes. Suddenly, Elmo changed. His muscle tone grew from sickly thin to healthy thick. His skin, from chalk white to healthy caucasian. Molly Anne and Ozwald were in awe. Then the change stooped. Elmo had the physique of a normal average human male. He then blinked and opened his eyes. The young man stood up, “What--What--”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Oh, dear God,” Molly Anne’s whisper was audible. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Mo--Molly Anne, what happened to me?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Ozwald took out a small mirror from one of his pants’ pockets. Elmo saw his reflection and was surprised. He touched his cheeks, “Is that…me.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Molly Anne hugged Elmo, “Yes! Yes! It is you!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Ozwald grumbled, “Great. I’m one oddity short.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Elmo and Molly Anne looked at each other. They giggled.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">-30-<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Roy Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08816499735037160378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2827756673314424329.post-15873113550427919162013-03-28T09:10:00.000-07:002013-03-28T09:14:32.589-07:00A Plea: Save the show "Southland"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://img.poptower.com/pic-40894/southland.jpg?d=600" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://img.poptower.com/pic-40894/southland.jpg?d=600" usa="true" width="320" /></a></div>
I know shows come and go, but this show about cops
on the gritty streets of South Los Angeles kicks ass and a half. NBC canned it, but TNT saved it for four more seasons. It's in its fifth, but the ratings aren't good enough. Go to <a href="http://www.tntdrama.com/series/southland/"><span style="color: white;">www.tntdrama.com/<b>series</b>/<b>southland</b>/</span></a> for the deal and some eps. Also contact TNT: <a href="http://support.tntdrama.com/ics/support/default.asp?deptID=5477">http://support.tntdrama.com/ics/support/default.asp?deptID=5477</a><br />
Roy Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08816499735037160378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2827756673314424329.post-83730874059516003462013-03-21T09:51:00.005-07:002013-03-21T09:51:44.799-07:00Home For The Summer: A Short Story<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A graying, gaunt but spunky sixty-seven year old, Olivia Toribio stood on the broken sidewalk. She was in front of her humble, two-room, palm wood house, when the taxi cab turned left at the grocery store. She had scrubbed her house’s concrete floors, went to the market early to buy the best pieces of fresh chivo-that’s goat-to make her infamous chivo picante with rice and beans and wore her best, black Sunday dress. It was a hot day, but she didn’t care.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The taxi stopped in front of Olivia. A six-foot-tall, lean, fresh young man stepped out from the back seat. He wore a white and gray-striped shirt, blue jeans, white sneakers and a black New York Yankee cap. His smile glowed bright as the sun when he saw Olivia, approaching her. She smiled too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Oh, my abuelita!” he cheered, his arms wide open.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Olivia took Rocky Alvarez, her grandson, into her arms. They hugged, tight and warm. He was quite big, different and far away from the small, almost light, fourteen-year-old boy Olivia knew, but she didn’t care. Rocky was home. Olivia cried.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Theresa, Rocky’s thirteen-year-old cousin, left the house. A red T-shirt, blue shorts and black flip-flops were the clothes she wore. Her smile was timid, but he wanted to hug her cousin. She had to wait. Her parents, Annabel and Fernando (Olivia’s only son), ran through the street, yelling Rocky’s name. Neighbors that were part of Villa Alta Garcia, which is twenty miles from <st1:city w:st="on">Santo Domingo</st1:city>, the capital of the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Dominican Republic</st1:country-region></st1:place>, left their houses to see and greet the pride of their neighborhood. Rocky gave and received hugs, kisses and handshakes. Rocky was home for a while, for the summer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It was the season when Dominican immigrant parents sent their children from <st1:state w:st="on">New York</st1:state>, specifically <st1:placename w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Washington</st1:place> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Heights</st1:placetype></st1:placename>, to the island where they left to escape poverty. The trip is both for leisure and connecting with relatives and the island’s culture. Rocky, named after the famous character Sylvester Stallone played in six movies, was fourteen when he left his birth home with his brother, Bernado, who was seven years older, to live with their mother, Veronica, who emigrated to New York City ten years ago. Santino, her husband and the boys’ father, died in a boating accident when he was a fisherman in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Santo Domingo</st1:city></st1:place> a few months before.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Rocky didn’t want to leave. He loved his “abuelita” and his friends a lot, but his youth baseball coach and “father figure”, Cesar Soto, told him, “It would be good to stay here, but you have a gift from God. Don’t waste it here.