February 26, 2013
Danny (aka, Blubber boy”) woke up. He had his whole grain English muffin and a small glass of Orange juice that he mixed with water. Today was a big day. He was going to run a little at the Forest Hills High School track and then go into the City to hang out.
Thanks to Murray his confidence was up. He had a few incidents where he had to use “powers”. Some kids were getting picked on and he had to save them. Murray trained him how to run away fast. This way no one would catch onto him.
Danny was wondering if Murray was trying to create his own version of the Avengers or the Jedi and Sith? Murray loved them all. But is more in touch with the Force.
Danny read his book about the Iron Horse, while sitting on the “R”-train. He loved the book. Unfortunately, he was having trouble focusing because the person sitting next to him smelled worse than a horse. Danny was not going to go after the smelly guy. Murray might have.
Murray was getting better. He was slowly going back to only rescuing people who were being harmed for no reason. Not for those that are gross or dumb. These misfits did bother people. However, in the greater scheme of things they really didn’t hurt anyone.
Murray was reading the Weekend Journal on the grass of the World Financial Center. Stacey was by his side tanning and flipping through the pages of a magazine. All was well. They shared sips from their water bottle and smiled.
The weather couldn’t have been better. They watched kids play soccer and heard the bounces of the ball from the basketball court behind them. It was almost time for them to get Sierra Nevadas and sip the precious pale ale by the water.
Danny got off at Fifth Avenue and walked into Central Park. He bit into the Granny Smith that he pulled out of his backpack. He hiked through the park.
Meanwhile, Danit and Audrey were in Bloomingdale Park running the through the sprinklers. They were sopping wet. They were having a grand time.
All of sudden Audrey got scared. Danit didn’t know why. But then she heard screams. She quickly moved her eyes and scanned the area. She saw nothing. She figured some kid must have fallen down and scraped his knee.
For the next minute, all was quiet. Kids started playing running to the slidin’ ponds and swings. All was good. Then screams started. Danit clutched Audrey to her side. Once again she scanned the park.
She heard the screams coming from the wooded path leading toward the baseball field. She saw Audrey’s friend, Jamie with her mom on the see-saw with Joan, her mom. Stacey ran over to them and asked if she could watch Audrey, while she went to the latrine.
Joan said no problem. The two of them have been friends for years. Danit walked toward the latrine. But she made a quick left toward the trail. She saw a bloody young boy lying the ground. He was breathing heavily. She heard laughter from behind the large trees.
She took some tissues of out her pocket and started to clean the poor kid up. As she was bent over a rubber ball came flying down from one of the trees and miss her head by inches. She turned around and saw three kids swinging off the branches with joints in their mouths. They couldn’t have been more than 13.
Danit screamed at them. They laughed at her. One threw a beer bottle at her and the kid she was helping. Danit screamed at them.
They started yelling from the trees.
“You see what we did to that dumb kid?”
Danit gave them a look that could kill.
“We are gonna have some fun with you. Then we will kill you. We know who you are, Danit. We will laugh when all your friends come to the funeral and the paper runs a picture of Audrey crying.”
Danit shook her head. “Get down from the trees you wimps. Show that you’re men and face me head on,” Danit screamed.
“Oh we will show you what men are,” they taunted as they jumped down from the trees. As they were airborne, Danit gave the kid a little kiss on the forehead and turned around. The kids just landed on the muddy trail and raced towards her. One of them hit her. She was playing it cool.
They grabbed her. They were laughing fiercely. The kid was scared. The three boys punched her one to many times. All of a sudden a sea of red shot out of her eyes. Wine was flowing nonstop. The kids were so happy. They thought she wanted to drink with them. The kids opened their mouths and started sucking it in.
Minutes later they were passed out on the ground. Danit picked up the kid and took him back to the play area. Joan was frantic. She was worried sick about Danit. She was in the latrine for much longer than should have.
She saw her carrying a bruised up little kid. Danit put him down and Joan raced to her car to get the first aid kit. They took care of the kid. Joan asked for his mom’s number. The kid cried and said my mom is at work and she left me at the park.
But he did give them the number. Danit texted his mom and explained what happened. No answer. Finally mom answered. She was in tears. She didn’t mean to leave him in the park. Her husband left her. Sad thing is the person he left her for was her manicurist. She said she hasn’t been the same since then. She needs to get grounded.
Danit and Joan stayed with the boy, whose name they learned is Tony. They bought him ice cream. He started playing with Audrey and Jamie. His mom came by and took him home. She thanked them for saving him and asked if she good buy them dinner one night.
Danit took Audrey home and wondered about Tony.
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Monday, February 18, 2013
Bleach Monster, Part IV
February 18, 2013
Danny woke up with lots of energy. He had a healthy breakfast, some fruit, a glass of low fat milk and some whole grains. After Murray rescued him at the movie theater he was determined to stay in shape. He needed to rescue himself.
But today was special day. He had the note that Murray left him hidden under his bed since he got it. It was like his bible. He’d been reading Murray’s words since he ran out of theater.
The note said, “Meet me in three days at 161 Street. Do not show up at the new “Disney style” stadium. You must make your appearance on the hallowed grounds of the real “Stadium”. I will be waiting for you where right field used to be.”
Danny raced out of his Forest Hills Gardens abode and caught his trains to the South Bronx. He knew this would be good for him. How good he had no clue. His life was going to change forever. Danny had no idea how good it was gonna get.
Funny thing is he has no idea that Danny is the Bleach Monster and Danit is the “Wine Girl.” Funny most of Murray’s girlfriends are “whine girls”. Remember Danny was on the floor crying and bleeding when Murray and Danit unleashed their wrath on his tormentors.
Danny hopped off the 4-Line. He glanced at the new Stadium. He walked over to the spot, Paul O’Neill used to man in the good ‘ole days. He was so excited. He was short of breath from all of his running around.
Murray snuck up behind him and put his hand on Danny’s left shoulder. Danny jumped back in fear.
“That’s what I thought,” echoed Murray. We need to wack the fear out of you. Don’t worry. That’s my job.
“How?” inquired, Danny.
“Just leave that to me.”
The two guys talked and walked around this holy site. Both were dressed in N.Y. Yankees apparel from head to toe. Murray sleeps in Yankees pajamas.
Murray bought Danny a bottle of water.
“Ok, Danny, I know you want to lose weight and get your butt into shape. We need you to be healthy.”
Danny smiled. He felt like Murray was the big brother he never had. He finally had someone other than his mommy and daddy to take him under their wing.
Murray told him to forget about what the doctor and nutritionist said. He said you are now my project. I will train you. Danny was happy. However, he was nervous.
One of the crazies that hung around this sacred site came up to them. At first Murray ignored him. The guy got a little antsy and was starting yelling at them. Murray told Danny to start walking.
The nut job spit at them. They kept walking. The guy threw and empty soda bottle and hit Danny in the back.
“Be calm,” Murray yelled to Danny. The poor kid just stood there lifelessly. Murray looked at the deranged man and said hit me.
The guy ran toward Murray with his hands clenched into fists. Danny got so scared he shut his eyes. The guy threw a punch at Murray. Of course he missed. But Murray countered with gallons of bleach. He drenched the loony. The guy hit the floor. He was breathing. So Murray figured that was a good sign. He probably learned his lesson. He likely needed a hospital. Murray pulled out his iPhone and dialed 911 and reported a grungy guy who passed out near the Stadium. An ambulance was on the way.
Murray grabbed Danny and said it is time to walk. They hiked over toward the row of stores that were at one time directly across the street from the House that Ruth Built.
Danny told Murray his favorite food was pizza with olives and sun dried tomatoes. Murray said “WTF. Let’s get a small pie. But remember if we were at a ballgame and we will be at many, you will only eat the things, I allow you to. I have a very strict ritual at when I go to ballgames. Consider it part of my Yankee Commandments.”
