Walter Mitty

Heading back to the truck, Angel says, “Now that was fun. That was really fun. You shoulda seen your face when that bitch fell into the urinal next to you.”

“How would you know? You weren’t there?”

“You’d be surprised to see what I see.”

“I’ll drive; you’re drunk.”

“Not as drunk as you - you can dance, but you can’t walk.”

Angel opens her door, & climbs up into the truck. As John enters, he says, “Haven’t danced like that for a long time, for years, not since we were first… Princess stopped having fun. We’d drink & then she’d start on & on with her constant comments… until we started fighting, always fighting, everywhere.”

“She’s not here now.” To get up on Beltline from the on ramp, Angel punches it, & John’s head snaps back against the seat. “It’s just us tonight. What do you want to do now?”

“Sleep. I have to go to work tomorrow. & after work I’m driving up with Kevin to Portland, for the convention. You ‘member I’m gonna be gone for the weekend.”

Angel laughs, “Tomorrow, your head’ll be too big to fit through that puny motorhome door. Don’t worry, you’ll be too sick to even try to go to work. Might as well have more fun now.”

“I’ve missed too much, since…”

“John… Just shut the fuck up. Just take tv ringtones | info nokia personal remember ringtones | christian music ringtones | cricket ringtones | free ringtones for alltel cell phone | free ringtones for verizon wireless phone | motorola razr ringtones | cheap virgin mobile ringtones | free ringtones for nokia phoneкомпютри | mp3 ringtones creator | hotlink caller ringtones | c139 motorola ringtones | caller download hotlink maxis ringtones | real music ringtones | free ringtones tracfone | sprint pcs ringtones | tv theme ringtones | arabic download free ringtones | motorola ringtones composer | free real ringtones for verizon | the safe road again, as usual.” She dismisses him with a wave of her hand.

Angel drives as if she’s sober, & turns right onto West 11^th, & past Fern Ridge Lake, while John stares out the window in silence.

As they pull into the DariMart near John’s car, a sheriff pulls in behind them. Angel looks into the rear view mirror, & goes, “Uh, oh, see later. Be careful.”

As John hops out of the truck, he says, “Night. It was a good night. Thank you. You’d better leave & quickly.” Angel pulls away just has John’s feet hit the asphalt. John looks at her taillights pulling out onto West 11^th, & turns & walks slowly toward the sheriff.

“Good evening, sir.”

The sheriff gets out of his car. “Yes, it is, but it’s not evening anymore, & it smells like you’ve been drinking. Where do you live?”

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“It’s too late to hear your life story. How’re you getting home?”

“That’s my car, but I was thinking I’d walk… if you prefer?”

“Go straight home. If I see that car again to night, your ass is in jail.”

“Thank you, thank you. Not to worry. You won’t see me again tonight. Good night. Good night… good night.”

-John

Outside the Mill Camp, we hear the sounds of hard drivin’ rockin’ roll, & people shouting. Angel & John make their way through a swirling crowd of young people.

A young woman, screaming, blouse torn, tears between Angel & John, & another young woman follows, slamming head on into John.

The second young woman pushes right through John. “Come back here. Come back, you goddamn whore. I’m not finished with you yet.”

The bouncer, checking IDs, looks at John, then Angel, & passes them through without comment.

Inside the Mill Camp, inside the Men’s Room, about twenty young men are in the restroom with John who is using a urinal. The restroom door slams open, & five young men push their way inside, protecting one shirtless, & bloody young man who obviously lost his fight.

The second young woman pushes her way through open restroom door & up to the bloody young man. “What the fuck were you doin’? I told you to stay away from the whore & her sluts. Look at you now. Just fuckin’ look at you now.”

The first young woman, followed by six other women enters. She pushes her way into the face of the second young woman. The crowd pushes the two women into each other. The women fall to the ground kicking, scratching, & tearing at each other. A crowd slams through the open door, & bursts into the restroom. A young woman is thrown into backwards into the urinal next to John.

John escapes the restroom, & meets Angel in the lobby. “Didn’t get to wash my hands.”

Angel takes John’s hand & leads him through the lobby, through the crowd onto the dance floor.

-John

Angel’s truck is park around the side of the DariMart, out of the main lights. John’s faded blue Volvo pulls up alongside. The windows in both vehicles are down in the summer heat.

Angel beeps her horn several times, & shouts, “Come on, John, hurry up; jump in.”

Angel’s truck roars to life. Outside is dark, as Angel speeds past Fern Ridge Lake toward the glowing lights of Eugene. Angel is wearing a bright red, short cocktail dress, while John is wearing shorts & a tee shirt - which match, shades of tan, & are not wrinkled.

Says Angel, gesturing to her purse, “Look inside.”

John picks up the small red purse lying in the seat. Inside he finds two flasks, one silver, one gold.