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>That was true. Rocky was good pitcher at his young age. When he went to <st1:placename w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">George</st1:place> <st1:placename w:st="on">Washington</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">High School</st1:placetype></st1:placename>, which he nicknamed “Jorge’s School,” Rocky knew no English, but learned it quickly, doing well in his class. His fastball grew stronger when he was on the school’s baseball team. Corey Felding, his couch, saw Rocky playing in the major league. When he wasn’t in school or playing baseball, with teammates or “barrio nines”, Rocky did his homework and studied for future tests and watched Univision and Telemundo during the afternoon in his family, shack-like, two-bedroom apartment on West 167<sup>th</sup> St. he liked when a pretty, leggy newscaster came on because he would get hard and erect. Rocky was careful not to ejaculate or his mother, who worked six-to seven days a week as a home care attendant, would give him hell. Bernando, doing jobs in <st1:state w:st="on">New Jersey</st1:state>, the Bronx, Brooklyn and <st1:place w:st="on">Queens</st1:place>, would tease him if he knew. The girls Rocky knew from school and work were pretty, but silly and crazy. They weren’t ladies, and Rocky wanted nothing from them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>When he was about to graduate and get a college baseball scholarship, Rocky was a bit homesick, despite liking <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">New York City</st1:city></st1:place>. Veronica told him she couldn’t afford a plane ticket to the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Dominican Republic</st1:country-region></st1:place>. Felding noticed Rocky having a long face three weeks before graduation and got the same news. However, he got an old friend, a former youth baseball coach from <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:state w:st="on">New Jersey</st1:state></st1:place> who owned a small sporting goods there, to pay for the ticket.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>On the last day of June, before the sun came up, Rocky said goodbye to his mother and brother, took his big suitcases, stuffed with his belongings, gifts for his family and donated baseball equipment for Soto, went down three flights of stairs of his building and hopped into Felding’s car, which Felding drove to LaGuardia Airport. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Nearly half a day passed and Rocky was enjoying his grandmother’s chivo quickly. 6:00 p.m. was the reunion game. Olivia studied him. He looked like his grandfather, Enrique. When he was done, Rocky kissed his abuelita on her right cheek, left her house and went seven blocks to the neighborhood baseball diamond with the donated equipment. The diamond was the same: rocky, choked with weeds and old shirts were laid on the ground as bases. Soto and Rocky’s old teammates/friends hugged him welcome back before, but they did it again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“You look different, Rocky,” Andy, a rabbit-faced old friend, noted.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Rocky shook his head, “I heard people say that when their kids come here. Not me, man. I’m the same guy. I like to eat, dance and play ball.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And they did. Four hours, they played, and they had a good time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The next morning, Rocky woke up to the cries of roosters; some of them strutted in her grandmother’s backyard. The tunes of merenge and bachata echoed nearby. Rocky felt free here. He could turn up the music on a radio and nobody would call the police. He leapt from his bed, bade his grandmother morning and devoured breakfast, a plate of mangu (mashed plantains) and a glass of payaya juice. After helping his abuelita with getting eggs from the henhouse, Rocky went out the door again, taking in the town, hanging with his friends outside the grocery, riding with his couch on the his motorbike on the potholed streets and showing off his salsa moves at the discotheque.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Unhappy with being either unemployed or getting some money by digging ditches or<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>ferrying people around on motorbikes, Rocky’s old friends wanted to know more about New York, the “muy grande” city with bright lights, tall buildings, fancy cars and pretty women. They always loved it when they saw it on television during New Year’s Eve. They loved it even more after Sept. 11, 2001. They thought Rocky was rich.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Rocky showed the photos of his apartment, and neighborhood, “I’m not rich, guys. I don’t live in a skyscraper.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>That didn’t kill their dreaming. The biggest dreamer in the neighborhood was Danielle Mercado, a sixteen-year-old girl, who had blond streaks in her hair. Her skin had a warm, honey-like hue. Standing at a five-foot-seven, the young lady was pretty like a movie star, slim and romantic. Rocky remembered Danielle as a stubby-faced, plump, wrecking ball of a girl. She had a crush on him, despite his efforts to avoid her and his love for baseball. Both her father and her older brother, who were police officers, fought off would-be paramours with verbal threats, fists and nightsticks, when Danielle was grew to be a butterfly. They knew Rocky would return. When he did and saw Danielle, Rocky felt a thunderbolt struck him. Olivia noticed that the two spent a lot of time together. So did Soto, who did his best to get Rocky’s head on baseball, but it wasn’t good enough.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Bonitas,” Soto sighed to himself when he saw Danielle watching the baseball games from the stands by herself. She didn’t cheer, until Rocky made a home run or struck out of his pals with his fastball.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In early August, Danielle went with Rocky to <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Santo Domingo</st1:city></st1:place> to shop. Rocky got some T-shirts and miniature figurines for his mother and brother. He also bought a blue floral dress and black, open-toed, high-heeled sling backs for his companion. Danielle liked when Rocky helped her into the shoes, feeling his strong, rough hands on her soft feet. The shoes made her almost as tall as him. After shopping, they walked near the beach, holding hands. The sun crawled westward, leaving a pink and blue trail.