to pick me up.”
Matt winked at Keelen. He then asked Cindy, “Is there a dead person sitting next to me right now?”
“ Yes, there is a woman sitting next to you.”
“ Oh, really,” Matt said. “What she look like?”
Cindy squinted hard. “She looks like...she looks like a prostitute.”
Matt couldn ’t contain himself as he let out a cackle.
“ She’s actually going for your pants. Yep, she’s trying to pull at your zipper.”
“ Cindy,” Keelen yelled. “What are you doing?”
“ I’m just telling you guys what I see! Don’t shoot the messenger.”
Keelen let out a deep sigh and smacked her forehead, aghast at Cindy ’s strange behavior.
“ I tell it as I see it, I’m sorry.”
“ I swear, you’re nuts sometimes,” Keelen said.
“ Cindy, I appreciate your honesty, don’t worry about it,” said Matt, as he began to count the cash from his wallet. He calmly glared at a pouch on Cindy’s side. “What’s that?”
“ Oh, yeah, this is the reason I came here. I wanted to show you guys something and I got distracted about the whole Logan thing,” said Cindy.
She pulled the strings that held the small, velvet tote bag together. She reached inside and pulled out a small, brass ho llowed ball with inscriptions written in Latin. She proceeded to place it on the table. Matt and Keelen expected the ball to roll, but it just stayed in one spot, seemingly defying the laws of physics.
“ That’s strange, it’s not rolling,” observed Matt.
“ That’s the reason I got it. Pretty neat isn’t it?” said Cindy with glee.
“ Where’d you find it?” asked Keelen, who pushed the ball with her slender finger, but it slid on the table like a metallic block.
“ I got it at Raffi’s place down the street.”
“ That’s the pawn shop with the giant hookahs in the front, right?” asked Matt.
“ Yeah, he’s got all kinds of strange stuff in there. He gave me a good deal on this thing today. He also said if I came in tomorrow, he’d have more and because I’m his favorite customer, he’d sell me crazier stuff than this little ball here on the cheap.”
“ Can I come?” asked Keelen.
“ No, he told me not to tell anyone.”
“ Well, why not?”
“ Keelen, I’ve been his only regular customer all these years and now he’s losing the shop. Actually, he said he’s leaving L.A. for Iran or something, and he has to leave the store behind. So, he’s giving me exclusive first dibs on all the stuff I can afford in his store.”
“ Well, make sure to get me a new rug. I’ll pay you back,” said Matt, rising up to take the bill to the register.
Keelen scooted out of the booth and walked right up to Matt. She wrapped her arms around his powerful torso and snuggled up to the side of his face. “You okay with everything?”
“ Yeah, I’m cool. Seriously, it’s not a problem,” he said. His body tensed a little.
“ Let’s go, Keelen. We should get you to work before Logan wakes up from his trendy coffin,” said Cindy.
Keelen ’s green eyes transfixed on Matt’s and they froze with concentrated affection. He appreciated Keelen’s passionate attempts at direct eye contact, but it made him squirm. “I hate it when you do that,” he said.
“ What, just stare into your eyes blankly?”
“ It makes me feel uncomfortable. My eyes can’t stay locked for that long.”
“ Then you still don’t feel what I feel.”
Matt groaned and rubbed her arm with his finger . “Olympics, baby. The Olympics.”
8
Pins and Emails
A large map hung on the wall. It was an old ratty one extracted from an ancient Thomas Guide , with torn edges and its conspicuous red, cursive logo faded by the many months it had fronted the sun. Red thumbtacks littered the street names like a general’s war table. Logan stood in front of the map, hands on his hips and pondered the results. A mother and daughter sat behind him on the sofa, smiles on their faces, tension wrinkling both
Matt winked at Keelen. He then asked Cindy, “Is there a dead person sitting next to me right now?”
“ Yes, there is a woman sitting next to you.”
“ Oh, really,” Matt said. “What she look like?”
Cindy squinted hard. “She looks like...she looks like a prostitute.”
Matt couldn ’t contain himself as he let out a cackle.
“ She’s actually going for your pants. Yep, she’s trying to pull at your zipper.”
“ Cindy,” Keelen yelled. “What are you doing?”
“ I’m just telling you guys what I see! Don’t shoot the messenger.”
Keelen let out a deep sigh and smacked her forehead, aghast at Cindy ’s strange behavior.
“ I tell it as I see it, I’m sorry.”
“ I swear, you’re nuts sometimes,” Keelen said.
“ Cindy, I appreciate your honesty, don’t worry about it,” said Matt, as he began to count the cash from his wallet. He calmly glared at a pouch on Cindy’s side. “What’s that?”
“ Oh, yeah, this is the reason I came here. I wanted to show you guys something and I got distracted about the whole Logan thing,” said Cindy.
She pulled the strings that held the small, velvet tote bag together. She reached inside and pulled out a small, brass ho llowed ball with inscriptions written in Latin. She proceeded to place it on the table. Matt and Keelen expected the ball to roll, but it just stayed in one spot, seemingly defying the laws of physics.
“ That’s strange, it’s not rolling,” observed Matt.
“ That’s the reason I got it. Pretty neat isn’t it?” said Cindy with glee.
“ Where’d you find it?” asked Keelen, who pushed the ball with her slender finger, but it slid on the table like a metallic block.
“ I got it at Raffi’s place down the street.”
“ That’s the pawn shop with the giant hookahs in the front, right?” asked Matt.
“ Yeah, he’s got all kinds of strange stuff in there. He gave me a good deal on this thing today. He also said if I came in tomorrow, he’d have more and because I’m his favorite customer, he’d sell me crazier stuff than this little ball here on the cheap.”
“ Can I come?” asked Keelen.
“ No, he told me not to tell anyone.”
“ Well, why not?”
“ Keelen, I’ve been his only regular customer all these years and now he’s losing the shop. Actually, he said he’s leaving L.A. for Iran or something, and he has to leave the store behind. So, he’s giving me exclusive first dibs on all the stuff I can afford in his store.”
“ Well, make sure to get me a new rug. I’ll pay you back,” said Matt, rising up to take the bill to the register.
Keelen scooted out of the booth and walked right up to Matt. She wrapped her arms around his powerful torso and snuggled up to the side of his face. “You okay with everything?”
“ Yeah, I’m cool. Seriously, it’s not a problem,” he said. His body tensed a little.
“ Let’s go, Keelen. We should get you to work before Logan wakes up from his trendy coffin,” said Cindy.
Keelen ’s green eyes transfixed on Matt’s and they froze with concentrated affection. He appreciated Keelen’s passionate attempts at direct eye contact, but it made him squirm. “I hate it when you do that,” he said.
“ What, just stare into your eyes blankly?”
“ It makes me feel uncomfortable. My eyes can’t stay locked for that long.”
“ Then you still don’t feel what I feel.”
Matt groaned and rubbed her arm with his finger . “Olympics, baby. The Olympics.”
8
Pins and Emails
A large map hung on the wall. It was an old ratty one extracted from an ancient Thomas Guide , with torn edges and its conspicuous red, cursive logo faded by the many months it had fronted the sun. Red thumbtacks littered the street names like a general’s war table. Logan stood in front of the map, hands on his hips and pondered the results. A mother and daughter sat behind him on the sofa, smiles on their faces, tension wrinkling both
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