“Why do you like me?”
“I saw you in pain at the theater. I help people. I don’t want your problems to continue. We’ve all been in scary situations. Yours will soon end. I just need to figure out what powers you have.”
“I have no powers. I’m just a chubby high school kid who gets picked on. I try to lose weight. But I cannot keep it off.”
Murray smiled and took a bite of his slice.
“Maybe you don’t need to keep it off. I mean we will have you lose the weight. But maybe you need to gain it back once in a while.”
Murray’s eyes were glowing. Danny was perplexed.
Tomorrow you will run a few laps on the Forest Hills High School track. You will eat healthy for the next four weeks. I will be checking on you each Sunday. I will text you the meeting location about two hours before.
The next month went by. Danny was getting slimmer and stronger. Murray was often watching him run. Danny had no clue he was being watched. Murray saw the poor kid’s blubber bouncing up and down as he jogged. Each footstep made him stronger. The fat was wearing off.
It was like just falling right off him.
Murray wondered if he could use his falling fat to his advantage.
It was just rolling off the kid.
They had their Sunday meetings. Everyone was happy. Danny’s grades, which we always good had become even better. Murray wanted to add this kid to his army. Danit still had no idea Murray knew of her powers. One day he’d confront her. But for now he wanted her to think she was keeping a big secret.
Danny’s mom was so proud of her son. She saw how hard he was trying to be healthy. She had no idea about his mentor. She took him to the Gap to buy a few new pairs of jeans, khakis and some smaller piques, t-shirts and sweaters. Everyone was happy. She was completely healed from her gardening accident.
As they were walking down Austin Street toward Continental Ave. The kids that were bleached in theater were hanging in front of McDonald’s. They never bothered him. No one did. The girl who attacked him in the theater asked if she could take him to the movies. He told her no. This was a first for her. No one ever turned down a date with her.
Danny was becoming a man. He knew this girl was superficial. If he got fat again and he would the girl would dump him.
He didn’t know of Murray’s plan. But Murray had to run some tests to see if it’d work. The tests would occur in a few weeks if all went to schedule.
The girl ran to the obnoxious kids with her head down. She said go after him. The kids didn’t want to. But she told them if they wanted to be her friend they had to attack him again.
They got nervous. But followed orders. These mindless boys thought with only one thing. They started taunting Danny. His mom told him to walk faster. He did and was doing well. Murray and Stacey were walking out of Banana Republic. He just spent a boatload of money on his princess.
Murray saw what was going on. He knew Danny wasn’t ready for this. He needed to work out some more. His mom tried to make him walk faster. But he held his ground and yelled back at the kids.
“You can’t beat me this time. Hey, you didn’t even beat me in the theater several weeks ago. You may have knocked me down. But as I remember it was you and the dumb bitches that you were with that got your you know what’s kicked. I am stronger than all of you now.”
The kids charged him. He lost his breath. They knocked him and his mom down.
“No one messes with my mom,” he bellowed.
Within seconds globs of fat start rolling off him. These globs got rock solid. But had a bounce. They smacked right into all the nasty kids and knocked them down like dominoes.
Danit was on the corner. She saw all of this. She knew Murray had been working with troubled teens. She was now wondering if this was his “work”. She knew it had to be. But waited patiently. She saw the “cool girls” and their boyfriends rolling toward Forest Gardens in pain. The girl Danny turned down got up and tried to lunge herself at him. He was caught off guard, as he was wiping his mom’s face.
He couldn’t let her get hurt again. None of the good people would get hurt as this girl ran toward Danny, Danit shot her between the eyes with wine.
Murray watched all this from about ten feet away. He was so happy. Stacey was oblivious to it all. She was too busy staring into the bags of clothes she just got. She was already begging him to put this stuff away in his apartment and to take her to Bloomingdales.
We all know Murray is sap. Of course he told Stacey he would do whatever she wants. That was something one his new superheroes would have to work on with him.
Danny got up from mom and saw Murray by his side. “I see you got into a fight.”
“Are you mad at me?”
“No. You had to defend yourself and mom. Did you know that globs of your fat spun off you? They took out the kids who were going to beat you.”
“I know. Was this your plan?”
Murray smiled and broke into a laugh.
He explained to him that it was. He did say it was very early to tell if his powers would work. He also said that he would have to keep working out. But every so often he had to put on some weight.
When it was time for that Murray would text him when they would meet at the pizzeria by the Stadium.
They shook hands and everyone went their separate ways.
Danit saw Murray and Danny chatting. She was onto them. Or was she?
Danny woke up with lots of energy. He had a healthy breakfast, some fruit, a glass of low fat milk and some whole grains. After Murray rescued him at the movie theater he was determined to stay in shape. He needed to rescue himself.
But today was special day. He had the note that Murray left him hidden under his bed since he got it. It was like his bible. He’d been reading Murray’s words since he ran out of theater.
The note said, “Meet me in three days at 161 Street. Do not show up at the new “Disney style” stadium. You must make your appearance on the hallowed grounds of the real “Stadium”. I will be waiting for you where right field used to be.”
Danny raced out of his Forest Hills Gardens abode and caught his trains to the South Bronx. He knew this would be good for him. How good he had no clue. His life was going to change forever. Danny had no idea how good it was gonna get.
Funny thing is he has no idea that Danny is the Bleach Monster and Danit is the “Wine Girl.” Funny most of Murray’s girlfriends are “whine girls”. Remember Danny was on the floor crying and bleeding when Murray and Danit unleashed their wrath on his tormentors.
Danny hopped off the 4-Line. He glanced at the new Stadium. He walked over to the spot, Paul O’Neill used to man in the good ‘ole days. He was so excited. He was short of breath from all of his running around.
Murray snuck up behind him and put his hand on Danny’s left shoulder. Danny jumped back in fear.
“That’s what I thought,” echoed Murray. We need to wack the fear out of you. Don’t worry. That’s my job.
“How?” inquired, Danny.
“Just leave that to me.”
The two guys talked and walked around this holy site. Both were dressed in N.Y. Yankees apparel from head to toe. Murray sleeps in Yankees pajamas.
Murray bought Danny a bottle of water.
“Ok, Danny, I know you want to lose weight and get your butt into shape. We need you to be healthy.”
Danny smiled. He felt like Murray was the big brother he never had. He finally had someone other than his mommy and daddy to take him under their wing.
Murray told him to forget about what the doctor and nutritionist said. He said you are now my project. I will train you. Danny was happy. However, he was nervous.
One of the crazies that hung around this sacred site came up to them. At first Murray ignored him. The guy got a little antsy and was starting yelling at them. Murray told Danny to start walking.
The nut job spit at them. They kept walking. The guy threw and empty soda bottle and hit Danny in the back.
“Be calm,” Murray yelled to Danny. The poor kid just stood there lifelessly. Murray looked at the deranged man and said hit me.
The guy ran toward Murray with his hands clenched into fists. Danny got so scared he shut his eyes. The guy threw a punch at Murray. Of course he missed. But Murray countered with gallons of bleach. He drenched the loony. The guy hit the floor. He was breathing. So Murray figured that was a good sign. He probably learned his lesson. He likely needed a hospital. Murray pulled out his iPhone and dialed 911 and reported a grungy guy who passed out near the Stadium. An ambulance was on the way.
Murray grabbed Danny and said it is time to walk. They hiked over toward the row of stores that were at one time directly across the street from the House that Ruth Built.
Danny told Murray his favorite food was pizza with olives and sun dried tomatoes. Murray said “WTF. Let’s get a small pie. But remember if we were at a ballgame and we will be at many, you will only eat the things, I allow you to. I have a very strict ritual at when I go to ballgames. Consider it part of my Yankee Commandments.”
“Why do you like me?”
“I saw you in pain at the theater. I help people. I don’t want your problems to continue. We’ve all been in scary situations. Yours will soon end. I just need to figure out what powers you have.”
