On Life Too Many - Part 4 by Ke'Anna
Augustus: Everybody needs companionship, even in a place like Oz. No, I'm not
talking about fucking, at least not totally. I mean, something that you can
share things with, someone you can talk to, something that understands you. And
I can tell you this, the guys in Em City can make some strange bedfellows, in
more ways than one.
Miguel watched his new friend closely, as he told his tale of woe, aka "How
Miguel Alvarez ending up a guest in the palatial "Emerald City". It ended with,
"It was a setup man. I'm in-no-cent! They don't put you in a place like this
just for what I done."
"You beat an old man," Todd commented quietly, "you busted his windows, then you
slashed his face," his hands stole absent to the scar on his one cheek, and as
if hypnotized, Miguel did the same. "I guess you have to get something for
that."
Miguel shrugged, "I guess, but I still think it's too much. If I hadn't been in
here, maybe me and Maritza could have done something. Maybe our baby would've
died."
Todd's eyes perked up. "Your baby died? How?"
"He was sick. Right after he was born, he was sick The docs say it was because
Maritza and me took drugs before he was born. I don't know, man. I miss him. I
guess I went a little crazy after he died. I thought God was punishing me. So I
took away the thing I loved most in the world. Before he was born, that is. My
looks. I slashed my face. I thought maybe if I did that, and you know, showed
repentance and all that shit, for being so vain, He'd let my baby live. But...."
"...he died anyway," Todd offered, "Well, I don't know what to say to that. Me
and God have never been best buds." Todd's eyes grew stormy. "I uh...I uh don't
talk about this much but...I had a son too. He died before he was born. My-my
wife at the time, Blair, was mugged in Angel Square. The guy pushed her down and
she lost the baby."
"Angel Square?"
"Yeah," Todd looked at Miguel pointedly, "That's the Hispanic neighborhood."
Miguel shrugged, "Well, *I* didn't know him," he protested, smiling slightly.
Todd smiled back. "I know. You're all right, Tito. I don't say that to everybody
so feel blessed."
Miguel rolled his eyes and laughed, "Yeah right, man, whatever. You know, I knew
their was something about you, something we had in common, besides these," he
pointed to his scar. "I'm not saying that makes us bosom buddies or some shit
like that, but...at least we understand each other."
"Understand each other," Todd scoffed, "Miguel, you can try for you whole life
and you'll never understand me, I guarantee you that."
Before Miguel could answer, they both heard a ruckus coming from inside the
common area. "Yeah," Miguel sighed, "I was wondering how long it would take
before those assholes started up again. We better get in there."
The two men made a shuffle-run toward the noise, not wanting to miss a thing.
Augustus: Everybody needs companionship, even in a place like Oz. No, I'm not
talking about fucking, at least not totally. I mean, something that you can
share things with, someone you can talk to, something that understands you. And
I can tell you this, the guys in Em City can make some strange bedfellows, in
more ways than one.
Miguel watched his new friend closely, as he told his tale of woe, aka "How
Miguel Alvarez ending up a guest in the palatial "Emerald City". It ended with,
"It was a setup man. I'm in-no-cent! They don't put you in a place like this
just for what I done."
"You beat an old man," Todd commented quietly, "you busted his windows, then you
slashed his face," his hands stole absent to the scar on his one cheek, and as
if hypnotized, Miguel did the same. "I guess you have to get something for
that."
Miguel shrugged, "I guess, but I still think it's too much. If I hadn't been in
here, maybe me and Maritza could have done something. Maybe our baby would've
died."
Todd's eyes perked up. "Your baby died? How?"
"He was sick. Right after he was born, he was sick The docs say it was because
Maritza and me took drugs before he was born. I don't know, man. I miss him. I
guess I went a little crazy after he died. I thought God was punishing me. So I
took away the thing I loved most in the world. Before he was born, that is. My
looks. I slashed my face. I thought maybe if I did that, and you know, showed
repentance and all that shit, for being so vain, He'd let my baby live. But...."
"...he died anyway," Todd offered, "Well, I don't know what to say to that. Me
and God have never been best buds." Todd's eyes grew stormy. "I uh...I uh don't
talk about this much but...I had a son too. He died before he was born. My-my
wife at the time, Blair, was mugged in Angel Square. The guy pushed her down and
she lost the baby."
"Angel Square?"
"Yeah," Todd looked at Miguel pointedly, "That's the Hispanic neighborhood."
Miguel shrugged, "Well, *I* didn't know him," he protested, smiling slightly.
Todd smiled back. "I know. You're all right, Tito. I don't say that to everybody
so feel blessed."
Miguel rolled his eyes and laughed, "Yeah right, man, whatever. You know, I knew
their was something about you, something we had in common, besides these," he
pointed to his scar. "I'm not saying that makes us bosom buddies or some shit
like that, but...at least we understand each other."
"Understand each other," Todd scoffed, "Miguel, you can try for you whole life
and you'll never understand me, I guarantee you that."
Before Miguel could answer, they both heard a ruckus coming from inside the
common area. "Yeah," Miguel sighed, "I was wondering how long it would take
before those assholes started up again. We better get in there."
The two men made a shuffle-run toward the noise, not wanting to miss a thing.