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Rocky, will you take me?” she softly asked, “Will you take me to <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:state w:st="on">New York</st1:state></st1:place> when you get big.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Rocky blushed. He nodded with a smile, “Sure. I will.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“You promise?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“I promise.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Danielle hugged and kissed Rocky.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>On his last day, Olivia gave Rocky her dulce de leche in a large plastic container. Rocky gave Andy his baseball glove, which was a $200 gift from Felding’s friend. The goodbyes were tearful, especially Danielle’s, despite giving Rocky photos of herself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Don’t you cry,” Rocky said, “It’s hard, I know, but I’ll come back. I’ll bring you with me back to <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:state w:st="on">New York</st1:state></st1:place>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>But Rocky cried too. Soto slapped him on the back, “Don’t do that. Be a man. You work hard in college; you’ll help your family. Have a good house and a car. Be another A-Rod. Danielle will wait for you. We’ll make sure of it. Don’t forget her. Don’t forget us.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Rocky’s friends wanted to go with him. They knew he cried because he wanted to stay. They all wanted to go, but Rocky had a gift. He was meant to go. On the plane going to LaGuardia, Rocky looked at the photos he took of his abuelita, Soto, Andy and the others. He looked at the photos of Danielle a little longer. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div align="justify" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
Roy Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08816499735037160378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2827756673314424329.post-49551366605892579712013-03-21T09:31:00.003-07:002013-03-21T09:39:37.120-07:00Cold Turkey Movie Review: Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em, Go Crazy If You Don't<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.movieposter.com/posters/archive/main/91/MPW-45738" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="251" src="http://www.movieposter.com/posters/archive/main/91/MPW-45738" ssa="true" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
Cigarette smoking, though legal, is looked upon as an ugly vice with ugly consequences (lung cancer, premature aging, second-hand smoke, etc.) To make a satire of it takes courage and adult sitcom savant Norman Lear (“All In The Family”, its many spinoffs, “Sanford & Son”, “One Day At A Time”, “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman”) did it in the form of the scattershot, brilliantly cruel yet honest fable “Cold Turkey”. If you know Mr. Lear’s work, you know the battlefield. If not, hold on to your seat.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
P.R. man Mervin (an underhanded Bob Newhart, a bit away from his first sitcom) convinces his mute, feeble, wheelchair-bound employer, Hiram C. Grayson (comic character actor Edward Everett Horton, his last role here), the head of the Valiant Tobacco Company’s to do a good things, despite being a producer of bad things, a la dynamite and Nobel Prize creator Alfred Nobel. The “capper”, as Wren calls it, is to offer $25 million to any <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">US</st1:place></st1:country-region> town if its citizens can quit smoking for thirty days. This puts the company’s board of directors in a shit-fit, but Wren calms them down with the fact that no group can go “cold turkey” and they approve of the deal.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
However, they didn’t count on the 4,006 citizens of the dying <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Iowa</st1:place></st1:state> hamlet, Eagle Rock, taking the challenge. Led by the religiously ambitious yet vain Rev. Clayton Brooks (Dick Van Dyke, miles away from his titular sitcom and “Mary Poppins”), the people go through withdrawl syndrome. The results? Let’s say whoever makes straight-jackets will be richer than the tobacco companies.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br />
Based on “I’m Giving Them Up For Good”, an unpublished novel by Margaret and Neil Rau, “Cold Turkey”, like the animated sitcom “The Simpsons” (note the similarities, people), takes no prisoners in its narrative. Corporate greed; political, entertainment and news manipulation; the naivete, self-exclusion and self-exploitation of small-town <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">America</st1:country-region></st1:place> and the military-industrial complex (a colonel promises the installation of a missile factory) are targets, and Mr. Lear, who wrote (shared story credit with William Price Fox Jr.) produced, directed this yarn, is an expert marksman (and a World War II vet to boot). With a misanthropic tone, it’s understandable that United Artists, the film’s distributor, shelved “<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Turkey</st1:country-region></st1:place>” for two years, but it’s a crime, due to Mr. Horton’s passing.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
