A LIVE STORY

A Live Story

Friday, January 06, 2006

Part I of A "Live" Story

A Live Story

CHAPTER I

Aggression was never Todds style. Hed been a push over all of his life in fact. He was uncomfortable, nervous, exhausted, and slapped with the painstaking reality that the most ridiculous, improbable situation had flapped in like a winged elephant and plopped its fat rump right on his back. He exhaled a gust of thick smoke: 1/3 nicotine, 1/3 steam, and 1/3 of the rest of what little energy he had left. His lungs were itchy and achy and filling up with a sort of phlegm that tasted like iron every time he coughed. It was nothin new just a little asthma attack to top off the whole rotten excuse for an evening. At least his toe had stopped bleeding. The frigid breeze that tore through the deep dark subway slowed his circulation down to a trickle. It was just past 4:00 AM and hed already heard every cliché hed ever heard in his life at least twice. People are so predictable, he complained inside his head as an obnoxious, puffy eyed young man insisted on interviewing the dumbest bum he could find. The boy wasnt even a reporter or a newscaster though he seemed to think he was. You know the kind...they cant just shoot some footage they have to elaborate and hype everything up. He was sickening. Using words like: this is just a mess folks. (As if he were on Fox News Live!) He was just sickening. The punk wasnt even there when the damned train derailed! He most likely woke up in some stanky old cab, waltzed into the subway, saw the commotion, and started shooting. Sirwhere exactly were you when the incident occurred?, he continued, pointing the cheap hand held camcorder in the old mans face. The old bum glistened in his 15 minutes of fame. Well I was sittin down in front of dat pillar and I hirt dis screechin sound an I turned aroun., the old man began. Oh you werent actually on the train sir?, the young camera boy interrupted. Wellno but I seent all of it! Oh kay CUT!, the boy smarted off looking around for a better subject, breaking the old mans heart and smashing his chance at stardom.

He did NOT just say CuT did he?!, Todd thought to himself louder than he intended, his toe (or lack there of) beginning to throb again. Hed managed to control the pain somewhat mentally until camera boy came in ruining his concentration and shortening what little pleasure his last crooked smoke offered him. About that time camera boy turned on Todd. Sir., he began. GET. THE HELL AWAY FROM ME!, Todd barked instinctively sending the boy running to the next fame seeker. Well thank God no one was hurt., someone in the distance quoted unconsciously. Looking down at his tattered shoe and half missing big toe, he grimaced and griped to himself pointing his anger towards whatever idiot said that. So predicable, he reassured himself. Youre so bent on throwing that no one got hurt line that you didnt even notice the little boy with the bloody nose, or the old lady with her freakin eye hangin out, or THIS!, he screamed in his own head forcing his freaky toe out into the isle sending a streak of pain straight up to his throat. It was a bad night. The train wreck was just the icing on the cake. It had been a long day too. Todd tried but didnt have the energy it took to summon up enough memory for a recap. He decided just to leave his toe out in the isle, smoke his cigarette and beat the brains out of the first person who even came close, or even muttered a discouraging word about his newly reformed big toe! No one even knows where I am, he laughed lightly and insanely and sucked on his last smoke for the third time.

This particular night was not the worst that Todd remembered. No, there were much worse days. Besides, in the long run (or should I say within the next hour) Todd was to meet Robinthe one who could take the pain away.

