The long line of passengers queued up and paid little attention to the show as the lead character entered rotating door stage left. He placed one hand against the wall; rotated one hundred and eighty degrees and slid down as far as the ground would let him go. Their trips had yet to begin; his at long last was over. Their challenges lay ahead. His challenge was just to find peace in a world of endless corners and curbs. What they supposed was a truckload of no ones fault but his own, carried a small brown tapered bag. Their eyes dismissed him into attention-less mind spans while his sighs flew free into the marbleized cathedral of destinations. Had he been a Broadway show poster against the wall they might have paid notice or a cab they might have hailed for a ride. But no one, neither liberal nor conservative, faint of heart, or sad sack sucker paid notice to his final countdown. Five thirty on Friday night in a bus station is not the place to make charitable contributions, no matter how loud of a bell you hear ringing, or how bare of a hat you find lying in front of you. It would take a police escort to move him away; but that was perhaps at least an hour or two gone at best. They already noticed him, but with the crowds this time of night, no security wanted to make a scene. Scenes upset people. People minding their own business prefer their lives to be scene less. They like to listen to their I-pod’s and move on reading papers about people they will never meet or take the time to know. What Giuliani calls a safe town, is also a good place to die alone under print.
How god dam long does it take for the medicine to work she asked out loud, pulling a cigarette to her lips and taking a strong drag illuminating its tip golden red. The coffee shop was color coordinated clear down to the cushions that surrounded her being out of place and she was in no mood to appease the dysfunction. But the coffee in her hands was warm to her touch and it made her feel like home was suppose to. Someone had deemed it grand. So she sipped in grandly and tried to calm down with deep relaxed breaths; tried is the key word. With any luck the night like the coffee would be over her tongue and into her throat and gone. She had eaten all of the holiday family cake she could. Only minutes ago she had been running up the street exploding away from slamming doors and calls from behind. Only moments ago, she was again ten scrambling up that very street to the bus stop that would take her away. She could feel her feet moving faster and faster. Another cigarette the voice asked? Who asked you she said, inhaling the smoke away from her mouth and into her nose. Oh, yeah, I showed them this time. I got the first shot in. No one was going to ambush her again; no, not after the last time; she lost six months maybe seven. She blew up and she blew out of there before any of them could say; what is wrong with you? Why do you always have to spoil it for everybody? Why are you not more like us? When are you going to get it that the whole world does not revolve around you? Have another piece of cake, please.
Loony ball bonkers reached over for another smoke. Her bic lighter flicking in the dark lit up the room with tiny spears of light that caste long shadow. “I wish you would quit that filthy habit,” never gets tired of trying, said as he turned to see what time it was. “You know some people have sex before they smoke.” She replied, “Yeah right, like I should ever get lucky enough to have sex!” Then silence moved into the room and hung over them like the fresh smell of canned tomatoes in a house stilled by closed windows and air conditioned by fans. It stayed there for some time, neither moving nor budging. Just like the inhabitants that neither got out of bed or on with their day because they had nowhere to go. After a half an hour or so, he reached for the remote control and dialed into the latest news channel. Arousing Loony ball bonkers; she spoke before he had a chance to change the channel. “What you watch that stuff for? You don’t understand any of it. What you know about Aserbyjanni?” “ I know a lot. I know it is in Russia or over there somewhere!” “Well ain’t you the good dam nightly news!” she replied in a short curt sentence. Truth be known he read it as it crossed over the trailer below the story. “We going to have to get you a library card, “she called out as she got out of bed and went to the bathroom. “ Yeah right. Suppose I could do that.” Obviously both of them were not ready to be Prime time players in the real world any time soon. She crawled back in bed and moved against him. “What was that people do before they smoke?”
I first heard about the murder while purchasing morning doughnuts. Two cashiers in the flow of gossip squeezing a lieutenant on his way home from a long night slightly bereft of company and fresh roasted coffee for details. From what I assessed the three definitely knew that she was found on the bottom of the pool; fully clothed, and had bruises on her face as if she had gone in face first. What they didn’t know was if he had been involved. I wanted to ask who is he, but I laid the money down for the donuts and walked away. Almost as if I had been a fly on the side of the cash register. No one said goodbye. Then I heard at lunch she had been there yesterday and Cheryl waited on her and she looked fine. Said she was in a good mood and needed things across the street at the discount store; but other than that, no sign of danger. Marcia remembered she wore those sun glasses through the whole meal. The other girls looked at Marcia as if she had just insulted their own observations, but then agreed after looking at each other. Yeah, she did, it was sunny yesterday and finally the last word of the murder came to me in the hallway at the hospital while visiting a friend. Two doctors walking by were talking about the early morning call. One had been on duty; the other just coming in. She looked so peaceful, as if nothing was wrong. But you don’t show up at the hospital at three in the morning with your blouse torn off and a medic rescue man doing CPR. He pronounced her dead at five ten. From what he couldn’t see, it would be a day long murder.