Lear has a nimble cast; some players would show up in his sitcoms. Mr. Van Dyke (who starred in the Lear-penned “Divorce, American Style”) is righteous to save his town but careless with his wife (Pippa Scott) who’s silenced by his pomposity while Mr. Newhart performs his signature buttoned-down mind routine with sly dog confidence and doe-eyed dopeyness. Other players include Tom Poston (Mr. Newhart’s second sitcom) as a rich, die-hard lush; Barnard Hughes (“The Lost Boys”, a recurring role on the aforementioned “Family”) as a nicotine-loving sawbones; Jean Stapleton (also of “Family”) as the mayor’s neurotic wife; Paul Benedict (“The Jeffersons”) as an anti-smoking zen buddhist; Graham Jarvis (the aforementioned “Hartman”) as an anti-“Big Government” wing-nut and (my favorite) Judith Lowry (also of “Hartman”) as a foul-mouthed, Commie-hating crone. Vintage radio comics Bob Elliot (real and sitcom dad of Chris Elliot of “Get A Life”) and Ray Goulding show up as walking parodies of famous newsmen (“Walter Chronic” and “David Chetley” may confuse young viewers, but there’s the Internet!!!). Lear himself has a cameo as a crying man, going without a smoke.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
On the technical side, there’s d.p. Charles F. Wheeler, who captures the sweet rural look of Eagle Rock with some helicopter shots and wholesome, rural street shots (predating the opening sequences of Lear’s sitcoms) while editor John C. Horger masterfully employs quick-cuts, like Lou Lombardo on “The Wild Bunch”, when displaying the slapstick “withdrawl syndrome”gags (i.e. a husband slaps his wife while driving; a dog’s kicked (!); a bowler throws himself onto a lane, crashing into some pins, etc). Award-winning composer Randy Newman (the Toy Story films, "Monk",) makes his film debut here with the ironic song "He Gives Us All His Love" that bookends the film.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
Bottom line (to borrow a line from Mr. Wren): “Cold Turkey” is about how society can be so dumb. The only heroes are the town’s youth; “Eagle Rock, where’s your head?” one young man chants in a circle of protest as the town becomes a tourist trap and enjoys being one. Like most of society, its’ head in a hole that’s rank. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The youth are ignored, but, by the end, they have the last laugh. So will you. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/BEcNjQSF0fI?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
Roy Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08816499735037160378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2827756673314424329.post-47758602440311891002013-03-19T12:35:00.003-07:002013-03-19T12:36:36.085-07:00The Grey Dog Cafe<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7zfrtOAmtQkqM8UYC3k2XvXoU6AUajCWBeVIvG3EY8i3Nl0zvvEPIewI9saCb3fbGhPQQES15rroed5B7uv61kdbJDsb_Ee6Usn_QAHgA4eMPzbt4fSXzKF52YcJpbyuw00o_TJ0-LNm7/s1600/IMG_20130225_153833.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" psa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7zfrtOAmtQkqM8UYC3k2XvXoU6AUajCWBeVIvG3EY8i3Nl0zvvEPIewI9saCb3fbGhPQQES15rroed5B7uv61kdbJDsb_Ee6Usn_QAHgA4eMPzbt4fSXzKF52YcJpbyuw00o_TJ0-LNm7/s320/IMG_20130225_153833.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
If you ever in Chelsea, go to the Grey Dog. They have great hot chocolate and pumpkin pie.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPKHtZQBVO6iGlJXqTs3PHnF2FLu3oJJD7KTmPHtgC6PtmO6FSL8tM1WiS3SkyZBWhrYoiISAPYlUohVAMzoOsRvezU2633cn61iO7cpqTCBriJ9CTKS-bRYPETnx4dV2d_PETTXt5GIfz/s1600/IMG_20130225_153733.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" psa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPKHtZQBVO6iGlJXqTs3PHnF2FLu3oJJD7KTmPHtgC6PtmO6FSL8tM1WiS3SkyZBWhrYoiISAPYlUohVAMzoOsRvezU2633cn61iO7cpqTCBriJ9CTKS-bRYPETnx4dV2d_PETTXt5GIfz/s320/IMG_20130225_153733.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMvTsydRnw-kb3m0NWqjiwIgo0df1_348-Ca395heFVSAOp6EhuXFRKjxI8ywqjLWw9TwoWgGDyK-0RFb838lc0s8cpWcoTjT5VffKEzZukBnesjDBxqSTERvhzY2TZ1t-wK94x7qZT7sH/s1600/IMG_20130225_153727.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" psa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMvTsydRnw-kb3m0NWqjiwIgo0df1_348-Ca395heFVSAOp6EhuXFRKjxI8ywqjLWw9TwoWgGDyK-0RFb838lc0s8cpWcoTjT5VffKEzZukBnesjDBxqSTERvhzY2TZ1t-wK94x7qZT7sH/s320/IMG_20130225_153727.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.thegreydog.com/">http://www.thegreydog.com/</a> Roy Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08816499735037160378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2827756673314424329.post-21369635114930974742013-03-08T09:52:00.001-08:002013-03-08T09:52:59.999-08:00Major Dundee Review: A Mistreated Cavalry Film Gets Respect<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://timneath.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/major-dundee-1965.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" jsa="true" src="http://timneath.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/major-dundee-1965.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
Since the dawn of the film industry, there has always been strife between the camps of artists and money-holders, when getting a product to the public. The second camp always won because they have the money, and the first one mutters in angry silence.<br /><br />Fortunately, thanks to the techniques of film restoration, art wins in the extended version of "Major Dundee", an once-maligned movie by its studio, critics and moviegoers in 1964. It now gets the red carpet treatment, due to its director/co-writer, Sam Peckinpah, the master of modern action cinema, for better or worse (With the exceptions of Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriquez, Kevin Smith, Zach Snyder, Martin Scorcese, Michael Mann, Stephen J. Cannell, Brian Helgeland, Walter Hill and Frank Miller, I feel Sam's understudies don't have the man's sense of romantic individualism).<br /><br />Near the end of the American Civil War, a vicious Apache, Sierra Charriba (Michael Pate) and his forty-seven warriors have terrorized the New Mexico territories. A faction of the 5th U.S. Cavalry is sent to stop and dispatch them, but Charriba slaughters them, sparing three young boys to be indoctrinated. "Who will you send against me now?" he spits to a dying lieutenant, strung up by his feet.