CHAPTER II

What cha doin? A long pause followed as the annoying little girl spooled over for a closer look. Whats it look like? Carson returned in the same inquisitive tone. Another long pause followed. Well I would say it looks like youre planting a tree. Carson shot a glance over his shoulder just enough to see the little twerp decked out in a helmet, knee and elbow pads with one foot on the sidewalk and the other on a pink metallic scooter. You guessed it, he somewhat admitted. So what cha plantin? she persisted. A tree, Carson blurted with sarcasm after a short break from digging to throw a big ole DUH gesture at the child. Doing so, he realized, just put him on her level. He hated kids. Not all of them actually, just the annoying ones like this particular one. Kids dont know how to hold their tongues and have no problem pointing out the obvious. Carson certainly didnt need any snotty nosed brat snooping and scoping around his house today. Well DUH, she said tossing him the same gesture. It was obvious she fully read into his actions. It was this particular reason he hated kids of this sort. He especially disliked the smart ones. What I meant was, she continued, what kind of tree? Without hesitation and without covering up the fact that she was trespassing he blurted, Spruce. Whats a spruce? she questioned peering at the back of his head so much that he could feel it. Its a tree, he replied. Dont you have some scooting to do? he gestured pointing towards the busy street. Nah. Im tired of riding, she said matter of factly. Besides I think Im getting corporal tunnel syndrome in my foot. Carson snorted slightly with a quick smile which he covered up by a sniff followed up by wiping his nose with one of the soil coated garden gloves he wore. He finally turned to get a full look at the child. She was adorable even though such a word was non-existent in Carsons usual vocabulary. In fact, his vocabulary usually consisted of foul four letter words with a few nouns and verbs thrown in between. Even thinking such a word was unusual. So unusual, in fact, that he was beginning to scare himself. And like any other crabby cold-hearted, lifeless human being, he completely rejected the unfamiliar emotion and hardened his heart towards the whole of it all. Hey mister, she started but was cut off by Carsons tough side. Hey kid, he interrupted, Cant you see Im busy? Go play with your friends or your dolls or whatever it is you do all day long and stop bothering me! Im very busycant you see that!? he nearly shouted. He immediately continued to work as his anger and impatience swelled inside his chest and his brain was forced backwards to a time when he was about the little girls age. He quickly shut off the awful memory and sunk the shovel blade deeply and angrily into the mud. Surely that will get rid of her he thought. It did. After a long stare the child turned, eased away, and one foot at a time wobbled off on her shiny new scooter. Carson immediately felt regret but an apology was something he was incapable of so he ignored the second thought and kept on working. He could not resist a glance though. He could not deny that the regret was there no matter how bad he wanted it not to exist. Of course a part of him said: What are you a sissy now? He dug deeper and harder and kept the shrinking profile of the kid in the corner of his eye and the very back of his bleeding heart. He was numb but it was nothing he couldnt handle. Damned kids, he mumbled, Thats why I hate kids. The child, nearly out of his view strolled slowly with her head down and eyes slightly moist, mumbled to herself also: I dont have any friends.

It was getting dark and Carsons hole in the ground was finished. With an inconspicuous stretch and glance around the neighborhood, he lifted the black plastic from the small tree revealing the tree itself and another small package wrapped in freezer paper. He unraveled the white paper and took one last look at the familiar set of severed human hands, one with an all too familiar black onyx ring. He quickly and discreetly dropped them in the hole and shoveled a foot or two of soil on top of them. The tree would go on top of that and the rest of the soil would snug the tree in the ground, and that would be the end of that Bastards legacy. With emotions swirling in his heart and his mind racing, Carson began setting the tree in the hole. His eyes were running, and he began to sob. But it was getting dark so no one could see. Five blocks down the road a small child was struck by a speeding Bonneville.