Angel continues, “One for you, Ten High, & one, the gold one, for me, Cuervo Gold. We’re gonna to party tonight. Let’s have a little now - gotta liven up the trip.”

“You don’t wanna be drinkin’ & drivin’…”

Angel answers, while holding her flask between her legs, taking off the cap with her right hand, & steering with her left, “Lighten up. This is our night. For once, don’t let it get away.”

John unscrews the cap on his flask. They click flasks.

& Angel toasts, “Gottcha!”

-John

“Yeah, let’s get on to livin’,” Marlene shouted; “Who’s on first? Who we gettin’ first?”

“Skinhead. It’s definitely Skinhead.”

No one said a word for a moment, then Alice asked, “Why Skinhead? That white fool will talk & talk all night while we round up all the others. I say get that sorry ass white motherfucker last so we can have some peace while we do the round up.”

“He’s on the street now, as we speak, & smacking Doris upside the head. ‘Sides he’ll shut up when you give him the what for.”

Marlene yelled though the speaker, “Alice, you know the White Bitch, Widow,’s gonna get her way on this. Trust me. She’s done everything else for you to night…”

“Ok, ok, let’s get that sorry white ass.”

Marlene drove slowly through town, as if they were rich & early for dinner. She slowed to a stop when she saw Doris, a young, white-blond teenage girl, standing by the curb; her sparkly little girl pink halter top was pulled slightly to the left. The seam of her short black, leather skirt was pulled slightly off center, to the right. She had blood on her white knees, & swollen eyes.

“Thought you said Skinhead was out & about,” said Marlene.

“Look. Here he comes outta the alley.” A young, bald, very white man, dressed in outback oil cloth & chains, came up behind Doris & punched her in the small of her back. She almost fell into the street.

Alice laughed, “He’s gonna pay. & we getta watch him pay. The only thing not white about that white motherfucker’re those blue Nazi tattoos… We have to distract him.”

Marlene pulled over to the curb about twenty feet away. “Ok bitches, this is your turn. Tonight, & tonight only, I’m drivin’ Miss Daisy, an’ holdin’ the door.”

Alice & the Widow stepped through the door Marlene was holding open. They sauntered, smiling, toward Doris & Skinhead. The Widow held up her cell, “Catch this.” She snapped a picture just as Skinhead poked his index finger into Doris’s chest & raised his fist. “Wait.” She thumb dialed & sent the picture to Skinhead.

Skinhead was turning red, yelling at Doris; then he answered his phone. Alice circled quickly behind. Just as Skinhead saw the picture & lost his smile, Alice touched his back with her Glock. “Don’t move. Don’t turn around. It’s a Glock, a very nice Glock 33, a great big gut bustin’, hole makin’ Glock.

Skinhead looked straight ahead & saw the White Widow. She gestured toward the limo where Marlene was waiting, still holding open the door, & smiling her biggest even though I’m drivin’ Miss Daisy, I’m livin’ the best day of my life smile.

-Alice

John seats himself across from Paul, “You don’t really understand. Anyway, I could never go back to your church again; she still goes there, & what about the kids? What do you think would happen if I showed up?”

“Your children need to see you; they need to see you in church. You are the head of the household.”

John fills his cup, “Not really, & soon not even legally. She & I never got along. It was always something. When I wanted to move to town, she wanted to stay in the country. As soon as I agreed to fix up the place & stay in the country, she wanted to move to town. But it wasn’t really town or not. It was everything. What color to paint a room. What to eat. It always ended in a fight.” He takes a swallow, “& the fights got worse. & there was even… They got really bad. & she turned the kids against me. But it was my fault. I fell into her game. Fell for her every comment, & made a fool of myself; I became the monster she said I was.”

Says Paul, “According to the scriptures….”

“I know, I shoulda turned the other cheek, shoulda done everything she wanted just to keep the peace,” taking another swallow, “Shoulda been a saint.”

“We’re all saints, & we’ll all be swept to heaven in the rapture, but that’s not my point. According to the scriptures, you are the head of the household; so when you knew it was God’s will for you to move, no matter where it was, you should’ve moved. You should’ve obeyed God. & she should’ve followed. That would’ve kept the peace. & your family would’ve been living right, in God’s good plan.”

“It’s not like that anymore. Look around you. No one lives like that.”

“We could pray it would be so. We could pray right now for everyone, & especially for you, & for your family…”

“Naw, Paul, I don’t wanna pray right now.”

Paul says, after an awkward pause, “I’ll pray later…. Once Joy & I… Sometimes… With the kids, & working, & being an elder…Joy says I’m not… I’m not attentive to her needs… Then comes the silence, an awful, deadening silence… We continue with our prayers, but our prayers never fill the silence… Then the children become silent.” & after the long silence between the men, “I think I’d better be going.”

John gets up, “I’m really glad you came over.”

Paul starts to extricate himself from the dinette.

-John