<br /><br />The answer: Amos Charles Dundee (the gruff, posing Charlton Heston), an Union major demoted to being a prison warden, due to his glory-hounding antics in Gettysburg (not detailed, being one of the film's flaws that'll be addressed later). He doesn't have enough enlisted soldiers to form a hunting party, but he begrudgingly employs some of his prisoners, including drunks, horse thieves and Confederate soldiers.<br /><br />One of the soldiers is a former friend from West Point, the cavalier, gentlemanly Capt. Benjamin Tyreen (the late, scene-stealing Richard Harris), who questions Dundee's loyalty and pride, along the way, forcing the major to choose the true enemy: Charriba, Tyreen and his Southern born and proud boys or himself? <br /><br />If the film's a failure, it's an interesting one. Heston is the cast's front runner, but Harris pulls the carpet beneath him (even sucker punches him more than once!!!), giving the film a sharp edge. Fascinating are the other actors, including Jim Hutton (the late father of Oscar-winning Timothy; "The Green Berets") as a too-strict artillery officer; Michael Anderson Jr. ("Logan's Run") as a green, wet-eared bugle boy, the film's narrator; future Oscar-winner James Coburn ("The Great Escape", "Cross of Iron") as an one-armed, half-breed Indian tracker; Senta Berger (also of "Iron") as a sweet but strong village doctor and Brock Peters ("Soylent Green" with Heston; "To Kill A Mockingbird" and the first African-American actor to work on a Peckinpah film) as the leader of free African slaves-cum-Union soldiers.<br /><br />There's also Peckinpah's stock actors: Ben Johnson, Warren Oates, John David Chandler, L.Q. Jones, Dub Taylor, Slim Pickens and R.G. Armstrong. Yeah, Coburn and Berger are part of them too, since Peckinpah directed "Iron". Plus, Berger's assistant in "Dundee" is played by Begonia Palacios, who would later be the infamous director's second wife.<br /><br />And there's the film's bad stuff, including characters coming and leaving during important plot points, back story details being scant (Peckinpah co-wrote the screenplay on a tight budget and schedule with Harry Julian Fink, who later co-created "Dirty Harry" with his wife, and Oscar Saul, who wrote the screenplay of "A Streetcar Named Desire") and behind the scenes animosity, like Heston, on horseback, nearly cutting down Peckinpah with a saber, and Peckinpah himself being locked out of the editing room by film producer Jerry Bresler (the two "Gidget" sequels) and then-executives at Columbia Pictures, who wanted a "John Ford-like cavalry film". To the movie-going public, however, "Dundee" was a mess.<br /><br />However, time have passed and "Dundee" receives a renovation, thanks to cooler heads at Sony Pictures (nee Columbia). Missing footage has been found and restored to the original film. A better music score by Christopher Caliendo replaces the one by Daniele Amiftheatrof (awful name) which is both annoying (an trilling electronic vibe pops up when Charriba's seen or mentioned) and inappropriate (the song "Fall In Behind The Major", a proud march, is played after the massacre's aftermath/ the film's main title sequence). With the patching, "Dundee" is a stronger film, a fun rough draft to Peckinpah's magnum opus, "The Wild Bunch", a parallel to the war on terror (Charriba's the 19th Century's Osama Bin Laden?!) and a honest character study of a man who wants honor but has too much pride, a theme echoed in the director's films and personal life. Though not as brutal as "Bunch", "Dundee" is just as intelligent and thoughtful. I just wish it didn't rated as PG-13. Sure it has scenes of subtle yet bloody violence and mild sexuality, but the film came out before the ratings code.<br /><br />So, fall in behind…nah, too corny. See "Dundee" and salute. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/NgLhXUvQPPM?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
Roy Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08816499735037160378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2827756673314424329.post-159764099346172452013-03-08T09:48:00.001-08:002013-03-08T09:48:10.506-08:00Patty: A Short Story<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I was watching TV when I heard the crash. Knowing what happened, I sighed, but I didn’t leave my room. I waited for the show to end. Politeness. When I did leave, I<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>went into the kitchen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I found shards of an aqua-blue painted mug on the floor. Hovering over the mess was Patricia. I swore under my breath.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“I’m sorry,” she mumbled.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Go, Patty,” I said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“I’m sorry,” she left the kitchen as I grabbed a nearby broom and dustpan to clean up the mess my older, mentally handicapped (retarded is crueler, politically incorrect) sister made. Six years apart in age, I always thought I was the older one, yet I never knew what’s it like to be trapped in the sense of you can’t be like everyone else. By God’s unbreakable will, you’ve given the intelligence of a three-year-old. That’s Patty. She wanted to be like everyone else, but doesn’t have the capability to do be. The shards told me that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I sometime wondered why they are mentally retarded people in the world. Pardon me if you think I’m a supporter of eugenics. I’m not. I dare not think it. The only answer is probably humanity needs flaws, warts on the butt cheeks, so that we can be a little nice and civil towards each other. Patience. I didn’t knew if I could have that at the time when I was growing up, wishing about what could have been. I wish I had a big, normal<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>brother, who helped me with life and be more understanding than my father. It’s not easy being a middle child, let alone the only son, in the family, who doesn’t “act like a man”. I’m not gay, mind you. Just thoughtful and reflective.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>But what about Patty? A twisted version of Peter Pan, who didn’t ask to be this way. A lover of food-especially cheese, bread and milk-when someone “raids” the fridge.