you know what I mean. Besides, you got beat by Atmosphero, and the guy’s like, what? A tier three guy? Who’s going to want to give you a chance?”
“You saying I’m on my own?”
He laughed, “Of course not! You kidding me? You think I’d drop you after the first step back? Come on, you have to have more confidence in me. In yourself.”
I sat back, flustered and frustrated, my every move checked. I saw no way to go forward without being thwarted.
“The thing that bothers me about you is that you don’t even know what you want to be. What the fuck are you doing with the bow and arrow bit, huh? You’re strong as shit. You’re tough as shit. You should be trading blows with the big guys, like Epic and Paladin. I mean, seriously, how’d he even beat you?”
“I don’t know,” I started, but he went on.
“He’s nothing next to you, man,” Sandy continued. “You have to tell me that shit was a huge mistake, that you were high or something, because if you can’t beat a guy like that, maybe it is time to move on to something else.”
“I beat him once,” I said, feeling the blood boil under my fingernails, getting far angrier at the whole thing than I should have.
He looked at me, nodding.
“When he caught me, I was Dale, you know?” I went on. “I was chilling, drinking a beer. I’d been surfing all day. My mind wasn’t in it at all. I was totally defensive.”
Sandy shrugged. “Then be ‘Dale’ less,” he said, noticing the waitress approach. “Take this shit serious is all I’m saying. Why bother otherwise?”
Valeria came over, standing how waiters do with her hands clenched behind her back.
“And how is everything? It looks like someone liked their meal!” she said, looking down at my empty plate. Sandy was still picking.
“Would you like anything else?” she added.
“Yeah,” Sandy laughed, mid-bite.
Afraid he was going to say something rude, I said, “Could you get me some more coffee?”
“Be my pleasure.”
Sandy ogled her as she walked off. “Her pleasure. I bet.”
He looked over at me, suddenly serious.
“You know, you eat really fast.”
“Ever had jail food?”
“Good point,” he said and wiped his mouth with his napkin as the phone rang again.
“We’ll talk more about that in the coming days,” he continued, ignoring the call. “For now, you lay low. Like LOW, ok?”
“Got it,” I said.
“You okay on money?”
“I’m good,” I lied.
“Stay out of trouble and I might have something for us. Maybe. I gotta check. This whole Jet Propulsion Lab thing might change things, but I can’t promise anything.”
His phone rang again.
“Damn it, something must’ve happened at the office. I got to head back. You got this?”
“Sure,” I said as he answered the phone and stormed off to the valet stand. He was racing off in his Mercedes when I realized I had gone into jail in my boxer shorts, and now had no money on me. I didn’t even have my credit cards or identification, which had probably been lost along with everything else in the house.
“Fuck!”
“Something wrong?” Valeria asked, hearing me as she was tending the table with the well-dressed guy. She walked over.
“Oh, it’s nothing. Sorry,” I muttered.
“Your friend had to leave?”
And with him he left all chance of my paying for this meal. I was out of jail less than an hour and I was already about to commit another crime. Over a fifty dollar tab. I could get up and walk off. There wasn’t anything Valeria or anyone else could do about it. Nor any cops nor anyone else, short of a super being in the restaurant right now. But I didn’t leave. And it wasn’t because of the money. I hate to admit it; I didn’t want to do something so stupid and callous.
“Yes, Valeria, uhm...” I managed, wholly ashamed of myself. “I have a problem. My friend...”
I paused again, not sure where to start. I felt like such a loser, such a failure. “Hi, my name is Dale McKeown and
“You saying I’m on my own?”
He laughed, “Of course not! You kidding me? You think I’d drop you after the first step back? Come on, you have to have more confidence in me. In yourself.”
I sat back, flustered and frustrated, my every move checked. I saw no way to go forward without being thwarted.
“The thing that bothers me about you is that you don’t even know what you want to be. What the fuck are you doing with the bow and arrow bit, huh? You’re strong as shit. You’re tough as shit. You should be trading blows with the big guys, like Epic and Paladin. I mean, seriously, how’d he even beat you?”
“I don’t know,” I started, but he went on.
“He’s nothing next to you, man,” Sandy continued. “You have to tell me that shit was a huge mistake, that you were high or something, because if you can’t beat a guy like that, maybe it is time to move on to something else.”
“I beat him once,” I said, feeling the blood boil under my fingernails, getting far angrier at the whole thing than I should have.
He looked at me, nodding.
“When he caught me, I was Dale, you know?” I went on. “I was chilling, drinking a beer. I’d been surfing all day. My mind wasn’t in it at all. I was totally defensive.”
Sandy shrugged. “Then be ‘Dale’ less,” he said, noticing the waitress approach. “Take this shit serious is all I’m saying. Why bother otherwise?”
Valeria came over, standing how waiters do with her hands clenched behind her back.
“And how is everything? It looks like someone liked their meal!” she said, looking down at my empty plate. Sandy was still picking.
“Would you like anything else?” she added.
“Yeah,” Sandy laughed, mid-bite.
Afraid he was going to say something rude, I said, “Could you get me some more coffee?”
“Be my pleasure.”
Sandy ogled her as she walked off. “Her pleasure. I bet.”
He looked over at me, suddenly serious.
“You know, you eat really fast.”
“Ever had jail food?”
“Good point,” he said and wiped his mouth with his napkin as the phone rang again.
“We’ll talk more about that in the coming days,” he continued, ignoring the call. “For now, you lay low. Like LOW, ok?”
“Got it,” I said.
“You okay on money?”
“I’m good,” I lied.
“Stay out of trouble and I might have something for us. Maybe. I gotta check. This whole Jet Propulsion Lab thing might change things, but I can’t promise anything.”
His phone rang again.
“Damn it, something must’ve happened at the office. I got to head back. You got this?”
“Sure,” I said as he answered the phone and stormed off to the valet stand. He was racing off in his Mercedes when I realized I had gone into jail in my boxer shorts, and now had no money on me. I didn’t even have my credit cards or identification, which had probably been lost along with everything else in the house.
“Fuck!”
“Something wrong?” Valeria asked, hearing me as she was tending the table with the well-dressed guy. She walked over.
“Oh, it’s nothing. Sorry,” I muttered.
“Your friend had to leave?”
And with him he left all chance of my paying for this meal. I was out of jail less than an hour and I was already about to commit another crime. Over a fifty dollar tab. I could get up and walk off. There wasn’t anything Valeria or anyone else could do about it. Nor any cops nor anyone else, short of a super being in the restaurant right now. But I didn’t leave. And it wasn’t because of the money. I hate to admit it; I didn’t want to do something so stupid and callous.
“Yes, Valeria, uhm...” I managed, wholly ashamed of myself. “I have a problem. My friend...”
I paused again, not sure where to start. I felt like such a loser, such a failure. “Hi, my name is Dale McKeown and
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