“Oh shit!” I am awake. The television is still flickering; it\u2019s dark outside. I forgot my computer. It has the files on it the information I needed to complete my job and then get out of this place. A knock at my door. “Damn,” I mutter under my breath as I get up and head towards the door. I reach for my gun which is still sitting on the kitchen counter. “Who is it?”
“It\u2019s Sarah. You left your computer back there at Jim\u2019s bar,” she sounded harmless enough.
I knew I was probably still a little drunk. I clicked the safety on the gun and tossed it into my brimming laundry basket it passively settled. I unlocked the door and pushed it open a sliver.
“Hello Sarah. Thanks for bringing me my machine.” I did my best to seem personable and sober. “Come in please, what time is it anyway?”
“It\u2019s three. . . .Jeremy why did you do that?”
“What?” If I played it cool maybe she would just drop it.
“You just left like that all flustered.”
“I . . . well I didn\u2019t think that . . .”
“You know that Derek and I aren\u2019t together anymore? We haven\u2019t been for months.”
“Eh sure, yeah I know that . . . it\u2019s just . . . did you look through my computer?” I\u2019d put a different question to her and probably just insult her enough to make her leave.
“Yeah, I did.”
She was angry, that backfired.
“You\u2019ve got lots of porn.”
“Um sorry,” I was embarrassed, she could tell I was drunk. But had she seen the files?
“Why do you have so much information on Derek anyway?”
Shit. Wait my cover eh what was it? It was so good that I had forgotten.
“You writing something about him or what?”
Sarah you just saved me . . . or no I guess you saved yourself. Being curious can be dangerous. “Yeah . . . well no . . . just character study for a novel.” That\u2019s right I was a struggling post-modern beat writer or something.
“Looks quite thorough. No wonder none of us have managed to read anything you\u2019ve written.” Is she being flirtatious?
The alcohol made me want her even more. I was weary, my mind was cloudy but I knew that if I had one objective it was to get her out of here as satisfied with herself as possible. “I\u2019ll let you be the first one to read my stuff once I have something worth showing.” Now leave dear.
“You are very strange Jeremy. I think that\u2019s what I like about you.”
“It\u2019s cliche all of us writer-types are notorious for being social morons.”
“It makes you cute.”
Damn is she drunk too?
“Jeremy . . . why did you leave me tonight?”
“When I get myself focused and start to study the characters in an area I try to maintain a reasonably objective point of view.”
“Why not just write about yourself? You live here too.”
“Yeah, for now. I move all over the world it\u2019s how I approach my work. I travel to places that strike my interest and get some kind of humble meager job to pay the rent and I watch the people and I start to develop characters.”
“Huh only with us you have interacted more socially and I don\u2019t think I know what meager job you have.”
“Sarah we\u2019ve only briefly spoken. I think tonight there was something funny going on . . . like a full moon.”
“No it\u2019s a new moon no moonlight at all tonight.”
“That\u2019s funny.”
“Okay Jeremy. I\u2019ll be leaving now since clearly you don\u2019t want me here.”
Yeah that\u2019s right I don\u2019t, but I don\u2019t want a damn guilt trip about it, I still need to be respectable for a little while longer. “Hey don\u2019t be like that. I\u2019ve just had a long day and I wasn\u2019t feeling so well. I was so out of it I left my computer at the bar. How did Derek\u2019s band do?”
“Fine. There was only a few people but they seemed to love it.” She started to move toward the door. I could catch only a bit of indignance in her voice but it was enough.
“Why don\u2019t we meet for a late lunch tomorrow? I figure if you\u2019re still up then you\u2019ll probably be sleeping through most of Saturday?” This way I could temporarily appease her.
“That would be nice. Why don\u2019t we meet at the coffee shop around two or so?”
“Sounds great. See you later today then.”
“Get some sleep,” She walked out and closed the door behind her.
I didn\u2019t bother to lock it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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