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">An illiterate when looking at a newspaper or a magazine; the photographs fascinated her. If I told her the ugly truth about her idol, the pop singer Michael Jackson, whose hit single, “Beat It” was on the tip of her tongue-but just the title-she wouldn’t care. She “loves” him. Patty was also a giggler. What was in her mind that made her chortle will forever remain a mystery.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>She was a pain in the ass, too. Sitting on the commode and never getting up (unless she wants to) was a common habit. Two reasons were excretory and her<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>menstrual cycle. The latter seemed eternal, because the sight on blood-stained<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>maxi-pads was common, gross and weird. Especially weird when a person’s body keeps growing but<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>their mindset is forever stuck. My mother and younger sister sometimes had the thankless, unfortunate task of helping Patty with maintaining her hygiene. I didn’t have a strong sense of patience as they did. Guess I saw her as an ubiquitous, undeviating ball-and-chain, punishment for a sin I had in a past life. Who needs religion to keep you on a high, moral ground?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And she was stubborn and sneaky. If it was time to eat, Patty refused to. If you force her to, she’d eat slow and throw away the rest in the kitchen’s garbage pail when no one was around. If she wasn’t quick, I would devour her dinner, but devour with sorrow, since she was skinny as a twig. Mom had to get prescription medicine so Patty could liv longer. The mean side of me wanted my older sister to die. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Naturally, of course. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Patty often placed a current newspaper on the pile of old, read newspapers, making the search of an important news article into a treasure hunt for the rest of the family. Patty did that with other items, including an envelope containing my birthday money when I turned ten. Maybe there was some deep, hidden animosity and jealously from her towards me because I wasn’t like her. Kids used to think I was mentally retarded, and they mocked me. I tattle-taled and got punch-drunk. Was I defending myself from being “trapped” ? Yes. Was I insecure about having a relative who had a IQ of 12 and asked for “juice” and “what’s your name?”? I guess so. Was I defending my sister? Maybe.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>After cleaning up the shards and dumping them in the garbage pail, I went back to my bedroom, turned off the TV and went to bed. I wasn’t sleepy, though. I started to read some chapters of a library-owned copy of “On the Road” by Jack Kerouac. When I read the prose, I was jealous, wishing I was Kerouac, traveling across America without a damn in the world and writing down my adventures. Love and responsibility kept me away from that. They are chains unbreakable.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I heard Patty mumble to herself. A sigh left my lips, and I left my bed and room. I found Patty in the living room.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Time for bed, Patty,” I tapped her right shoulder.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“I wanna go to the bathroom.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Please go.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Huh?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Just go. Please.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Kiss,” she shoved her lips towards me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I shook my head, not wanting to kiss any of her acne-coated cheeks, but I gave a kiss on her cheek, escorted to her bed and was grateful we had two bathrooms in the house.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Roy Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08816499735037160378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2827756673314424329.post-39634853842434157222013-03-07T09:57:00.001-08:002013-03-08T09:48:21.338-08:00Scenes from the High-Line Park in NYC<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFzMtMzbJva_Jvr1-sF6zzPOQq_Ek0PQ-1lq371lcLQ7kOnuBQ14wXqFfxwSrzWdxM_FaE8x3yP4i9FnQjiiMDzx-JL6TBK2Aq7QvteW3Z8eSj1rnHql3hBUBfu5q2ihQ8z8Ndb1HuTdYp/s1600/IMG_20130225_135449.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" jsa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFzMtMzbJva_Jvr1-sF6zzPOQq_Ek0PQ-1lq371lcLQ7kOnuBQ14wXqFfxwSrzWdxM_FaE8x3yP4i9FnQjiiMDzx-JL6TBK2Aq7QvteW3Z8eSj1rnHql3hBUBfu5q2ihQ8z8Ndb1HuTdYp/s320/IMG_20130225_135449.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAvSDUu128gxcaYAt2HJgjVpn-qVccSTTFdEkVglGBaEAH7IA8nwEa2-iNb4jwOGP2O56zU0gJ6W4Bcq9UADwMZsGNiDp1b2xOItR8773LksBoJVu6BWAmrr5Buy2hqB48I5uL1tSABOMb/s1600/IMG_20130225_134648.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" jsa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAvSDUu128gxcaYAt2HJgjVpn-qVccSTTFdEkVglGBaEAH7IA8nwEa2-iNb4jwOGP2O56zU0gJ6W4Bcq9UADwMZsGNiDp1b2xOItR8773LksBoJVu6BWAmrr5Buy2hqB48I5uL1tSABOMb/s320/IMG_20130225_134648.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrpqQJJuy9weyXv3bl_gUMXmBaDZgGdcEP5PeJYWuR7F_1xl7bbOk-6aJdFEWxeVrudGnqLVkp2ltey3Fpb32CA1l4Qs3zyzSVY7Cz83QKcelLgx50QuftIDkBkdmGZXtImjyjuE997nru/s1600/IMG_20130225_134815.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" jsa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrpqQJJuy9weyXv3bl_gUMXmBaDZgGdcEP5PeJYWuR7F_1xl7bbOk-6aJdFEWxeVrudGnqLVkp2ltey3Fpb32CA1l4Qs3zyzSVY7Cz83QKcelLgx50QuftIDkBkdmGZXtImjyjuE997nru/s320/IMG_20130225_134815.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7aMIm7zCmb47P21U-6WTy0dGKvuV8eLnwNiW_hQT9X3IWPPzJJGI0pFRDZtwZEwDP_Sv4wrudCVHcepojWrPaPHNYYq4mOU9Z2IXcVFTp_EOr_ETx2pJh2gEYenWOFd_F_MsMgwLVlsmt/s1600/IMG_20130225_134028.