“I have no powers. I’m just a chubby high school kid who gets picked on. I try to lose weight. But I cannot keep it off.”
Murray smiled and took a bite of his slice.
“Maybe you don’t need to keep it off. I mean we will have you lose the weight. But maybe you need to gain it back once in a while.”
Murray’s eyes were glowing. Danny was perplexed.
Tomorrow you will run a few laps on the Forest Hills High School track. You will eat healthy for the next four weeks. I will be checking on you each Sunday. I will text you the meeting location about two hours before.
The next month went by. Danny was getting slimmer and stronger. Murray was often watching him run. Danny had no clue he was being watched. Murray saw the poor kid’s blubber bouncing up and down as he jogged. Each footstep made him stronger. The fat was wearing off.
It was like just falling right off him.
Murray wondered if he could use his falling fat to his advantage.
It was just rolling off the kid.
They had their Sunday meetings. Everyone was happy. Danny’s grades, which we always good had become even better. Murray wanted to add this kid to his army. Danit still had no idea Murray knew of her powers. One day he’d confront her. But for now he wanted her to think she was keeping a big secret.
Danny’s mom was so proud of her son. She saw how hard he was trying to be healthy. She had no idea about his mentor. She took him to the Gap to buy a few new pairs of jeans, khakis and some smaller piques, t-shirts and sweaters. Everyone was happy. She was completely healed from her gardening accident.
As they were walking down Austin Street toward Continental Ave. The kids that were bleached in theater were hanging in front of McDonald’s. They never bothered him. No one did. The girl who attacked him in the theater asked if she could take him to the movies. He told her no. This was a first for her. No one ever turned down a date with her.
Danny was becoming a man. He knew this girl was superficial. If he got fat again and he would the girl would dump him.
He didn’t know of Murray’s plan. But Murray had to run some tests to see if it’d work. The tests would occur in a few weeks if all went to schedule.
The girl ran to the obnoxious kids with her head down. She said go after him. The kids didn’t want to. But she told them if they wanted to be her friend they had to attack him again.
They got nervous. But followed orders. These mindless boys thought with only one thing. They started taunting Danny. His mom told him to walk faster. He did and was doing well. Murray and Stacey were walking out of Banana Republic. He just spent a boatload of money on his princess.
Murray saw what was going on. He knew Danny wasn’t ready for this. He needed to work out some more. His mom tried to make him walk faster. But he held his ground and yelled back at the kids.
“You can’t beat me this time. Hey, you didn’t even beat me in the theater several weeks ago. You may have knocked me down. But as I remember it was you and the dumb bitches that you were with that got your you know what’s kicked. I am stronger than all of you now.”
The kids charged him. He lost his breath. They knocked him and his mom down.
“No one messes with my mom,” he bellowed.
Within seconds globs of fat start rolling off him. These globs got rock solid. But had a bounce. They smacked right into all the nasty kids and knocked them down like dominoes.
Danit was on the corner. She saw all of this. She knew Murray had been working with troubled teens. She was now wondering if this was his “work”. She knew it had to be. But waited patiently. She saw the “cool girls” and their boyfriends rolling toward Forest Gardens in pain. The girl Danny turned down got up and tried to lunge herself at him. He was caught off guard, as he was wiping his mom’s face.
He couldn’t let her get hurt again. None of the good people would get hurt as this girl ran toward Danny, Danit shot her between the eyes with wine.
Murray watched all this from about ten feet away. He was so happy. Stacey was oblivious to it all. She was too busy staring into the bags of clothes she just got. She was already begging him to put this stuff away in his apartment and to take her to Bloomingdales.
We all know Murray is sap. Of course he told Stacey he would do whatever she wants. That was something one his new superheroes would have to work on with him.
Danny got up from mom and saw Murray by his side. “I see you got into a fight.”
“Are you mad at me?”
“No. You had to defend yourself and mom. Did you know that globs of your fat spun off you? They took out the kids who were going to beat you.”
“I know. Was this your plan?”
Murray smiled and broke into a laugh.
He explained to him that it was. He did say it was very early to tell if his powers would work. He also said that he would have to keep working out. But every so often he had to put on some weight.
When it was time for that Murray would text him when they would meet at the pizzeria by the Stadium.
They shook hands and everyone went their separate ways.
Danit saw Murray and Danny chatting. She was onto them. Or was she?
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
He is Smarter than All of Us
February 12, 2013
Separately, Al, Vinny, Fred and Steve walked into the bagel store. This was their usual morning breakfast meeting place. Al was always there as Joey, the bagel was unlocking the door. Neither one of them slept much. The four men sat at their usual table. They never bothered going up to the register to order their meal. Joey knew what they all wanted. He brought out the usual. He made small talk with them and the other early morning risers.
Their discussion was the same every day, sports, a little politics and then they made fun of each other. They always knew George would stroll in about 15-20 minutes after they arrived. Poor thing, no one could stand him. He always sat alone. But in his mind he was the reason the world rotated on its axis.
The four guys always abused him. In private and they happen to speak very loudly in the deli. He had to know they were making fun of him. Bear in mind all of the guys with the exception of Fred were in their 50s. Fred was around 35. They were an interesting crew. All disenfranchised with the world. Some had jobs, some were retired. Some had money. Some were poor. The poor ones mismanaged their money.
But the other people often took care of them. They are loud and goofy. But have warm hearts and do a lot for many.
George strolled in. As usual he looked like a dirt bag. They all said hello. Naturally he ignored them. You see everyone tried to be nice to George. But he shooed everyone away like they were garbage. In some ways it worked. They really didn’t want to share a table with him. His odor is repulsive.
George went up to Joey and ordered his sausage, eggs, juice and coffee with extra milk. He placed his paper and books on the table and dug in. He started to read. The merry band of misfits started talking much louder. Of course, much of their conversation was in jest of George.
Fred finally wised up and said, “You know guys. We should stop being so abusive. Look at us. Some of us are married. Some of us are not. Some of us have money. The rest spent it like fools and now grub. But we put everyone else down”.
The guys took heed to what Fred was saying. They nodded their heads in agreement, while they sipped their coffee and ate their bagels. They started laughing. No one was sure why.
Fred continued, “You know, George is smarter than us. Yes, he is dirty. His social manners are for the birds. But he seems comfortable with who he is. Are we?”
Silence fell upon the boys.
“He must know we make fun of him. Let’s face it we laugh at him. We do it in front of his face. He’s not the sharpest. But he isn’t dumb. We all have problems. I’m sure he does, too. Other than his hygiene. Maybe his shooing us away and not acknowledging us is his way of dealing with them. Or maybe he is just stronger than us”.
The boys got up and walked home or to down to the subway platform. George sat and ate his meal with a smile on his face.
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Bleach Monster Part 3
February 10, 2013
Danit was sitting at the kitchen table watching her daughter, Audrey. Her husband, Robbie went out to get a pizza and pick up some items from the grocery store.
Danit was in a good mood. But still contemplating what she was going to do about Murray. She knows he’s a good soul. But she was still worried after he slew his “girlfriend” Becky with bleach.
Murray had been quiet lately. He had a few bleach attacks on people. He saved an old lady getting robbed in a bank’s parking lot. He didn’t kill her attacker. He took the thug out with two sprays of bleach. He saved a cute teen girl from her drugged out boyfriend. He didn’t kill him. Chances of him ever getting what he thought he was getting from his girlfriend with any other girl were reduced to zero.
He did go after the superficial people. These people were not harming anyone physically. They were just stupid. But this was on his own “time”. His new “hobby” was more self-righteous. That was in his mind.
Robbie strolled in with the pizza. Danit got the plates out and water out. She cut a piece in half for Audrey. For some reason she wanted wine. She never drank. Even weirder she wanted red. On the rare occasion she had a glass of wine she would usually have chardonnay.