CHAPTER III

Davids gaze passed through the window and rested upon an endless rippling stream of black water which lined the gutter. The flashing red lights bouncing off of the surface hypnotized him and locked his eyes into a position from which he couldnt escape. It wasnt the first time hed daydreamed since becoming a paramedic. The new had worn off years ago and he became comfortable enough to do so from time to time. He no longer heard the siren and his heart hadnt skipped a beat on a call in years. Hed seen a lot of injuries and accidents over the years so this particular call, of course, shouldnt have been any different. All incidents were the same pretty much. You get the call, you go to the scene, you find out what happened, treat the patient and ship them, dead or alive, back to the meat house. Sure there was always a soft spot in his heart for the injured patients but the whole thrill and shock of it all had long since passed away. He couldnt remember exactly when he lost the thrill of the job but, it was, in fact gone. All his thoughts blended into one as he stared at the blur of images that passed by at 53 miles per hour. An occasional shoe or high heel would catch his glance but otherwise he was hung up in a daze. It was raining and the sound of the droplets pounding the windshield added to the hypnosis. And just like that he was 10 years old again. Psst.David!, a skeleton of a young boy whispered. PSST.David.. With head swimming and drool dripping onto the brown paper cover on his physical science book, David arose slowly into semi-consciousness. PSST.David, the scrawny kid whispered again. At first glance David noticed a few kids staring and giggling slightly. He was too tired and too unaware to feel any embarrassment at the time. He wasnt even sure where he was. All he knew was that his eye was tingling something fierce! Raising his head slowly and blinking rapidly he gained a little more composure and sucked the rest of the cold, dripping saliva back into his mouth. All of a sudden out of nowhere a classroom appeared. He had no idea how hed gotten there or what was going on, or even what time it was. Nevertheless he was, in fact, there and being watched. Just ahead of him and to the left a cute young girl with a pony tail tied with a baby blue ribbon was grinning at him with her head resting on her shoulder. Behind her a much chubbier girl with the same getup of a hairdo also rested her chins on her shoulder. Behind that one was a medium sized boy with an uneven buzz cut and a mischievous grin. He was pointing and making a face at something on Davids desk. Naturally David looked down and noticed the dark puddle on his book which he instinctively covered up with his hand smearing it across the paper bag colored book cover. EEEW, a few classmates chimed. Psst.David!, the skeleton boy hissed. The hiss was coming from behind and to the right. David craned his neck and gave his full attention to his scrawny friend Joey whom he hoped had something important to say. What man? Joey didnt say anything. He just pointed forward and slightly upwards. There was an all too familiar look on his face that signaled a particular gland in Davids brain which secreted a hormone called cortisol that made him feel warm all over. As if being caught slobbering in front of all his classmates wasnt embarrassing enough, there was this new feeling that a much higher power had also witnessed his irresponsible slumber. David, Mr. Ingram, said irritably sending a chill down Davids spine and fire up his neck. David instantly straightened up and with the most sober look he could possibly fake, he leaned to the left, looked the teacher straight in the eyes and said with utter intelligence, Huh? The class snickered, hissed and snorted, including his (so called) best friend Joey. David!, Joey hissed and passed a piece of paper forward without being seen. David stared at the piece of paper and quickly scanned it. In all capital letters it read:

2 MINUTES

Being saved by the generous act of his best old buddy, David regained all composure and gave the answer confidently to Mr. Ingram who was now standing in mid-isle with his hands on his hips. Uh, he began careful not to make it sound too easy. After all everyone knew math wasnt his best subject. I think its two minutesyeah.two minutes. The class roared and Joey exploded into a maniacal guffaw. What!?, Mr. Ingram barked turning his palms outward, blinking and shaking his head in total confusion. Realizing he'd been swindled, David balled the paper up, turned and hit Joey in the face with it. Joey didnt seem to mind and it pissed David off even more. Mr. Ingram being the strict but fun loving teacher that he was, realized that it was much too late in the afternoon for punishment and simply trotted back to his throne and with an I give up look, slumped down and put his feet upon the desk. Alright I wont torture you anymore this afternoon, go ahead and get your books packed upQuietly! The classmates all, very loudly, packed up their books, pens, secret toys and letters and the other unusual stuff that kids might drag along to school on a Friday. David was still sort of dazed but very relieved that the laughter and humiliation had subsided. That damned Joey, he thought squinting his eyes and cleverly flipping his slobber coated book over before slipping it into his bag which hung on the side of his desk by a strap. Amidst all the trauma that had just happened he felt like John Wayne returning his trusty six-shooter back to its rugged leather holster after dealing violently and smoothly with some wicked menace to early western society. It was freakin Friday and he had plans! Suddenly Joey was his best friend again. Joey!, he twisted and shouted. Did you get the cooler? Before Joey could answer he blurted his point out. Cause I got ten dollars from my dad this morning. Hell yeah man we can get all kindza snacks with ten dollas, Joey beamed.