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" jsa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7aMIm7zCmb47P21U-6WTy0dGKvuV8eLnwNiW_hQT9X3IWPPzJJGI0pFRDZtwZEwDP_Sv4wrudCVHcepojWrPaPHNYYq4mOU9Z2IXcVFTp_EOr_ETx2pJh2gEYenWOFd_F_MsMgwLVlsmt/s320/IMG_20130225_134028.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7oRKY3KDutl4ptLpciy-Adg4WXl8Bt2dKeOonKiMtsY2KaBrBPG7HrDeQRHXoL2oLRGXhyzlxW7TTuWzoet7_PQDUotXdnXeMzdRKL1PTEQoZprV2XZ0oLuxIAQAM_hyyABb9NjK3i7vb/s1600/IMG_20130225_134000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" jsa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7oRKY3KDutl4ptLpciy-Adg4WXl8Bt2dKeOonKiMtsY2KaBrBPG7HrDeQRHXoL2oLRGXhyzlxW7TTuWzoet7_PQDUotXdnXeMzdRKL1PTEQoZprV2XZ0oLuxIAQAM_hyyABb9NjK3i7vb/s320/IMG_20130225_134000.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="240" jsa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdZVxtg5fUA2oQ1Wn5IlPjd95p7JLN7A56154orzX3_OhrL4NhnXhS8nWOWUdx_OsVve_a8dzYH3rpkxZ_tq7wXjUXSYVdxE7n9-A-GiS7E-CCEdqVCHNbruM9lKaezm-6A3wq3TgWsO2u/s320/IMG_20130225_134506.jpg" width="320" /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.thehighline.org/">http://www.thehighline.org/</a></div>
Roy Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08816499735037160378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2827756673314424329.post-15323632154797196362013-03-06T09:41:00.001-08:002013-03-06T09:41:10.480-08:00Assassination of a High School President: High School Confidential. . .and Wackiness<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.viewclips.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/Assassination-of-a-High-School-President-2008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" jsa="true" src="http://www.viewclips.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/Assassination-of-a-High-School-President-2008.jpg" width="217" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
Either it's heaven or hell, the four years of high school define us, like it or not, preparing us for adulthood. Some of us are already "old" by that time and the lead hero, Bobby Funke, of the breezy, smart aleck school satire/mystery/coming-of-age opus, "Assassination Of a High School President", is definitely one of them.<br /><br />If he's not correcting the way people pronouncing his last name (the "e" is silent); noting his grade status, despite his baby face (sophomore); trying (and failing) to get his driver's license or downplaying the event of him being tied to a giant penis made out of snow (!), Funke (Reece Daniel Thompson of "Rocket Science") is trying to be a wunderkind newshound at the Catholic high school he attends, St. Donovan. Problem is he hasn't finished a piece. <br /><br />So, the paper's editor (spunky Melonie Diaz of "Raising Victor Vargas") assigns Funke to do a piece on class prez/basketball player Paul Moore (Patrick Taylor). Moore's basically a himbo, but also becomes a patsy when the SAT tests scores are stolen from the principal's office. Seeing himself akin to Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, Funke rolls with the story and becomes a hero. He even gets the amorous respect of Moore's ex-girl, the popular Francesa Fachini (Mischa Barton of "The O.C."). <br /><br />However, things are more sinister, especially involving Moore's successor/Francesa's step-sib, handsome but sleazy Marlon Piazza (Luke Grimes of the TV drama, "Brothers and Sisters") and that puts Funke is a tight squeeze between high school popularity and journalistic integrity.<br /><br />An entry at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, "Assassination" is a dark, witty romp that plays on the inanities of high school by putting them in a mystery/pulp noir bag. Sure, "Brick" did it before, but "Assassination" has more humor, subtle and loud, thanks to first-time feature film helmer Brett Simon (did some music videos) and tyro scribes Tim Calpin and Kevin Jakubowski (both were crew members on "South Park").<br /><br />A younger version of Tom Cruise but with likable geekiness, Thompson shines with an old man complex (he's probably the only student who knows who the aforementioned reporters are!). He wants to belong, but the environment's twisted and immature, despite it being a Catholic high school. Barton's pretty durable in the junior femme fatale role, not deserving the attacks from people who probably never went to an acting class.<br /><br />The surprise here's Bruce Willis (how the fuck did he get in this and you know what he's been in, mother-fucker) as the school's hard ass principal, war vet Jared T. Kirkpatrick, who has a zero-tolerance policy against gum chewing and reminisces about his Gulf War days. Like Adam Baldwin's John Casey of "Chuck", Kirkpatrick's a mentally jittery trigger who resents being in a mundane workplace, infested with social scofflaws.<br /><br />Some of said individuals help with Funke's investigation, including perverts Dutch Middleton (Joe Perrino) and Ricky Delacruz (Vincent Piazza, also of "Science" and "Boardwalk Empire") and jailbait stripper Sam Landis (Cameron Diaz-like Tanya Fischer of the new TV version of "The Defenders"). <br /><br />The faculty's nuts too. Josh Pais ("Teeth") is a Spanish-language teacher who has an inappropriate lust over the students. Nurse Platt (Kath Morris of "Cold Case") is no different but more hippie-like. Michael Rappaport ("Hitch", "Big Fan") is an overgrown teenager of a basketball coach who's actually a English teacher. The inmates have taken over, people.<br /><br />With cleverness and echoes from "Chinatown", "Rushmore", "The Usual Suspects" and "Assassin of Youth", "Assassination" is a nice nutty take on how high school can be both cruel and hysterical. It's a nice movie to watch on a Saturday night, if nothing's good on the TV. <br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/gJnUYXu2pwI?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