Robbie opened a nice bottle of Hagefen Cabernet-Franc. She started sipping more than usual. She was getting tipsy. Robbie put Audrey in her room. Danit was talking really fast and she fell down. Robbie picked her up and placed on her on the couch. Billy Joel was playing in the background.
Danit’s speech was slurred. Her eyes were bloodshot. She was saying strange things. As you can tell, she was not a drinker. She tried to speak. As she opened her mouth wine spewed out. It wasn’t that she was spitting it out. She was shooting it out the way Murray shot bleach.
She passed out for about an hour or so. Robbie watched her sleep. She seemed fine. He figured, she needed her rest and all would be well. He had no idea about Murray and his skills. No one but Danit knew the true identity of the bleach monster.
As she slept, she dreamed about using her newfound powers to take on Murray. Wine vs. bleach. That could be very interesting. But would she remember her dreams?
When she woke up, Robbie asked if she felt ok? She said, she was fine and would stick to white wine. She figured the tannins in the red made her sick.
The next morning she went to work. Everything was fine in the newsroom. Then one of the usual local crazies called with a story about a sewer leakage in a park. She hopped in her car and drove out to meet the maintenance staff. She shot a few pictures.
The nut job was in all his glory telling how he he first smelled an awful aroma near the beach and saw that the pipes near the dock had exploded. Danit smiled and walked back to her car. The local followed her.
He tapped her on the shoulder. She asked what he wanted. He wanted them to do a feature on all his work in the neighborhood to keep things safe. She said they’d think about it.
He got edgy and said how they have to do it. She just smiled and unlocked her car door. He pulled out a knife and ran toward her. She started to scream. The lunatic was aghast. He jumped back during her blood curdling screams. He thought he really stabbed her. He didn’t want to hurt her. He was off his meds and was acting crazy. His face was red.
He thought her blood was all over him. But he didn’t smell blood. He smelled grapes. Her screams propelled wine out of her entire body. The crazy guy was now drunk. The wine went right into his bloodstream.
Danit was horrified. She wondered what happened to her. She immediately dialed Murray. She thought she has his “disease”. Thankfully he failed to pick up. As she listened to his voicemail, she understood she might now have a weapon to take him out. Of course, she’d only take him out was he was in his crazy mode. She would probably help him when he was saving little kids and the elderly.
Over the next few weeks, she avoided Murray. He was fairly calm. He was dating a new crazy girl, Stacey. She was one of his typical types crazy or a princess. Some were a mix of both. Of course, Stacey is on meds.
Danit was shy about using her power. She never told anyone. Robbie had no idea. No stories were ever written about her antics. A few were submitted. However, Danit used her editorial powers to delete them and destroy all evidence ever reported to the media.
She wrote a few stories about bullying and was determined to take out any of the idiots that bullied.
On a rainy Sunday afternoon Danny, a sweet but heavy fourteen-year-old boy was at the movies with his friend, Matt. Danny has been bullied a lot because he’s the fat kid. He was way too heavy for his own health. His mom was in decent shaped. His dad was not.
Sadly, this kid always picked last for any sports team, the school plays, etc. He had good grades. He dressed ok. It was tough for his mom to find nice clothes for him. The European clothes that he so adored were all cut too small.
He went to a few doctors. They gave him diet and training plans. His mom, who loved him more than any thing took him a trainer. He started to lose some weight. He was feeling better about himself. He was still not playing baseball like Jeter or landing the starring role like Brad Pitt. But he was stronger physically and mentally. For a little while no one made fun of him. He was feeling more confident than he ever did. A few girls even started talking to him and complemented him on his new looks.
Unfortunately his mom got hurt, while working on the family garden. She was getting better. But she spent a lot of time in physical therapy. She spent as much time as she could with him. But she had to slow down a little.
He got depressed and started eating more again. He quickly gained back the weight he lost.
Danny waltzed up to the candy counter at the theater. Danit was there with Audrey. She was buying her popcorn and a soda. This was Audrey’s first Disney movie. In fact, it was her first movie ever. Murray and Stacey were there waiting for Angelina’s new movie. The two of them were in phenomenal shape. They worked out 24/7.
Danny bought too much candy. Matt told him not to. But he was in one of his moods. As Danny was walking away candy in hand, some of the older kids from his school saw him. Some of their older siblings were there too. They started taunting him.
They yelled out all types of fat jokes. They ran up to him and started punching him in the stomach. They said they were tying to see if they would bounce off him. Matt was scared to defend Danny. There were to many aggressors. He’d get his ass kicked. The movie theater staff was oblivious to what was going on.
Other theatergoers tried to get the older kids to stop. But they spit on them. Danny was hysterical crying. They beat up Matt for being the fat kid’s friend. The girls who were friendly with Danny when he was in better shape laughed at him.
He was curled up into a ball. The kids just wouldn’t leave him alone. They opened all the candy he bought and spilled it all over him. One of the cuter girls, who he thought was his friend picked up some of the candy. She bent down and opened his crying mouth and shoved it down his throat. She started laughing hysterically.
All of them laughed. Danny was a bloody mess. Tears and blood were all over his face.
Murray stepped out the Men’s room and saw this disaster. Danit noticed Murray and Stacey. She ran over with Audrey. She left Audrey with Stacey. That made her nervous. But Stacey despite her wackiness would never hurt anyone. She had many superficial tendencies. But was not as mean as Becky had been.
Remember Murray is short. But super strong. All the kids who were still beating Danny are tall. They are all athletic and much younger than Murray.
He waked over to Danny. He had some wet napkins and started to wash his face. He told him to stop crying and everything would be ok. Danny tried to smile. But he was so scared. He had no idea why Murray would help him.
The kids saw Danny being helped. They yelled stuff at him. They shot out a lot of short jokes. Murray stood up and laughed. One of them punched him. He took it. The kid’s hand hurt. Murray’s abdomen was rock solid. Two more kids came at Murray. He just stood there.
He started laughing at them. They taunted him for laughing. As the taunts flew, Murray laughed harder. Danny started smiling. He was still in much pain. The kids tried to tackle Murray.
As they ran toward him, bleach started to shoot out like missiles. The kids were drenched in it. Many fell down. They started choking. One started to cry. Danny started to laugh. The girl who beat up Danny started running toward her once cool now bleached friends.
Problem was she ran right into Danit. She tried to push her down. Danit stood strong. The girl’s friends cornered her. Within seconds the girls’ ears popped as Danit started to scream. Wine shot out of her ears and mouth. The girls who loved to have a glass or wine to. Not they were old enough. However, they opened their mouths thinking this was paradise. Little did they know the proof of wine Danit’s weapon shot out was way higher than what’s found in any wine.
The girls passed out. Murray finished off the other obnoxious kids.
Matt came running out of the corner he’d been hiding in. He was feeling better. His main regret was he forgot his iPhone and couldn’t record this for YouTube.
Murray picked up Danny. He handed him a note and ran into the Jolie flick with Stacey. Danit and Audrey were happily seated in their theater.
Danny and Matt ran out of the movie theater and jumped on the “F” train to go home. Danny read the note. It said meet in three days and at this location…
Monday, February 4, 2013
Viewed 2
October 4, 2004
The other day Matt was skating through Wolfe’s Pond Park in Huguenot. Something he’s been doing for years. He was just cruising along and enjoying the nice sunny weather. A slight breeze was running through the park. Nothing could be better.
He raced down the slight hills. He felt good. Eventually, he sat down on his favorite bench near the walkway to the beach. It was just about ten in the morning and the lifeguards were moseying over to their chairs. Little kids were racing into the water with their dogs. Ever mindful, their moms stood by and watched. Naturally, they made sure their little ones were using sunscreen and had bottled water.
As he sat on his bench he noticed a woman about twenty-nine years old aimlessly taking pictures of the sand, water, the benches, just everything. Matt knew he was caught in some of the photos. He really didn’t care. Frequently nut jobs just click away without realizing they are just capturing people who may or may not want to be in the photographer’s Kodak moment.