The plan was simple. They were camping out that night without adult supervision! It was to be the greatest event of Davids miserable little life. Hed heard several stories about the sand pits from several kids at school but never in a million years did he ever think hed be actually a part of that great magical mysterious land just two streets and northeast of his own home. The sand pits werent that far away at all. But given the fact that all his best friends lived in a perfect circle of houses around his own, David had no reason to travel that far. He never guessed that his parents would actually allow him to do such a thing. But, with a little persistence and his parents realization that they could actually (wink wink) enjoy the time alone, he got approved and made plans to camp out with the boys at the SAND PITS!!

Smell this, Joey beamed opening his hands and waving an abomination of nature into Davids nostrils. The stench hit him so hard that he gagged momentarily, got a hold of himself and darted across the bench seat into another just across the isle from it screaming, hit the deck! The driver, who was obviously on edge due to the rambunctious behavior of a bus full of fifth thru sixth graders, gave her final warning: The next time I have to tell somebody to sit down Im gonna pull over and we gonna take a half hour break. All was quiet. All the kids knew this was no bluff. Mrs. Norwood had done it once before on a similar Friday. I know yall got plans but I aint got nothing to do tonight, I aint in no hurry!, she continued. Not a word was spokenat least, not a word over 5 decibels. Im sorry Mrs. Norwood, Joey farted and I had to get away, David confessed. Now thats just nasty, Mrs. Norwood muttered to herself while opening her side window to ensure a steady backward air flow.

Joey was a fart master. He could cut a stanky and catch it in his hands and keep it there for hours! They were always rotten too! Never a dull one. He and David could hang out all day and eat the same food and drink the same drink (Orange Crush), and yet still his farts would be ten times as deadly as Davids. You must got bad genes or something man, David muttered as he turned to let his window down. The wind was sooo nice. He stuck his hand out into the wind to test it.. Yep, just right. Git cha hand back out the window and siddown! Without thinking David complied swiftly catching a glimpse of Mrs. Norwoods evil eye in the rear view mirror. He leaned back against the window and rested one arm on the top of the deep green tattered and duct taped bench seat. He just knew he was the coolest thing since Motley Crue. Hi ya gorgeous, he piped at the young dark haired pale-faced girl behind him. She grinned and went back to ignoring him. You know she dont like white boys, Joey teased. You dont know that, David barked back. Pretending that she didnt hear what was said, Annie continued to sketch on the cover of her book. David annoyingly looked down at an awesome display of Annies name in street graffiti. Thats awesome Annie!, he piped. Thank you, she replied sending chills down his spine. He could say no more. He slumped back into his seat and thought to himself, Im gonna get through to her one day. Turning back into his seat he had a brilliant and impressive idea and snatched his slobber stained book out of his bag. Look Annie, he blurted and displayed his rippled moist work of art. I drew this in class today. Annie burst into laughter and tried to maintain herself but could kept giggling. Ive redeemed myself, David thought. (Annie sat to his right in math class).

Turning back around in his seat, David exhaled and waited for the chills to leave his spine. A gust of wind swirled through the windows carrying the sharp scent of smoldering charcoal and searing meat. He gazed out of the window and exhaled. Tonight was the night. He turned back to Joey but he wasnt there. Only an ambulatory stretcher in the doorway separating the front cab of the ambulance from the patient transport bay was visible through the dim lit emergency vehicle. You okay?, said the adorable young driver. She had a look of concern on her face. It wasnt a fake one either. She was real. In fact, she was the only real person David had ever met in Brooklyn. Yeah Im just thinking, he muttered. Must be nice, I still havent gotten past the freakin out stage and you youre just. Thinking, she teased. David gained his composure and began to assess the situation aloud. Okay we got a derailed subway car (number 4), at New Lots Avenue upon arrival so it shouldnt be too awful since they were most likely coming to a stop, no known reported deaths or serious injuries, authorities have been notified, well probably see a lot of cuts and bruises but I seriously doubt anybodys critical let's just take a pack in and see what we got, he paused and looked at the beautiful young freckle faced girl. Forget somethin?, he said plucking the young girls ID tag from the dash and clipping it onto the sleeve of her uniform. It read in all capital letters:

ROBIN MORGAN

PARAMEDIC ASSISTANT