Chapter Four: Snore
(Shooter you God damn bastard! What the fuck did you do to her?)
:::She ran away, Mr. Rainey. She jus' ran away. Far away from you as she could get. An' I don't say I blame her.:::
(Well I wasn't asking for your opinion Shooter.) I get in the car. More bloody drugs are gonna cost me a bomb, what'd Shooter have to get rid of them for anyway? Stupid bastard.
Drugs did cost a bomb. I'm two minds whether to stop by at the literary agency to see Clementine.
:::You're always in two minds, Mr. Rainey.:::
(Nah uh Mr. Shooter, you're mind is a mystery, even to me. But if it'll keep you happy.) I was in three minds whether to stop by at the literary agency to see Clementine, that better?
:::That it is, Mr. Rainey.:::
(Thanks for your concern.) And in the end I do.
"Mr. Rainey," she says, a little nervously.
"Listen, Clementine. I know you saw Shooter last night, I just wanted to stop by and see if you were ok."
"That's nice of you Mr. Rainey."
"Mort. So, you're ok?"
"Yes, I'm alright Mort."
"I'm so sorry you had to see him. I got some new drugs, hopefully they'll work better."
Of course they'll work better, you weren't even taking the old ones.
"Right, Mr. Rainey, Mort."
"Clementine, you're scared of me."
"No, I'm not, Mort. I'm just a little spooked out right now."
"Sure, I understand. I think someone wants you." Some smartass is signalling over from the other side of the office. She turns away and looks. I leave.
Now you've gone and done it, Shooter. Shit, shit, shit. Now she's never gonna trust me. I go back home and fall asleep on the sofa.
Ring ring!!!
I roll over.
Ring ring!!!
I groan.
Ring ring!!!
"FOR FUCKS SAKE!!!"
I pick up the phone.
"Mort?"
"Clementine?"
"Yes, Mort. I was just wondering, what you were doing tonight, I was gonna ask you this morning, but, I was still a bit spooked about last night, you know? Maybe, maybe it would work better, if we give it another try."
Tonight? What's the time? Fuck, half past eight? I've slept all day. Bloody split personality pills, sleeping pills, what's the bloody difference? Shit.
"I'm, I'm free, this evening, Clementine."
"Great, I'm outside."
"You're what?" I'm a bit stunned. I peek out of the curtains. She is, indeed, outside. So, I open the door. She's not dressed up, jeans and tee shirt, we're not going anywhere particularly expensive. That's ok by me.
"Hey, Clementine."
"Hey Mort." She comes in. "You look a bit underdressed." She's right, I have on my black jogging pants, and my dressing gown, that is it. "Well, I didn't want to go anywhere anyway. I just wanted to be here with you for a while." She gets a beer out of the fridge.
:::Does she live here now, Mr. Rainey?:::
(No, she doesn't Shooter.)
"Alright, but you're only having one of those, I don't want you drunk like last night."
"Yeah, I figured that had been pretty bad. I couldn't remember much, I think that's why I go so wound up about Shooter, you know?"
Awkward silence.
"So, these are your new drugs, huh?"
"Yeah, at least with these if Shooter comes back I can snore him to death." We both curl up on the sofa.
"Make you sleepy huh?"
"Yup."
"Well, I don't want you to fall asleep. You'd be no good to me then."
What?
:::What?:::
"What?"
"I just wanted to say, that I'm really attracted to you."
"You're not so bad yourself." She leans in for a kiss. What do I do?
:::Kiss her back, Mr. Rainey.:::
(For once, Shooter, you're talking sense.) So I kiss her.
(Shooter you God damn bastard! What the fuck did you do to her?)
:::She ran away, Mr. Rainey. She jus' ran away. Far away from you as she could get. An' I don't say I blame her.:::
(Well I wasn't asking for your opinion Shooter.) I get in the car. More bloody drugs are gonna cost me a bomb, what'd Shooter have to get rid of them for anyway? Stupid bastard.
Drugs did cost a bomb. I'm two minds whether to stop by at the literary agency to see Clementine.
:::You're always in two minds, Mr. Rainey.:::
(Nah uh Mr. Shooter, you're mind is a mystery, even to me. But if it'll keep you happy.) I was in three minds whether to stop by at the literary agency to see Clementine, that better?
:::That it is, Mr. Rainey.:::
(Thanks for your concern.) And in the end I do.
"Mr. Rainey," she says, a little nervously.
"Listen, Clementine. I know you saw Shooter last night, I just wanted to stop by and see if you were ok."
"That's nice of you Mr. Rainey."
"Mort. So, you're ok?"
"Yes, I'm alright Mort."
"I'm so sorry you had to see him. I got some new drugs, hopefully they'll work better."
Of course they'll work better, you weren't even taking the old ones.
"Right, Mr. Rainey, Mort."
"Clementine, you're scared of me."
"No, I'm not, Mort. I'm just a little spooked out right now."
"Sure, I understand. I think someone wants you." Some smartass is signalling over from the other side of the office. She turns away and looks. I leave.
Now you've gone and done it, Shooter. Shit, shit, shit. Now she's never gonna trust me. I go back home and fall asleep on the sofa.
Ring ring!!!
I roll over.
Ring ring!!!
I groan.
Ring ring!!!
"FOR FUCKS SAKE!!!"
I pick up the phone.
"Mort?"
"Clementine?"
"Yes, Mort. I was just wondering, what you were doing tonight, I was gonna ask you this morning, but, I was still a bit spooked about last night, you know? Maybe, maybe it would work better, if we give it another try."
Tonight? What's the time? Fuck, half past eight? I've slept all day. Bloody split personality pills, sleeping pills, what's the bloody difference? Shit.
"I'm, I'm free, this evening, Clementine."
"Great, I'm outside."
"You're what?" I'm a bit stunned. I peek out of the curtains. She is, indeed, outside. So, I open the door. She's not dressed up, jeans and tee shirt, we're not going anywhere particularly expensive. That's ok by me.
"Hey, Clementine."
"Hey Mort." She comes in. "You look a bit underdressed." She's right, I have on my black jogging pants, and my dressing gown, that is it. "Well, I didn't want to go anywhere anyway. I just wanted to be here with you for a while." She gets a beer out of the fridge.
:::Does she live here now, Mr. Rainey?:::
(No, she doesn't Shooter.)
"Alright, but you're only having one of those, I don't want you drunk like last night."
"Yeah, I figured that had been pretty bad. I couldn't remember much, I think that's why I go so wound up about Shooter, you know?"
Awkward silence.
"So, these are your new drugs, huh?"
"Yeah, at least with these if Shooter comes back I can snore him to death." We both curl up on the sofa.
"Make you sleepy huh?"
"Yup."
"Well, I don't want you to fall asleep. You'd be no good to me then."
What?
:::What?:::
"What?"
"I just wanted to say, that I'm really attracted to you."
"You're not so bad yourself." She leans in for a kiss. What do I do?
:::Kiss her back, Mr. Rainey.:::
(For once, Shooter, you're talking sense.) So I kiss her.