He got up and raced on. Finally, he skated over to his car and tossed the skates in the trunk and sped home to read the New York Times.
Sumner finished taking her photo and jumped into her car. She went straight home and plugged her Nikon into her MAC and started editing and printing her photos. She had beautiful pictures of the park and a few other things.
She grabbed a glass of apple juice and organized her photos. She made sure they were dated and all the colors came out perfect. She then filed them away and went to lie down.
Matt was going out of his mind. He just couldn’t sit down so he raced off to the gym. Naturally, as much as he exercised he ate pure crap. As soon as he left the gym he gulped down a quarter pounder, fries and a soda.
After that he went to the library and Blockbuster. His life was simple and boring.
Sumner got up and hopped on the train and went to her next photo shoot, Astor Place and Broadway. Over there everyone was taking pictures, videotaping and well who knows what else. She then raced back to the ferry and just made it as the guys who work there were shutting the gate.
She went home and repeated her usual photo printing and organizing. Nothing ever changed. She did have a regular job as a kindergarten teacher. Few friends and no boyfriend. She lived by herself for the last eight years. Wasn’t bad looking, just was a bit on the strange side. Cute, intelligent and a Goth chick.
She wanted friends and a boyfriend. During her junior and high school years, Sumner tried as hard as she could, but it just never snapped for her. She joined lots of extracurruciular activities. She learned lots. At the end of the day when all the other teens left school to grab a slice of pizza or a Big Mac, she was never included. No one ever wanted to go with her. She tried. She always said “Let’s go grab some food or hang out in the mall for a while”. Sadly, none of the kids wanted to hang with her.
All she wanted to was to be one of those annoying teenagers strolling the mall and all the other places crazy teens went. Unfortunately no one wanted to be with her. She could never understand why she wasn’t much different than the kids in all the clubs she joined. They all had good grades, nice clothes and looked good. She spent most of her time studying and weeping.
One day her uncle Marty bought her a camera. She took some photo classes and developed an interest in photography. Sumner spent much of her time taking photos of nice things, such as people laughing and playing together, families hanging out in the park and at Rockefeller Center. She wasn’t a stalker, but a dreamer. She wished she were in the picture. Her college days were no different than high school. She studied hard and passed her education tests and went back to school.
Fortunately, the kids in her class and their parents loved her. She worked very hard in school and made sure the kids were comfortable. She used her Goth outlook, sheer misery to try and make the kids happy so they wouldn’t be like her.
Sumner was home in her apartment looking at her photos and sifting through the pile of books on her floor, Girl Interrupted (she loved the movie too, but dug the book even more), the Bell Jar and Demon Seed stood out. She kept staring at the photo of Matt. Boy he is cute she thought. But, why would he like a miserable girl like me. Yeah, she had a job and her co-workers actually liked her despite her oddball views of things.
She really wished she had the courage to speak with Matt if she ever saw him again. She really wanted to see if he was interested in her. Unfortunately, she doesn’t do those things. She justs sits alone in her misery and evaluates the lyrics of the songs she likes like an art critic might talk about a Monet.
Matt was home reading a book, while depressing music filled his ears. In many ways, he and Sumner were the same. He was somewhat more main stream in his looks. But Goth in his views and feelings.
He too had no friends and dreamed of having a girlfriend. He was nuts, but smart enough to know Drew Barrymore would never be his. Knock out Winona, Reese and Angelina too. Such is life. But one can dream. Hey when you have no friends, Blockbuster becomes your best.
He had given up. He was a CPA at Citigroup. Didn’t love his job, but it paid the bills and he just hung around bookstores and skated.
Sumner ate her salad and drank her water. She didn’t eat much. Didn’t really drink either. Years ago, she enjoyed a few drinks, but gave up. She sort of gave up on everything. Well except for her class. She feared the kids would turn out like her if she did.
Matt hopped into his car and sped off to the mall. He strolled through the Gap, Banana Republic and a bunch of other stores. Eventually, he wandered over to Barnes & Noble and sat down in the aisle with a Chuck Palahniuk book. Sumner was sitting a few feet away reading another one Palahniuk’s books. It was fairly quiet in the bookstore. Both were in deep thought with their books.
Finally, Sumner stuffed her copy back on the shelf and got up to walk out. As she walked down the aisle, she saw Matt. Instantly, she recognized him from her pictures in the park. She was aghast. He looked so cute. All she wanted to do was say hi.
She stood frozen for a second in the aisle and walked toward him.
“Hi, I know this sounds funny and I’m sorry to bother you, but do you skate in Wolfe’s Pond Park on weekends, usually early in the morning?”
Matt put his book down and smiled.
“Yeah most of the time. Would have been there earlier but it was raining pretty hard, so I decided to come here instead and work out my mind instead of my legs. Do you hang out in the park?”
“Yeah, sometimes. Gives me a break from the screaming kids I deal with in my kindergarten class all week. But I love those little ones.”
“Must be fun to teach. Find any good books or just thumbing through stuff?”
“Well, I was also reading one of Chuck’s books-“Survivor.” Finished “Lullaby” a few weeks ago. Loved it. Pick it up or just read it here. Can’t go wrong.”
“Yeah, I like it. His books are so telling. Hey would you like to head over to Starbucks for coffee? My name’s Matt.”
“Wow, thanks I’d love too. I’m Sumner. Thank you so much for asking.”
The two hiked over to Starbucks, Matt didn’t even like coffee. He just liked Sumner and was thrilled she remembered seeing him in the park. Little did he know she’d been staring at his photo for about two weeks.
The two sat at table and ordered their drinks. Matt had hot chocolate. She had coffee. They shared a brownie and chatted on and on about books, her students and the sociopaths at his company. About an hour passed and they exchanged email addresses and promised to contact each other to get together for dinner or a movie. Maybe even grab a sandwich at the park.
He walked her to her Toyota and headed to his Nissan. Both were smiling and in their glory. Neither one of them understood what happened. Was there something in the stars? Was it that aisle in Barnes & Noble? Could they really wind up liking each other and having a relationship?
Remember he was Goth in some ways. He did wear a lot of black and listened to that music, but he also had his conservative streak in him. In a way he was confused, could never tell if he wanted to have his hair look like Robert Smith’s or wear his Ralph Lauren suits. An odd character he is. Some nights he sat in bed and wallowed in his misery to the Cure and Depeche Mode, while others he just listened to Billy Joel or Elton John. Very confused. But isn’t everybody?
Matt walked into his apartment and began doing laundry. One of his favorite pastimes. Why no one knows. But there is something about laundry. His mind drifted to Sumner and knew he would email her and see if she wanted to grab dinner or hang out in SoHo. He hoped it would last.
He popped the “Wedding Singer” into his DVD player, but his mind was focused on Sumner. Odd, for him during a Drew Barrymore movie. But he really liked this girl.
Sumner sat on her terrace and looked at the photo of Matt and dreamed she was falling into a relationship with him. She was scared. She didn’t know how to handle it and was hoping she’d be okay and able to let things happen. She wanted to love and be loved more than anything.
Over the next few weeks, they began seeing each other on a regular basis. Sumner and Matt did all the normal things couples do-movies, Broadways shows, dinner, museums and just spent time gazing into each other’s eyes. They had deep conversations about their beliefs and wishes. They really enjoyed each other’s company. They shared all of their feelings and had meaningful sex. They took this step slow.
Sumner was nervous. She had been with a few guys. But she was really in love this time. Well as a guy, Matt wanted her from the day they were in Starbucks. But he just wanted her to be comfortable and really be happy.
Sumner was experiencing feelings she never felt before. Matt too. But hers were really rattling her. She was so happy and so unsure how to handle it. She actually wore pink a few times instead of her usual black attire. She smiled. Her colleagues at work knew she was in love.