Roy Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08816499735037160378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2827756673314424329.post-53289487046639480602013-03-05T11:38:00.001-08:002013-03-05T11:40:03.236-08:00The Deadly Companions: Despite Setbacks, A Maverick Filmmaker’s Maiden Voyage Remains Intriguing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://movieart.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/full.thedeadlycompanions-22x28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" jsa="true" src="http://movieart.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/full.thedeadlycompanions-22x28.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">When an artist starts out, their initial work is deemed ineffective and amateurish, a stepping stone to better things. However, time passes and people take a second look at the work and see what the artist was trying to accomplish, despite setbacks. That’s the case with the flawed but intriguing “The Deadly Companions” the debut film from the master of modern day action cinema, Sam Peckinpah, who came from working on established Western TV dramas like “Gunsmoke” and “<st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Broken Arrow</st1:place></st1:city>” and creating “The Rifleman” and “The Westerner”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Five years after the American Civil War, world-weary <st1:place w:st="on">Union</st1:place> vet Yellowleg (Brian Keith, who starred in Peckinpah’s second albeit short-lived series) rescues puffy-faced lowlife Confederate vet Turk (Chill Wills) from being lynched, due to being to a card cheat. He enlists Turk and his partner, Fancy Dan lothario gunslinger Billy Kiplinger (Steve Cochran of “White Heat”), to rob a bank in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Gila</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">City</st1:placetype></st1:place>, but another gang beats them to the punch. A gunfight ensues, ending in the death of the son of saloon gal Kit Tildon (fiery Maureen O’Hara of “The Quiet Man” and “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”), who’s already fed up with being unfairly given a Hester Prynne reputation, courtesy of the townspeople. She decides to bury her son beside her husband in the town of <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Siringo</st1:place></st1:city>, but it’s desolated, due to it being in Apache territory. Feeling guilty for accidentally killing the boy, Yellowleg offers his help with the funeral procession and stirs his two companions along, but all three men have secret, different, dishonorable reasons beneath the surface.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/6838/harabriankeith2610001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="130" jsa="true" src="http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/6838/harabriankeith2610001.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>What hurts the film slightly on the surface is the clash of <st1:place w:st="on">Hollywood</st1:place> eras; Ms. O’Hara and her producing brother Charles B. Fitzsimmons representing the older one, Peckinpah representing the other. It’s almost sadistic that Fitzsimmons refused the soon-to-be maverick to rewrite the simple screenplay by Albert Sidney Fleischman (adapted from his novel), locked him away from the editing room and forbade him on-set conversations with his sister (I would have told them off on day one!). It doesn’t help that the production’s no different from a TV show (how ironic) and the music by Marlin Skiles is best suited to an old-time carnival or a cathedral. The song Ms. O’Hara sings…well, the less said, the better. All in all, it’s a ham-and-cheese vehicle for an aging Golden Age Hollywood starlet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>But for Peckinpah, it was his training wheels and, due to the passage of time, his last laugh as he starts to deconstruct the romantic <st1:place w:st="on">Hollywood</st1:place> western. There are the elements of individualistic honor, conflicts among lead characters, a religiously hypocritical society (Kit’s son refuses to go to Heaven with townspeople who criticize her), delusion of grandeur (Turk pathetically hopes to start a new Confederacy with the bank money) and physically scarred protagonists (Yellowleg has a lousy shooting arm and was nearly scalped…and it wasn’t by any Indian) that would be present in the director’s later work. There’s no over-the-top violence, like in the future magnum opus “The Wild Bunch”, due to the present yet slowly dying Production Code, but slight hints of sexuality (Ms. O’Hara bathing nude in the night time with her back turned to the camera).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The cast is competent. Keith’s grimness and gruffness combats O’Hara’s passionate independence (wonder if Peckinpah used him as a conduit to get his true feelings across to her....and this is miles away from the actors's rappaport from "The Parent Trap"!). Cochran reps a phony, glossy Wild West while Wills (who would later be in the director’s “Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid” ) reps a realistic, sleazy one while he’s lost in unrealized dreams or glories of the past (a prophecy of PTSD among <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Vietnam</st1:place></st1:country-region> veterans, perhaps?).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Strother Martin has a straight-forward role as the town’s parson; later roles in “Bunch” and “The Ballad of Cable Hogue” contradict that first one.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>If Peckinpah learned one thing from “Companions”, it was to have script control and damn pampered actors. If any viewer can learn one thing, you can see something intriguing in the early mistreated work of a maverick artist when time goes by. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Note: No trailer exist, but here's a clip, courtesy of VCI Entertainment, which has the film on DVD: <a href="http://www.vcientertainment.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=766">http://www.vcientertainment.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=766</a>Roy Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08816499735037160378noreply@blogger.com0