Flowers adorned her desk. Cute cards and teddy bears were there too. She glowed. Matt was treating her like the princess she deserved to be treated like. He was ecstatic. He also had no idea what he was feeling. But he knew it was good.
They were planning a trip to Aruba to escape the bitter cold weather. Sumner was never one to wear a bathing suit and lay on the beach. But off to J. Crew she went. She was buying plenty of them. Yes, she bought mostly black-not to hide her body. She has nothing to hide. She is in model form. No matter how happy she was, black was still her best friend.
Aruba was fantastic the two of them laid on the beach, drank rum, went SCUBA diving, read lots of books and shared each other’s company. Tan they were. In love too. As they slept in the Aruba Grand, Matt dreamed of watching her walk down the aisle in her black wedding dress. Yeah, black. A bit unusual. But that summed them up. He decided he wasn’t wearing a tux, he’d be dressed in the latest Reaction line.
Finally spring had arrived and Sumner was very happy, yet still rattled. She was so in love. But having such a hard time handling it. She was clearly not sure if she deserved to feel this and why someone as smart and cute as Matt loved her so much.
She decided to cook him dinner one Saturday night. Something she never did for anyone even herself. All of her food was ready made from the local deli her mom took her too all of her life.
Naturally, Sumner went to the deli and picked up string bean salads, chickpeas, a London broil, Worcestershire sauce and Semolina bread. She was really excited. She bought a nice bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon and a delicious crumb cake from her favorite bakery. Of course, she knew Matt would probably bring her a terrific bottle of wine and great desert but she was just doing everything she could think of.
She got home cleaned up her apartment. She took the meat out of the refrigerator and turned on the broiler.
She even opened the knives and other silverware her grandmother, a heavyset Russian who emigrated to the U.S. in the late 1920s gave her when she moved into her Bay Terrace apartment. Grandma even tried to teach her to cook. But eventually gave up when she realized she was wasting her time. Grandma dreamed everyday that Sumner would learn.
“Ow, well I guess I should learn how to use these cooking knives and cut the meat and not my finger. Oh well.”
She washed her finger off and just laughed nervously. She washed the blood off the knife too. All she wanted was the food to be perfect and spend the in night Matt’s arms.
“Grandma, its Sumner.”
“I know darling how are you?”
“Well remember when you used to try to teach me to cook and I never paid attention. But just laughed while you were trying so hard to help me. I need your help. Matt is coming over for dinner and I bought a beautiful London broil lots of salads and stuff. I marinated it all day. But that’s about all I know what to do. How do I cook this hunk of meat?”
“He’s a nice boy. Jewish, too. I am very happy. This is important. Listen carefully and grandma will make sure you make his belly happy.”
Sumner and grandma spent the next forty-five minutes on the phone. The Cure was playing softly in background. Sumner was now a cook. Well at least competent enough to make a London broil and make sure the table was set properly.
They hung up the phone and Sumner’s face lit up with a beautiful smile. She had about an hour till Matt would show. She jumped in the shower and let the warm water soak her body. She got out and made sure her jet-black hair was perfect. She put on some makeup, her black Calvin Klein bra and panties and pair of black jeans from the Gap. She threw on a light green t-shirt and her Skechers. She sat on her bed for a few minutes and dreamed of how she would spend the night there with Matt.
She heard a knock on the door. A smiling Matt holding a beautiful bouquet of flowers waltzed in. He also had a bag of chocolate candies from his favorite homemade chocolate store. She was gushing. Sumner grabbed a vase and happily put the flowers in the living room. They spent the next few minutes kissing.
The kitchen had the aromas of a delicious dinner. She asked him to uncork the bottle of Yarden. Their grandparents would be pissed they weren’t drinking Kedem. But neither of them had a cough. In their minds’ that’s all that vile liquid is good for. It made a great cough medicine. Of course he had had brought a bottle of V. Sattui desert wine, maybe they’d eat the chocolates and drink that while taking a bubble bath.
She sat in his lap on the couch and sipped the wine. They didn’t speak. They just held hands and gazed into each other’s eyes and listened to the Smiths. Morrissey was singing “How Soon is Now” and other tunes. But all they cared about was each other.
She jumped off the couch and asked him to sit at the table. Like a lap dog he scurried over to the table and was amazed at how pretty it looked.
“Wow my Goth girl seems so Upper East Side. Scary but unreal. Man I love her, “ he thought.
She brought the salads to the table and asked him to cut the bread, which he did. He smeared butter all over it. It felt so good in her apartment. The mood was perfect.
Sumner’s head was revolving in about a thousand directions. Well at least her mind was. Things seemed so perfect. G-d she dreamed of the day he put the engagement ring on her finger. She even thought about being a mom. Something so far away from her usual thoughts. The Morrissey CD ended and Depeche Mode started playing, “Somebody”:
“This is the first time I ever cooked for anyone. I hope a did a good job.”
“I’m sure you did. It smells so good. Man you set the table so nice. I love you so much. I really want have a deep conversation with you later, perhaps in the bathtub.”
“Oh G-d, yes I do. Please tell me you are thinking about buying me a ring.”
He nodded his head.
The two of them sat and ate quietly. She was so happy, yet so scared. The sun was just about to set. She figured they wait a little while and then eat the cake and maybe eat the candy in bed. She wanted him to feed it to her.
“Matt the sun is setting, wanna jump onto the terrace and have another glass of wine and in breathe in the air and just look at each other?”
“Couldn’t think of anything better to do. I love you.”
The two walked out onto the terrace, which was off her bedroom. She decided it was time to mellow out with her lover. She popped the “Dark Side of the Moon” into the CD player and grabbed her bong. He was smiling. He hadn’t smoked in years. Neither had she, but there was something about this moment that called for it.
They just stared at each with big smiles. Sumner was so happy, yet so scared. She saw some squirrels running around the courtyard of her building complex. Matt threw a piece of bread their way. She laughed, yet something inside was scaring her. But what she couldn’t tell. He started kissing her. She was getting very excited and dreaming of making love in the shower. Their hands were all over each other.
He was thinking about marrying Sumner. He was so excited. She was even more excited and scared to death. Their lips were locked onto each other’s. His hands were all over her. “Us and Them” was blasting out of her bedroom, where they were certainly headed too. She was screaming in happiness. She was unzipping his jeans. The sun was setting.
They just looked into each other’s eyes and smiled. Tears were falling out of Sumner’s eyes. Her mind was spinning. She thought of all of her previous days when she thought no one would love her. She was so happy. Yet so scared. Why would someone actually care so much about her?
Sumner kissed him again and again. She dreamed of having kids with him. She thought of all the cute toys she would buy them. She wanted to be the best mom in the world. All of a sudden she just wrapped her hands around him and started hugging him real tight. She never got this close to anyone. She was squeezing him so hard. He was gasping for air. He started to scream in pain.
He tried to loosen her grip and just kept kissing her. Her hands loosened for a second or two. They then went around his neck as she started rubbing him there. His breathing was back in control. She started massaging his neck really hard and squeezed him there. Again, Matt was gasping for air and she just squeezed harder and harder. She was losing all control. She was so in love and so wondering if this was right for her. She knew it was. All of a sudden she squeezed him so hard he let out his last gasp. His whole body went limp and he fell to ground.
“Oh my G-d, what did I do?” she cried out.
He lay on the ground. She opened his mouth and opened his shut eyes. She felt no heartbeat. He was no longer breathing.
Sumner laid herself on top of her lover’s body and broke out into tears.
The CD ended.
The other day Matt was skating through Wolfe’s Pond Park in Huguenot. Something he’s been doing for years. He was just cruising along and enjoying the nice sunny weather. A slight breeze was running through the park. Nothing could be better.
He raced down the slight hills. He felt good. Eventually, he sat down on his favorite bench near the walkway to the beach. It was just about ten in the morning and the lifeguards were moseying over to their chairs. Little kids were racing into the water with their dogs. Ever mindful, their moms stood by and watched. Naturally, they made sure their little ones were using sunscreen and had bottled water.
As he sat on his bench he noticed a woman about twenty-nine years old aimlessly taking pictures of the sand, water, the benches, just everything. Matt knew he was caught in some of the photos. He really didn’t care. Frequently nut jobs just click away without realizing they are just capturing people who may or may not want to be in the photographer’s Kodak moment.
He got up and raced on. Finally, he skated over to his car and tossed the skates in the trunk and sped home to read the New York Times.
Sumner finished taking her photo and jumped into her car. She went straight home and plugged her Nikon into her MAC and started editing and printing her photos. She had beautiful pictures of the park and a few other things.
She grabbed a glass of apple juice and organized her photos. She made sure they were dated and all the colors came out perfect. She then filed them away and went to lie down.
Matt was going out of his mind. He just couldn’t sit down so he raced off to the gym. Naturally, as much as he exercised he ate pure crap. As soon as he left the gym he gulped down a quarter pounder, fries and a soda.
After that he went to the library and Blockbuster. His life was simple and boring.
Sumner got up and hopped on the train and went to her next photo shoot, Astor Place and Broadway. Over there everyone was taking pictures, videotaping and well who knows what else. She then raced back to the ferry and just made it as the guys who work there were shutting the gate.
She went home and repeated her usual photo printing and organizing. Nothing ever changed. She did have a regular job as a kindergarten teacher. Few friends and no boyfriend. She lived by herself for the last eight years. Wasn’t bad looking, just was a bit on the strange side. Cute, intelligent and a Goth chick.
She wanted friends and a boyfriend. During her junior and high school years, Sumner tried as hard as she could, but it just never snapped for her. She joined lots of extracurruciular activities. She learned lots. At the end of the day when all the other teens left school to grab a slice of pizza or a Big Mac, she was never included. No one ever wanted to go with her. She tried. She always said “Let’s go grab some food or hang out in the mall for a while”. Sadly, none of the kids wanted to hang with her.
All she wanted to was to be one of those annoying teenagers strolling the mall and all the other places crazy teens went. Unfortunately no one wanted to be with her. She could never understand why she wasn’t much different than the kids in all the clubs she joined. They all had good grades, nice clothes and looked good. She spent most of her time studying and weeping.
One day her uncle Marty bought her a camera. She took some photo classes and developed an interest in photography. Sumner spent much of her time taking photos of nice things, such as people laughing and playing together, families hanging out in the park and at Rockefeller Center. She wasn’t a stalker, but a dreamer. She wished she were in the picture. Her college days were no different than high school. She studied hard and passed her education tests and went back to school.
Fortunately, the kids in her class and their parents loved her. She worked very hard in school and made sure the kids were comfortable. She used her Goth outlook, sheer misery to try and make the kids happy so they wouldn’t be like her.
Sumner was home in her apartment looking at her photos and sifting through the pile of books on her floor, Girl Interrupted (she loved the movie too, but dug the book even more), the Bell Jar and Demon Seed stood out. She kept staring at the photo of Matt. Boy he is cute she thought. But, why would he like a miserable girl like me. Yeah, she had a job and her co-workers actually liked her despite her oddball views of things.
She really wished she had the courage to speak with Matt if she ever saw him again. She really wanted to see if he was interested in her. Unfortunately, she doesn’t do those things. She justs sits alone in her misery and evaluates the lyrics of the songs she likes like an art critic might talk about a Monet.
Matt was home reading a book, while depressing music filled his ears. In many ways, he and Sumner were the same. He was somewhat more main stream in his looks. But Goth in his views and feelings.
He too had no friends and dreamed of having a girlfriend. He was nuts, but smart enough to know Drew Barrymore would never be his. Knock out Winona, Reese and Angelina too. Such is life. But one can dream. Hey when you have no friends, Blockbuster becomes your best.
He had given up. He was a CPA at Citigroup. Didn’t love his job, but it paid the bills and he just hung around bookstores and skated.
Sumner ate her salad and drank her water. She didn’t eat much. Didn’t really drink either. Years ago, she enjoyed a few drinks, but gave up. She sort of gave up on everything. Well except for her class. She feared the kids would turn out like her if she did.
Matt hopped into his car and sped off to the mall. He strolled through the Gap, Banana Republic and a bunch of other stores. Eventually, he wandered over to Barnes & Noble and sat down in the aisle with a Chuck Palahniuk book. Sumner was sitting a few feet away reading another one Palahniuk’s books. It was fairly quiet in the bookstore. Both were in deep thought with their books.
Finally, Sumner stuffed her copy back on the shelf and got up to walk out. As she walked down the aisle, she saw Matt. Instantly, she recognized him from her pictures in the park. She was aghast. He looked so cute. All she wanted to do was say hi.
She stood frozen for a second in the aisle and walked toward him.
“Hi, I know this sounds funny and I’m sorry to bother you, but do you skate in Wolfe’s Pond Park on weekends, usually early in the morning?”
Matt put his book down and smiled.
“Yeah most of the time. Would have been there earlier but it was raining pretty hard, so I decided to come here instead and work out my mind instead of my legs. Do you hang out in the park?”
“Yeah, sometimes. Gives me a break from the screaming kids I deal with in my kindergarten class all week. But I love those little ones.”
“Must be fun to teach. Find any good books or just thumbing through stuff?”
“Well, I was also reading one of Chuck’s books-“Survivor.” Finished “Lullaby” a few weeks ago. Loved it. Pick it up or just read it here. Can’t go wrong.”
“Yeah, I like it. His books are so telling. Hey would you like to head over to Starbucks for coffee? My name’s Matt.”
“Wow, thanks I’d love too. I’m Sumner. Thank you so much for asking.”
The two hiked over to Starbucks, Matt didn’t even like coffee. He just liked Sumner and was thrilled she remembered seeing him in the park. Little did he know she’d been staring at his photo for about two weeks.
The two sat at table and ordered their drinks. Matt had hot chocolate. She had coffee. They shared a brownie and chatted on and on about books, her students and the sociopaths at his company. About an hour passed and they exchanged email addresses and promised to contact each other to get together for dinner or a movie. Maybe even grab a sandwich at the park.
He walked her to her Toyota and headed to his Nissan. Both were smiling and in their glory. Neither one of them understood what happened. Was there something in the stars? Was it that aisle in Barnes & Noble? Could they really wind up liking each other and having a relationship?
Remember he was Goth in some ways. He did wear a lot of black and listened to that music, but he also had his conservative streak in him. In a way he was confused, could never tell if he wanted to have his hair look like Robert Smith’s or wear his Ralph Lauren suits. An odd character he is. Some nights he sat in bed and wallowed in his misery to the Cure and Depeche Mode, while others he just listened to Billy Joel or Elton John. Very confused. But isn’t everybody?
Matt walked into his apartment and began doing laundry. One of his favorite pastimes. Why no one knows. But there is something about laundry. His mind drifted to Sumner and knew he would email her and see if she wanted to grab dinner or hang out in SoHo. He hoped it would last.
He popped the “Wedding Singer” into his DVD player, but his mind was focused on Sumner. Odd, for him during a Drew Barrymore movie. But he really liked this girl.
Sumner sat on her terrace and looked at the photo of Matt and dreamed she was falling into a relationship with him. She was scared. She didn’t know how to handle it and was hoping she’d be okay and able to let things happen. She wanted to love and be loved more than anything.
Over the next few weeks, they began seeing each other on a regular basis. Sumner and Matt did all the normal things couples do-movies, Broadways shows, dinner, museums and just spent time gazing into each other’s eyes. They had deep conversations about their beliefs and wishes. They really enjoyed each other’s company. They shared all of their feelings and had meaningful sex. They took this step slow.
Sumner was nervous. She had been with a few guys. But she was really in love this time. Well as a guy, Matt wanted her from the day they were in Starbucks. But he just wanted her to be comfortable and really be happy.
Sumner was experiencing feelings she never felt before. Matt too. But hers were really rattling her. She was so happy and so unsure how to handle it. She actually wore pink a few times instead of her usual black attire. She smiled. Her colleagues at work knew she was in love.
Flowers adorned her desk. Cute cards and teddy bears were there too. She glowed. Matt was treating her like the princess she deserved to be treated like. He was ecstatic. He also had no idea what he was feeling. But he knew it was good.
They were planning a trip to Aruba to escape the bitter cold weather. Sumner was never one to wear a bathing suit and lay on the beach. But off to J. Crew she went. She was buying plenty of them. Yes, she bought mostly black-not to hide her body. She has nothing to hide. She is in model form. No matter how happy she was, black was still her best friend.
Aruba was fantastic the two of them laid on the beach, drank rum, went SCUBA diving, read lots of books and shared each other’s company. Tan they were. In love too. As they slept in the Aruba Grand, Matt dreamed of watching her walk down the aisle in her black wedding dress. Yeah, black. A bit unusual. But that summed them up. He decided he wasn’t wearing a tux, he’d be dressed in the latest Reaction line.
Finally spring had arrived and Sumner was very happy, yet still rattled. She was so in love. But having such a hard time handling it. She was clearly not sure if she deserved to feel this and why someone as smart and cute as Matt loved her so much.
She decided to cook him dinner one Saturday night. Something she never did for anyone even herself. All of her food was ready made from the local deli her mom took her too all of her life.
Naturally, Sumner went to the deli and picked up string bean salads, chickpeas, a London broil, Worcestershire sauce and Semolina bread. She was really excited. She bought a nice bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon and a delicious crumb cake from her favorite bakery. Of course, she knew Matt would probably bring her a terrific bottle of wine and great desert but she was just doing everything she could think of.
She got home cleaned up her apartment. She took the meat out of the refrigerator and turned on the broiler.
She even opened the knives and other silverware her grandmother, a heavyset Russian who emigrated to the U.S. in the late 1920s gave her when she moved into her Bay Terrace apartment. Grandma even tried to teach her to cook. But eventually gave up when she realized she was wasting her time. Grandma dreamed everyday that Sumner would learn.
“Ow, well I guess I should learn how to use these cooking knives and cut the meat and not my finger. Oh well.”
She washed her finger off and just laughed nervously. She washed the blood off the knife too. All she wanted was the food to be perfect and spend the in night Matt’s arms.
“Grandma, its Sumner.”
“I know darling how are you?”
“Well remember when you used to try to teach me to cook and I never paid attention. But just laughed while you were trying so hard to help me. I need your help. Matt is coming over for dinner and I bought a beautiful London broil lots of salads and stuff. I marinated it all day. But that’s about all I know what to do. How do I cook this hunk of meat?”
“He’s a nice boy. Jewish, too. I am very happy. This is important. Listen carefully and grandma will make sure you make his belly happy.”
Sumner and grandma spent the next forty-five minutes on the phone. The Cure was playing softly in background. Sumner was now a cook. Well at least competent enough to make a London broil and make sure the table was set properly.
They hung up the phone and Sumner’s face lit up with a beautiful smile. She had about an hour till Matt would show. She jumped in the shower and let the warm water soak her body. She got out and made sure her jet-black hair was perfect. She put on some makeup, her black Calvin Klein bra and panties and pair of black jeans from the Gap. She threw on a light green t-shirt and her Skechers. She sat on her bed for a few minutes and dreamed of how she would spend the night there with Matt.
She heard a knock on the door. A smiling Matt holding a beautiful bouquet of flowers waltzed in. He also had a bag of chocolate candies from his favorite homemade chocolate store. She was gushing. Sumner grabbed a vase and happily put the flowers in the living room. They spent the next few minutes kissing.
The kitchen had the aromas of a delicious dinner. She asked him to uncork the bottle of Yarden. Their grandparents would be pissed they weren’t drinking Kedem. But neither of them had a cough. In their minds’ that’s all that vile liquid is good for. It made a great cough medicine. Of course he had had brought a bottle of V. Sattui desert wine, maybe they’d eat the chocolates and drink that while taking a bubble bath.
She sat in his lap on the couch and sipped the wine. They didn’t speak. They just held hands and gazed into each other’s eyes and listened to the Smiths. Morrissey was singing “How Soon is Now” and other tunes. But all they cared about was each other.
She jumped off the couch and asked him to sit at the table. Like a lap dog he scurried over to the table and was amazed at how pretty it looked.
“Wow my Goth girl seems so Upper East Side. Scary but unreal. Man I love her, “ he thought.
She brought the salads to the table and asked him to cut the bread, which he did. He smeared butter all over it. It felt so good in her apartment. The mood was perfect.
Sumner’s head was revolving in about a thousand directions. Well at least her mind was. Things seemed so perfect. G-d she dreamed of the day he put the engagement ring on her finger. She even thought about being a mom. Something so far away from her usual thoughts. The Morrissey CD ended and Depeche Mode started playing, “Somebody”:
“This is the first time I ever cooked for anyone. I hope a did a good job.”
“I’m sure you did. It smells so good. Man you set the table so nice. I love you so much. I really want have a deep conversation with you later, perhaps in the bathtub.”
“Oh G-d, yes I do. Please tell me you are thinking about buying me a ring.”
He nodded his head.
The two of them sat and ate quietly. She was so happy, yet so scared. The sun was just about to set. She figured they wait a little while and then eat the cake and maybe eat the candy in bed. She wanted him to feed it to her.
“Matt the sun is setting, wanna jump onto the terrace and have another glass of wine and in breathe in the air and just look at each other?”
“Couldn’t think of anything better to do. I love you.”
The two walked out onto the terrace, which was off her bedroom. She decided it was time to mellow out with her lover. She popped the “Dark Side of the Moon” into the CD player and grabbed her bong. He was smiling. He hadn’t smoked in years. Neither had she, but there was something about this moment that called for it.
They just stared at each with big smiles. Sumner was so happy, yet so scared. She saw some squirrels running around the courtyard of her building complex. Matt threw a piece of bread their way. She laughed, yet something inside was scaring her. But what she couldn’t tell. He started kissing her. She was getting very excited and dreaming of making love in the shower. Their hands were all over each other.
He was thinking about marrying Sumner. He was so excited. She was even more excited and scared to death. Their lips were locked onto each other’s. His hands were all over her. “Us and Them” was blasting out of her bedroom, where they were certainly headed too. She was screaming in happiness. She was unzipping his jeans. The sun was setting.
They just looked into each other’s eyes and smiled. Tears were falling out of Sumner’s eyes. Her mind was spinning. She thought of all of her previous days when she thought no one would love her. She was so happy. Yet so scared. Why would someone actually care so much about her?
Sumner kissed him again and again. She dreamed of having kids with him. She thought of all the cute toys she would buy them. She wanted to be the best mom in the world. All of a sudden she just wrapped her hands around him and started hugging him real tight. She never got this close to anyone. She was squeezing him so hard. He was gasping for air. He started to scream in pain.
He tried to loosen her grip and just kept kissing her. Her hands loosened for a second or two. They then went around his neck as she started rubbing him there. His breathing was back in control. She started massaging his neck really hard and squeezed him there. Again, Matt was gasping for air and she just squeezed harder and harder. She was losing all control. She was so in love and so wondering if this was right for her. She knew it was. All of a sudden she squeezed him so hard he let out his last gasp. His whole body went limp and he fell to ground.
“Oh my G-d, what did I do?” she cried out.
He lay on the ground. She opened his mouth and opened his shut eyes. She felt no heartbeat. He was no longer breathing.
Sumner laid herself on top of her lover’s body and broke out into tears.
The CD ended.
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